This year has awoken a lot of things for people, both internally and externally. First, how are you doing? I, very kindly, say that most of the issues that were magnified during corona were issues before that weren’t challenging enough yet to tackle and pivot. Responsible handling of money (not spending more than you have budgeted) and poor boundary setting (has overtaken my doer friends out there who never ask for help) seem to be two of the biggest. This year has hopefully re-grounded, re-shaped and brought us back closer to Jesus and his promises. I spoke to a friend who is literally clinging to Jesus with her life circumstances causing hardship and she said, “I used to throw my time in with God after my chaotic day of managing earthly tasks and I’ve realized my days need to be focused on him and tackle my less important earthly tasks around that time”. Sitting with Jesus is becoming another task rather than the sole reason we continue to lean into his promises. It finally just dawned on me that able bodied, kind-hearted people are still called to suffer in the bible. We can rest assured that our earthly suffering is welcomed with the promise of eternal life. I joked with Jamie that there are so many blessings that I never in a million years would have been able to experience this year if we hadn’t been in a pandemic. SO. MANY. BLESSINGS. With that said, what a cluster of a year.
One of the areas that is either spot on this year or completely off balance in people’s lives are healthy lifestyles choices. One of my biggest wins while home this year was keeping the junk food that I would binge on during the rough days OUT OF MY HOUSE. I didn’t consume one drop of alcohol while we were shut down and managed to continue to meal prep. So… fancy for me, right??? Even with the good food, the daily walks and keeping myself on a schedule- the mental fortitude of grace and trust was still overwhelming on most days. If you were not me during the shut down and you found yourself leaning into food, alcohol and couch time, you are not alone! I have friends who take pride in the amount of alcohol consumed and how 8am seemed like a perfect time for a cocktail! We all coped different through this year, but I do want to firmly plant that we all should and need to put a better foot forward for our own personal accountability. Your greatness depends on it!
One of the biggest frustrations as a doctor and as someone fielding through everything like everyone else is this idea that we have no control over how we come out of 2020 and beyond. Now may not be the time to work toward your dream health but I want to plant the seed that how you do one thing, is how you do everything. No one needs to give you permission to claim your mental, physical and emotional health- you claim it, you take it and you own it day in and day out. That is how we come out of the other side- we know that our actions on a daily basis ultimately determine the caliber to which we get to live our life. Being congruent with who you are and what you want requires alignment. For example, you want to be the best mom/volunteer/worker but you also have poor sleep habits, you take poor care of yourself (whatever that looks like) and you have no plan to get to a better place. Can you see how being out of alignment with what you want and what you are doing go hand in hand? Your co-workers, children, spouses look to you- you must be an example. That is how we reduce the anxiety- we start doing for ourselves and leading by example rather than waiting for our world to determine your next steps. Even if that means setting better boundaries, shutting your bedroom door and going to bed early. More is not always better, but consistency always, always wins!
I’ve found 2 passive ways that have improved my day to day that do not require a minute more of your time or energy. We have to start at the basement and work our way up the stairs. Not to mention, we are going into a second shut down (at least in Michigan) with it getting dark at 5pm and the roads starting to get slick. Now is the time to say no more to having no control over how you feel and show up every day. First one is the grounding mat (earthing.com) that Jamie reviewed in our newsletter and the second is a sunlamp. One of the reasons I wanted to focus on these is because of a recurring concern of need to continue to buy (supplements, Chiropractic, massage, acupuncture)- this is a one time buy and second- limited or no time. Although I believe your health goes far beyond a sunlamp and grounding mat- neither of these have barriers to make that initial step forward. I put my grounding mat under my sheets so I reap the benefits when I sleep and I turn the sunlamp on in the morning for a half hour when I’m doing dishes, folding laundry, checking emails.. etc etc etc. Your kids and your spouse can share in the fun as well.
If you want to know all of the reviews on the grounding mat, see Jamie’s thoughts (Insert link to Jamie’s thoughts) but I did want to touch on the sunlamp. I’ve been a skeptic because it can’t possibly be so easy as to sit in front of something you plug in and have it make dramatic improvements. But I will swallow my pride and tell you that it has helped me (even with all the other healthy choices I make). I had to go back and re-read one of my previous blog posts on small tweaks and remind myself that sometimes big leaps are small steps when we put our ego aside. How could I discount a $60 sunlamp- the potential benefits far out way the ego trip I was taking. Why not try it- worst thing that could happen is it gets added to my daily routine of wonderfulness to keep me doing what I need to show up for you and my patients.
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