Maintaining Balance During COVID-19

Life changed course in many unexpected ways with COVID-19. Maintaining balance on social, mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical levels has been a challenge. New concerns now undergird our daily lives, redirecting our attention to family, mortality, uncertainty, and extreme economic hardships - and this is a shortened list! Finding a clear path towards a sense of balance during this time isn’t easy and requires a consistent commitment to safeguard our wellbeing.
 
At SCA, we value you as a whole person and understand that having a sense of control and balance enables you to more comfortably surf through COVID-19 and its unknown course. We’ve compiled a quick reference guide to safeguard your wellbeing and sanity during the COVID-19 epidemic so that you can bolster your health and maintain a sense of mental fitness in these challenging times.

Feeling emotional drained? How exactly can one maintain a sense of normalcy when things just don’t feel normal anymore? 
Experiencing unexplained sadness, frustration, melancholy, boredom, or anger is quite normal right now. Allow yourself to have these feelings, acknowledge them, maybe journal or talk out these feelings with a trusted friend. You aren’t alone. Finding a way to express difficult emotions by sharing or writing them down can give a sense of release.

​Harvard published a series of webinars entitled Coping with Coronavirus: Dealing with daily stress, anxiety, and a range of other emotions, which is a comprehensive resource for understanding emotions proactively and productively. 
https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/coping-with-coronavirus

Routines can help establish a sense of control and comfort
Try to focus on these areas to add structure to your day: adequate sleep, quality mealtime, personal development, moderate exercise, outdoor time, and meaningful connections with others. Also be vigilant with self-care, like stretching, yoga, or meditation and engage your mind with useful, productive exercises such as Sudoku, daily crossword puzzles, or learning a new skill. Focus on routines that support you and your personal development. Here is an article that talks about maintaining productiveness through set routines and discipline. 
https://www.oregonlive.com/coronavirus/2020/03/how-to-set-a-routine-stay-productive-and-be-active-during-coronavirus-crisis.html
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Studies indicate that utilizing a routine can help create a sense of normalcy and this author offers ways to avoid the “procrastination vortex”. 
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-gen-y-psy/201810/the-power-routines-in-your-mental-health

Having difficulty working from home? 
Safer-at-home measures, the closure of schools and childcare facilities, as well as the new and fashionable pajama dress code, have hindered our abilities to work in environments most conducive for getting the job done. The workplace typically offers a readily defined area to get your tasks completed in an efficient manner. Our homes are designed more for relaxation, social interactions with family members and roommates, and can simply be distracting. This article helps to reorganize your mindset and space to optimize your work environment.
https://www.business2community.com/workplace-culture/finding-normalcy-in-a-world-of-chaos-working-from-home-02297455

​Got some extra time on your hands? 
Try channeling your extra energy into a creative pursuit. Select a new or favorite hobby to devote time and practice to in order to achieve a sense of mastery. Scroll through Pinterest to see if there’s anything of interest, and upscale the look and feel of your home or add a better sense of organization to your closets or kitchen spaces. 

Ivy League schools are offering classes for free online where you can indulge your brain power and develop a new skill; you may not get an official degree from one of these schools, yet you can wow your friends with your extensive knowledge. 
https://www.classcentral.com/collection/ivy-league-moocs

Want to give back, but want to do so safely?
With the invisible threat of COVID-19, for some of us, our hearts are swelling and our compassion levels are at an all-time high. We want to help, but can we do so without endangering ourselves or others? Here is a great resource for where you can plug-in your compassionate spirit and assist those most in need for Colorado Springs.
https://cosiloveyou.com/how-to-help-during-covid-19/

Got some tips for improving balance for your wellbeing? We’d love hearing from you and how you’re coping with the challenges of COVID-19. And remember: have patience with yourself and others, give yourself a little time and space to reorganize around new routines and self-care; expect yourself to wobble in the right direction towards optimum health, and when normalcy can be the norm again, we can all bump elbows again.

-Kimberly Ann Brown, L.Ac.