Light, Love, Laughs and Connection: Resources to Support You During this Time
My oh my, what a time it's been. For a while, I couldn’t decide between talking about the elephant in the room (you know, the one that starts with C and ends with 'irus') and ignoring it. I was unsure - would you prefer we talked it through, or would you prefer to have a breather from it all? I ended up deciding on something in the middle - not talking about said elephant per se (it's fair to say we've been completely overloaded media coverage about it), but still acknowledging that it's a trying and tricky time. Many of us are feeling a little lost, worried and isolated. But just as worry and uncertainty are contagious, so too are optimism and hope. Now more than ever before, I feel we'd all benefit from some light, love, laughs and connection. I shared some of these on an Instagram story a few weeks ago and had great feedback, so wanted to share them with you (plus more) here. Have a look, see what you're drawn to, try some out, and please be gentle with yourself.
P.S. If you're wondering how the current situation will impact your appointment, rest assured that I’m still here to help and will be moving all appointments online fo the foreseeable future. I’m also now offering short consultations for those who feel like they’d benefit from a little extra support during this time, particularly for their immune or nervous systems. You can book an appointment online here.
For some laughs
Listen to the Hamish and Andy podcast (or watch reruns of their shows online)
Listen to the Carrie and Tommy Show podcast (I'd recommend old eps before Coronavirus became a topic)
Watch videos of dogs / animals being the wonderful things they are (here's Stella, one of my favourites)
Hop on to Netflix / Stan / SBS On Demand / ABC iView and watch your fave comedy show. Two of my favourites are Brooklyn Nine Nine (Netflix) and New Girl (SBS On Demand)
Watch your favourite comedians on Netflix or YouTube
Scroll through Celeste Barber's Instagram
Watch reruns of the Ellen Show
For kitchen fun
Get creative - pull whatever ingredients you have out of our cupboard / fridge and see what you can make. Think of it as a fun experiment! Oats can be blended into flour, bananas can be baked into muffins or frozen and blended into ice cream, legumes are a fabulous addition to soups, the list goes on!
You know that recipe you've always wanted to make but never have? Or that dish you loved from childhood? Now's the time to recreate it! It doesn't have to be perfect, allow yourself to have fun with it and make adaptions with ingredients if you need.
Enjoy a mug of my Super Hot Chocolate with a Hot Cross Brownie (recipe below). Or try out any of my other recipes here (if you have any questions about anything or are wondering about substitutes, just ask and I'l help!)
Show your pantry some love - pull everything out, put things aside you don't use and see if you can find a new use for them (Google always has great ideas) or pass them on to a loved one or neighbour if possible. Then and organise the rest. You'll likely rediscover things you'd forgotten about, including hidden flavour sensations like spices or vinegar
Grow your own veggies from kitchen scraps. Yep, it's possible! This blog post has great easy instructions on how to grow things like spring onions and tomatoes from leftovers.
Feel a sense of empowerment by enjoying foods that support your immune system. Many of these are pantry staples and can last a long time (or grow them yourself from the bullet point above) - garlic, onion, ginger and most other spices, herbs, tomatoes, mushrooms, orange coloured veggies and fruits, basically all veggies and fruits (including frozen ones), oily fish (including canned salmon, kippers, mackerel and anchovies), citrus fruits, berries (including frozen ones), fermented foods like miso and sauerkraut, chicken soup (like this recipe)
For connection and support
If you're experiencing increased anxiety or stress at the moment, explore one of these two resources - The Anxiety Course: Anxiety and Coronavirus or Virus Anxiety. Both offer some valuable insights, resources and support (I especially love this page)
'That discomfort you're feeling is grief' is a fabulous article that explores our current situation
The Centre for Mindful Eating is hosting community sessions for free through to 30th April, including meditation and mindful eating events. They're a fabulous organisation and their events are a great chance to experience connection with others. You can check them out here.
Explore other ways to connect online with virtual hangouts - virtual yoga or other fitness classes, virtual bookclubs, trivia groups, etc. More and more organisations and events are switching to being online each day. A Little More Connection is also a fabulous organisation who'll hopefully be posting an April event soon!
If you're struggling with food, especially right now, know you're not alone. Eating different types or amounts of food, or having different eating habits, is a normal response in a situation like this. Be gentle with yourself. Alissa Rumsey explores this topic pretty well here.
Use an app like Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, Facebook Messenger, Google Hangouts or Houseparty to spend time with your loved ones virtually. Set up a dinner date with them, watch a movie together or just have a good old chin wag!
Connect with me. Reach out to me by replying to this email or hopping on to my Instagram page, I'd absolutely love to hear from you
Other ideas
Turn off the news for a day! Take a breather from it all
Get crafty like a kid and make playdough, paint, do arts and crafts
Lay on the grass outside in the sun
Flick through good news stories on pages like Global Positive News
Make a fort out of blankets and pillows. Set yourself up in there for the afternoon with a book, movie, your journal or a cup of tea
Download a meditation or mindfulness app like Insight Timer (like YouTube but for meditation, one of my favourite teachers is Jordanna Levin)
Create a playlist on Spotify of feel good tunes. Pop it on and have a dance party in your house or backyard
Check out your favourite gallery or museum website as many are showcasing collections and exhibitions online
Do you have any ideas? I'd love to hear them, connect with me over here and let me know!
