Positive Mental health is the key to our emotional and physical well being.  But with the COVID-19 in the back of our minds it’s hard not to feel anxious about our health, our economy, our own personal wellbeing and the wellbeing of our families. 

With so much up in the air, fear is making us scared, seeing us retreat back into our shells and for many of us, a feeling of being completely out of our control. 

This feeling is different to the complete control we’re accustomed to having in our lives.

We’re accustomed to…. 

• Being able to buy groceries whenever we want without worry. Knowing what we want will be there whenever we need it (i.e. When in your life time have you ever thought we would run out of toilet paper lol)
• We can sit at home and buy literally anything we want online, whenever we want and from whoever we want. We have everything at our fingertips.
• We can book a flight and fly out anytime we want to anywhere in the world
• We can get petrol when our car is running low on every second corner. 

The problem with this uncertainty is the resulting physiological responses that suppress our immune systems i.e. fear, anxiety and overwhelm. 

Stress weakens your immune system, and a weakened immune system means we are more susceptible to disease, viruses and illnesses. 

As COVID-19 is now deemed a worldwide pandemic we need to take our health and our mental health seriously.

Here are 10 tips for reducing your stress and improve your mental health:

1. Start your day with intention – Create Your Daily Design 

No matter what is going on around you, you can always be in control of your state of mind. A great tool is to set an intention for the day.  

When you start your day setting positive intentions you are more likely to have a good day  and not let outside interruptions ruin your day. 

 This is how I create My Daily Design. I learnt this from Gabby Bernstein (Super Attractor book).

I answer these 4 questions in My Daily Design that help me set up my day for positive outcomes and feelings:

• How do I want to feel today?
• Who do I want to be today? 
• What do I want to receive today?
• What do I want to give today?  

Since starting this I have reduced my stress, created real focus and become a lot more productive and calm. 

2. Start a Gratitude and Personal Achievement Journal

Focusing on what you do have instead of what is going wrong will help you create more calm.

Try this exercise daily….writing down:

• 3 things you are grateful for in the morning; and

• 3 things you have accomplished or achieved at the end of the day. 

When doing this remember they don’t have to be big things, start small and work your way up.

Gratitude can be very simple. Start with the small things that we often to forget to appreciate e.g. I am grateful I have clean water to drink, I am grateful I have a roof over my head, I am grateful I have enough money to pay my bills. 

Your daily achievements could be as simple as e.g. Drinking 2L of water daily. Turning up to a workout, completing a task or sticking to a healthy meal plan.

The more we focus on what we have and what is going well, fear won’t be able to rule your life. 

3. Limit Screen Time 

The more you listen to the news or scroll social media, the more it will feed your fear. We suggest you get up to date but don’t get sucked into the never ending rabbit hole the media creates. 

Our suggestion is for you to turn off all screens 1 hour before bed (TV, computer, e-reader, Mobile Phone, etc.) to support mental health and promote a more restful sleep!

Another suggestion is to avoid checking your socials, emails or turning on the news as soon as you wake up it can create fear and anxiety before you step out of bed. Start your day on a positive note with the positive actions I have listed above.

4. Cuddle your kids or your pets

Take some time out and just give your children or four-legged friend a big cuddle. A quick cuddle has an amazing ability to create oxytocin (the love hormone) which promotes comfort, soothes and relaxes the nervous system.

5. Start decluttering and organising your home, office and car.

The more order you have in your surroundings the more at peace you will feel! If your home, office or car is disorganised and messy you will feel really agitated and stressed which won’t help at this time of uncertainty.

If you haven’t already, watch the Netflix series Marie Kondo “Tidying Up”. I reorganised my home after watching this series and the results have been amazing. 

6. Get Crafty 

Get crafty with your food, try some new healthy recipes or do some baking. I love being crafty with food because I can then share my creations with friends and family. Doing things for your family creates more oxytocin which again will lower your anxiety and stress levels. Check out our Cook book for some recipe ideas. 

If food isn’t your thing, why not spend some time colouring to reduce anxiety and clear the mind. Check out some free printable colouring pages online.

7. See the humour and LAUGH

Laughter is the best medicine. Watch something funny, read a book that makes you giggle or spend some with that friend who always makes you laugh.

By no means is the current situation funny… but just finding any humour in a bad situation will always bring more light into your life. I.e Toilet paper shortage… What the!

8. Take a walk in Nature or Meditate 

When you spend time in nature it has a magical way of reducing stress. I dare you to hug a tree, not only will it make you giggle it will also be very grounding or just get outside, get some fresh air and feel the power of mother nature.  

Mediation is also a great tool if spending time in nature is not as accessible. Close your eyes and sit still for 5-10mins focusing on your breathing. You will wake up feeling 10x better. 

9. Do a Workout with fun, to fun music! 

We all know the benefits of working out and how amazing it makes you feel. Use your favourite tunes to boost your workout, reduce your stress and boost those endorphins. 

10. Eat more Omega 3’s and Eat more veggies 

Good quality fats like Omega 3’s help to improve your mental health. Flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts, and wild salmon are a few wonderful whole foods that you can snack on during the day. 

Eating a rainbow of fruits and veggies will ensure you have a variety of nutrients that will keep you healthy and feeling great. Check out our cook book for healthy whole food ideas.

BONUS TIP:

11. Never forget that it will be fine and it will pass 

Be confident in the fact that this will blow over and no matter what happens your incredibly resourceful and it will all workout just fine.

Your mental health is so incredibly important for you to live a happy joyful life. Take the time to honour yourself by implementing 1 or 2 of these self care items to reduce stress and anxiety so you can move through any adversity with strength and confidence. 

Interested in becoming a member at femme fitness hub…. Try our classes for a week!

Love Belinda Carusi xoxo