Self-Connection During Quarantine
“Now that no one is watching, how are you showing up to take care of yourself?” This question was posed by our colleague Cara Harbstreet of Street Smart Nutrition and inspired today’s blog post.
We’re in the middle of a public health crisis, and things seem quite uncertain. Unless you are an essential service (in which case, thank you), you are likely working from home, social distancing, and also out of your regular routines. We know that having some regular routines or habits can provide us with a sense of ease and consistency in our lives. And when they’re disrupted, it can easily cause stress for many individuals.
On the other hand, being forced out of your regular day-to-day could also be an opportunity to reexamine those habits and see if or how they are serving you. If you find yourself feeling anxious about not being able to engage in your normal kind of movement or exercise or not being able to eat in the way that you usually do, this could be a sign that it’s time to check in with the intention(s) behind your habits.
It feels important to acknowledge that feeling anxious at the sight of empty shelves at the grocery store is entirely normal and understandable. If you’ve experienced food insecurity in the past or are in recovery from disordered eating, these feelings may be particularly strong. Please give yourself the self-compassion that you deserve every day, especially under these unprecedented circumstances.
Here are some ideas to support your physical and emotional well-being, as well as foster self-connection in difficult times (and beyond):
Eat regular meals and snacks.
Consistent and adequate food will always be vital to our well-being. Regardless of whether or not you are doing more sitting and less moving around, your body still requires energy to function. At the moment, you might not have access to all your normal foods due to fewer trips to the grocery store, food service establishments being closed, working from home, etc. However, rest assured that our bodies are able to make use of all foods. Our bodies are great at adapting! Yes, eating satisfying foods that make our bodies feel good is important, and sometimes, we must eat what is available.
Do a body scan.
Close your eyes and notice how your body feels. Are you feeling stiff? Restless? Anxious? Energetic? Tired? Body scans are a useful daily practice that will help you determine what if any, type of movement would feel good on any given day.
Try journaling.
There is no right or wrong when it comes to journaling! You might find it helpful to journal simply about your feelings, or you may choose to take a more pragmatic approach and take note of things like hunger, fullness, emotions, and behaviors. The goal of journaling is to have a way to process our thoughts and gather insight effectively. Some individuals find it helpful to journal about their eating patterns as well. As a reminder, journaling as a means to gather information differs from “tracking” what we eat to control or restrict food intake.
Engage in fun or creative activities.
We live in a world where productivity is highly valued. How many of us have a list of activities we enjoy doing but rarely get to do it because of other priorities? The act of doing something enjoyable, fun, creative, or just silly can be such an enriching and refreshing experience.
Seek out support.
At CV Wellbeing, we believe our mental health is as important as our physical health. Not only that, but they are so interconnected! If you’ve been putting it off, now could be an excellent time to seek support, whether therapy, nutrition counseling, or something else. Even though many offices have temporarily suspended in-person sessions, many insurance plans cover Telehealth, so you can chat with a provider from the comfort of your home!
The situation we find ourselves in now is far from ideal, and it might not resolve as quickly as we want. At the very least, these circumstances are a practice of being flexible about how we care for ourselves physically and emotionally.
How are you choosing to take care of yourself during this time? If you can do one thing, we hope you can be gentle and kind to yourselves.
