Opportunity Amidst Crisis-Covid-19

Before I get started, I want to acknowledge that I am not downplaying the severity of this situation. For those with sick friends and family, like myself, I send you my love, prayers and hope. Many people may lose loved ones and many struggles may be faced emotionally, physically and financially. As crushing as the times may be, there is always opportunity and we can find the strength we need to thrive.  

Amidst all the uncertainty surrounding this time, I find I am certain that we will get through this and we will be better for it. I also believe things will never be the same again and I couldn’t be more hopeful. So what gifts do we have to acknowledge? How can we drop the noise, shift our perspective, protect our health and utilize this time to our benefit? …Check out some of my thoughts on the topic below!

Extra Time: Time is the one thing we never have enough of and we can’t buy more of, making it one of our most precious gifts, yet we typically spend it away without thinking twice about it. Have you found yourself spending more time with your loved ones, thinking more, taking more time to be introspective, eating better? When was the last time you did these things?  Pshhh it only took a world-wide epidemic to “slow-our-roll” as a society.

The Work from Home Culture: Work from home opportunities are being trusted to employees (FINALLY) and without commute time, many of us are experiencing EXTRA time in our days…when was the last time you had some of that?!  Workplaces are being forced to innovate and this may become the new norm, lucky you and lucky earth! With less commuting carbon emissions have decreased all over the world and thanks to our dear mother nature, we are already breathing cleaner air. How else might the world benefit…how about all of that space used as work space? Isn’t there concern with clean air in major cities, isn’t there a housing crisis in New York? Think about all of the current work dedicated spaces that could be turned into housing, reverted to park land, turned into urban farms or other creative spaces that can address real issues we are facing today, there is so much opportunity…not to mention that you can typically write off part of your taxes if you have a work from home space! 

Family Time: Our children are learning with us, our children are home with us, the little beings that were brought into the world as a pure manifestation of love. Our children are learning school and life lessons like how to be resilient, how to be calm in the face of adversity, the value of human connection, the value of time outside in nature, how to cook, how to clean and so much more!  Whether we want our children to be like us or be better than us, what a blessing to have the opportunity to be involved directly with our children and their learning! 

A Chance to Catch Up: There is so much going on and so much to do it is really easy for us to get sucked into routines, social media, and a fast pace of living. Alongside of this global pandemic, we are coming up on another election in the US and just like every other, it is an important one. Now is the time to toss aside your preconceptions and actually read through published policy, understand party initiatives and ask hard questions of politicians and of yourself. You may find some information you weren’t aware of, some things that piss you off but in the process you will be uncovering the truth for YOURSELF not the truth that your social media news feed wants you to have.

A Chance to Be Present: With the advent of this virus we have become acutely aware of what is essential and what is not, well, all those except the toilet paper hoarders, just kidding! We are beginning to understand what the essentials are and think about how we can provide for our families in different, less conventional ways. Some of us are even taking this time to pursue a passion that was otherwise tossed aside. Now is the time to turn inward, if you are out of work and worried about providing…think about if you really even like what you were doing, is there anything you feel more drawn to doing, and how could you manifest that in your life to provide for your family, get creative!  Again, we only have a finite amount of time in this life; you might as well follow your passions! that at the end of the day we will be held accountable some way for the poor decisions we make.

Health and Wellness Reality Check: In regard to health and wellness, COVID-19 has proven to be a ruthless viral infection that is most aggressive in those with pre-existing conditions. It makes sense, and this isn’t a unique property of this disease. When your body is already drained, combatting disease resulting from lack of nutrition, lack of exercise, poor sleep, high stress etc. how could we expect it to perform with tip top resilience when hit with a foreign invader like a virus?  This virus has taught us that we really need to take personal accountability for our own health and make sure we do our best to keep the body in prime condition! This means all of the basics, good sleep, hydration, having/setting goals, finding a passion, good whole food plant based nutrition and regular exercise! 

View fullsize

Image Credit: University of New Hampshire https://www.unh.edu/health/well/wellness

Did you know that in 2016 The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that heart disease and stroke (two largely preventable diseases) killed 15.2 Million people worldwide? Yes that’s 15.2 MILLION PEOPLE ANNUALLY… With obesity rising, we can assume this number has increased every year since but if it stayed the same that would be 60.8 Million deaths in the last 4 years. I am not presenting this to down play the severity of Covid-19 but only to stress the importance of our every day decisions and our personal roles in maintaining our own health. These are serious diseases that you have power over preventing and in a disease free, healthful state, you will be more resistant to any pathogen that comes your way! https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death

HELPFUL SUGGESTIONS…NOW IS A GREAT TIME TO:

• FACE UNRESOLVED ISSUES AND EMOTIONS FROM THE PAST: This does NOT mean text your ex! Inside in quarantine, you have nowhere to run to, less distractions and chances are you’ll make peace with yourself.

• JOURNAL ABOUT ANYTHING: Get to know yourself and who you have fallen into the routine of being. Are you the person you want to be? Are you striving to reach your goals? Do you know what your goals are, what motivates you?

• GET REAL WITH YOURSELF: Are you happy with where your life is now, or do you wish you were doing something different? How could you change the path you’ve been on – use your creativity muscle!

• CONSIDER YOUR HEALTH: YOUR HEALTH IS ALWAYS NUMBER ONE. Now more than ever it is essential that we keep up our health and one of the best ways we can do that (beside hand washing and social distancing J ) is through diet, exercise and proper sleep. Our health allows us to maintain independence in so many ways, we have to respect that we play an active role in the health of our bodies. Plant based diets high in fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, beans and legumes are generally recommended for optimal health – who knows you may come out of this healthier then you went into it!

• MONO-TASK: Try doing just one thing and only that thing. For example, just washing the dishes or just brushing your teeth…focus on what you are doing in that moment without distraction, you may be surprised how hard it is and how relaxed you feel after taking that moment.

• TAKE NOTICE: A lot is going on both in regard to the virus and politically at this time. Take the time to read the actual bills that are being past (not just a social media post about them!) and ask questions! Remain aware of who is pushing for what policies to be passed and think about their possible motives, we have an election in the US this year, now is the perfect time to get informed!

• GROW SOMETHING: We’ve talked a lot about personal growth during this time, but what about some good old fashioned gardening! Food availability has been a concern for many and what better way to get outside and remind ourselves that life is still going on and flourishing all around us! As an avid organic grower I can attest to the joys of learning new skills constantly, having direct access to organic produce, knowing exactly what was put on/in my food and most importantly for me my interaction as a co-creator with nature.

  • Pro-Tip: Start small, and don’t worry how it looks if money is tight! You can get started and have a productive garden for next to nothing by saving the seed from some of your favorite organic foods and up-cycling delivery boxes or plastic produce containers as planters! Gardening is a huge passion of mine so I’ll be posting more on this soon!

WAS THIS ARTICLE OF VALUE TO YOU?

COMMENT BELOW AND SHARE THE POSITIVES YOU ARE EXPERIENCING IN LIFE RIGHT NOW OR A UNIQUE WAY THAT YOU ARE USING YOUR TIME!

FIND OTHER HEALTHFUL TIPS, RECIPES AND SUGGESTIONS ON MY INSTAGRAM!