4 Simple Ways to Breathe Easier, Stay Calm & Create Something New…
We are all in this together. And, as we know the Coronavirus may not show signs of infection for several days after exposure. Knowing that was one of the most unsettling parts of it for me.
I deconstructed so much of the bad news around the virus for myself into 4 Simple Ways to Breathe Easier, Stay Calm & Create Something New. I’m sharing it with you in hopes that it will ease some of your worry, and you’ll pass it on to others.
With all the stress from the news and opinions coming from everywhere, we’re producing ‘cortisol’ in our brains, which is the threat hormone. Our brain gets hijacked and we begin not thinking clearly or rationally. It’s all fear-driven!
- Emotional Health (Think Prosperously)
Negative thoughts can have a huge grip on us. Once we start believing the worst, we go down a very slippery slope. Since 85% of what we worry about, never actually happens, it seems like a lot of wasted energy. As a professional coach, I recommend the following to my clients; make a shift in how you see this virus (stay informed but don’t believe all the news), practice self-care by adopting some new habits that calm you down (like a walk in nature, prayer, mindfulness or meditation), re-strengthen your relationships, and create something new to help you thrive.
My daughter did this first on Facebook and I followed. Write 10 things you’re grateful for since this all started. Have you spent more time with your family, have you been more patient (maybe not), or started and completed a task you didn’t take time for before this? Are you testing and cooking new recipes since you’re not going to any restaurants? What are you grateful for? Make your list of 10.
- Physical Health
This may be the time to begin a new healthy eating and activity plan. I bought a magazine for healthy eating, found something delicious to cook, and ordered the groceries I needed online for a pick-up order. No need to go into the store. Did you know they also deliver wine?
If we don’t have our breath, nothing else will matter much. Since this virus can cause Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), here’s a way I’ve adopted to check-in with my breathing and lung capacity:
Take a deep belly breath, breathing in through your nose and pushing your breath down into your belly. As you breathe in, hold your breath for a 10-15 count. Do this 3-4 times each day (I take 3 breaths each time). Each time you complete successfully without coughing or having some discomfort, stuffiness or tightness, you can begin to breathe easier. It just made sense to me. So, WHY does it matter?
Pulmonary Fibrosis scars and thickens the tissue around and between the air sacs in your lungs… as pulmonary fibrosis worsens, you become progressively short of breath. The scarring associated with pulmonary fibrosis can be caused by a multitude of factors. COVED-19, the virus we’re dealing with today, is respiratory. When exposed to it, and as you breathe it in, the virus chases your lungs. This is how SARS ensues.
One of My Preventive Measures (probably not grounded in science)
Drink water in 15-minute increments. If the virus gets into your mouth, drinking water can potentially wash it down through your esophagus into your stomach…bypassing your lungs. This is not grounded in science but at the very least you’ll be drinking more water. It’s all good!
Your GUT needs care: If you are not already doing so, I recommend you begin taking a high-quality probiotic like Purium’s BIOME Medic
Did you know that inside your gut are about 100 trillion live microorganisms that promote normal GI function, protect the body from infection, and regulate metabolism? In fact, they comprise more than 75% of your immune system. This is grounded in science.
Take your temperature: Buy an instant thermometer. If your throat gets scratchy or you’re sneezing and possibly getting a head cold, take your temperature as often as needed. I’m doing it 2-3 times a day now. This nasty virus causes high temperatures. Check in with yours and stay calm.
- Re-strengthen Your Relationships
I know a lot of moms and dads are coping with working from home with small children out of child-care, and school-age kids and teens out of school. This is stressful for the kids too. Everyone is being forced out of their habitual day-to-day activities. Our complacency (our security) is being challenged.
Schedule a family meeting. Explain to the children what’s happening (age- appropriate explanation). Let them know you may get stressed over all of this. You need their cooperation and understanding. Buy a fun game you can all play together such as Catch Phrase. We played it at Thanksgiving with kids and teens. Start a puzzle with the whole family taking their turn, including helping little ones figure it out. Believe it or not, I didn’t have TV growing-up, so we played cards a lot.
- Financial Health
If you’re a small business owner, you may be worrying about finances. I know that’s a very big challenge for me, not to worry about money. So, I got creative! I wrote down some new ideas and came up with a way to start a new stream of income.
If your career journey hasn’t been satisfying, this may be a good time to rethink it and do some research on what you really want to be doing.
Perhaps you need inspiration to elevate your business or your career; take some time to write out a clear intention statement of what you want. So much of the time, we think about what we don’t want. That mindset doesn’t produce anything of value.
Here’s a sample of my new intention statement (my WHY):
My intention is to take my coaching platform, Create a Thriving Life Story™, to a greater level of success, by developing LEAP to Prosperity Virtual Summit for Women to launch in the Fall of 2020, producing high-value workshops, interviews, courses, and masterclasses for women, while generating a prosperous future for my staff, my Prosperity-Builder Coaches & myself.
Soon after I started brainstorming with my coaches and staff around my intention, out of the blue, I got an email asking me to participate in a big conference for women in construction and was given exclusivity in developing and providing a Wellness Zone for the conference, which they never had before. WOW!
I know we’ll all get through this. I have great hope for a thriving future. We are in this together!
Let me know how I can support you through this challenging time. You can email me directly at gloria@createathrivinglifestory.com
Gloria Manchester
Prosperity-Builder Coach™, Professionally Certified Life & Business Coach, CoAuthor of an Amazon Bestseller
#prosperitybuildercoach #createathrivinglifestory #prosperityiq
