I'm not here to attempt to relay facts on COVID-19 or the current state of our country. I'll leave that to the experts and continue to keep myself updated and informed. But I am here to discuss physical and mental health.
Practicing social distancing is difficult in ways that I didn't expect. I anticipated the surreal situations, the restlessness, the fear of the unknown, and constant day-by-day changes. But there are underlying problems emerging now.
I spoke with my mom on the phone and we had a conversation about mental illness and addiction. As of now, AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) meetings are cancelled until further notice to encourage social distancing. While this is necessary, it's also scary; in Ohio (and possibly other areas but I haven't looked into it yet), there has been an increase in relapse cases. During such a terrifying time, along with resources being unavailable, there is a concerning amount of people that are turning back to their substance addictions.
For other people that don't suffer with addiction issues, there is still the factor of mental illness. Anxiety is spiked for some, depression is spiked for some, I am experiencing an increase in my mania/depressive fluctuations....and there is so much more. Even before all of this truly kicked off, I was in the midst of exploring new medication options for my bipolar disorder. But now I feel more comfortable sticking to my current medication and trying to manage the side effects. It makes me nervous thinking about testing out new meds in the midst of this chaos, even though I know that needs to happen at some point.
My heart hurts for us as a whole. I am at a loss for words. But we are seeing, finally, proper actions taking place. The country is taking necessary precautions and that brings me some small relief. But I hate to say: this will get worse before it gets better. But I believe from the bottom of my heart that things will get better. Our economy is going to be fucked up for a long while and we will be dealing with the effects of this for quite some time, but we will come out on the other side of it.
I just wanted to pull a little piece together talking about simple ways to monitor our mental health during this time. It's ironic to me that I frequently talk about my need to pause and slow down because I use my busy schedule to distract from deeper, unresolved issues...now the entire world is being forced to pause. In some ways, I find comfort seeing that the vast majority of the WORLD deals with that problem. We are always go go go, and now we don't know what to do.
You may find yourself sitting restlessly and letting worrying thoughts consume you. I want to make this clear: if you're in a dangerous mental place, there is nothing wrong with trying to distract yourself with fun or relaxing activities at home. People have highlighted reading books, cleaning the house, picking up a new hobby, etc. And that's all amazing, but depending on how long this situation happens, those dangerous suppressed thoughts could catch up with you. Or old unhealthy habits might sneak back into your mind.
I discussed this in an instagram post recently, but I'm bringing it up again: my psychiatrist has been working with me on Awareness Therapy, and it has been helping me immensely over the last few months. Obviously I'm not a psychiatrist or a professional, but I encourage you to do some research on this. The easiest way I can describe this is the correct way to meditate (my words, not his). Rather than sitting still and trying to clear your mind, you want to sit still and close your eyes and slow down your breathing first. Then you allow your unconscious mind to reveal its thoughts. The unconscious mind is where all of our quick response thoughts come, and oftentimes they're masked as unpleasant; your unconscious mind only sees the world in black and white and it wants the best for you. For example, if I skip a workout I often have a fast thought of "wow I'm so lazy, I suck." That's the unconscious mind because it wants me to succeed and be the best version of myself, but it kind of sounds like an overbearing parent. It's up to me to engage my CONSCIOUS mind and acknowledge those thoughts rather than push them down; I have to say "Thank you for wanting me to be as fit and healthy as possible. But I'm on my period and I feel very rundown, so it's better if I rest today."
That is the simplest explanation I can manage. Once again I encourage you to look into this on your own, or even talk to a professional about it.
The reason I bring this up now is because I think it's crucial for us to focus on mind-management and practice grabbing onto those unconscious thoughts. They are valid thoughts, valid fears, valid emotions, valid desires. But if we don't use our conscious minds to break down proper solutions or show compassion towards those thoughts, then they can easily snowball into panic. During this scary time in the world, I really want all of us to be AWARE of our thoughts, triggers, worries, addictions, weak points, and so on. If we continue to "clear our minds", we're really just pushing away these thoughts and not giving them the proper care they need. And they will come back stronger.
We need to be safe. Not just from the virus, but from ourselves. I've seen thousands of suggestions online about hobbies and things to do at home, so it feels like everything has been said already. But I'm still going to share some small things that help me with mind management (besides Awareness Therapy).
-Protein and fat intake. I notice many people encouraging getting extra vitamin D through outdoor activity or supplements; I agree with this! But keep in mind that vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, so getting enough fat in your diet is what helps your body to absorb the vitamin D, and we need to absorb it due to immune system strengthening properties.
It might not seem like protein is related to immune health but to me it is. Many individuals, particularly females, don't realize that they're not getting enough protein in one day. Everyone is different, but an estimated average amount in a day should equate to 1 gram of protein for every 1 pound on a person. Example: If you weight 130 pounds, you should most likely be having at least 130 grams of protein per day. Protein is the building blocks of our bodies; it fuels our muscles, bones, cells, skin repair, hair, teeth internal maintenance, etc. (I touch on this topic again with collagen below).
To me it's important to give myself a fighting chance at health and longevity by having a strong foundation. Prioritize eating complete sources of protein!
-Set times to move. To me this covers scheduling a home workout or even just scheduling in movement in some way. If you can't go for a walk or don't have a backyard, crack a window for a bit of fresh air and stretch. You don't have to be a yoga expert or complete a crazy workout, but just stretch out all your muscles a few times a day for 5 minutes. It's been helping me with clarity and just bringing me back to the present moment, especially when paired with slow deep breaths.
-Water. Besides the obvious, VITAMIN C IS A WATER-SOLUBLE VITAMIN. I know we're all taking vitamin c to strengthen our immune systems but you need to hydrate a lot in order to absorb the vitamin C!
-Vitamins and minerals in general. It might be hard to eat a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables right now, but get creative with frozen produce and canned produce. Get as many leafy greens in as you can.
-Wake up around the same time every day. I am currently still working (I work in the Catering Department at my local Giant Eagle, so we're open) and I babysit once a week, so my alarm sometimes has to go off by 5:30 a.m. But since my college has transitioned to online classes, the latest I sleep in on my days off is 8:30 a.m.
-Try to stick to your morning routine if you currently have one, or use this chance to establish one for a sense of normalcy. Waking up, starting the coffee, tidying up the kitchen, feeding my cats, cracking open the window blinds, chugging a glass of water, and stretching...starting my day with these things is an indescribable benefit to my mental health during this situation.
-Time block. Even if you're not a student that has work to keep up with, try to structure your day and stick to specific times. Change out of your pajamas to signal to your brain that the day is starting, and write down when you want to work on various things.
-I know a lot of people are using this extra time as an opportunity to clean, so here's my biggest piece of cleaning advice: When you're vacuuming, put on your headphones and blast happy music that you can dance to. Trust me.
-Take collagen if you have access to it. I've talked about the benefits of collagen and why our body needs it; it's the most abundant protein in our bodies. It makes up connective tissues that are apart of tendons, muscles, skin, hair follicles, bones, teeth, and more. I still take it in powder form every morning, but I think it's even more important during this time. Stress directly effects our skin, and collagen is an essential protein that repairs skin cells, hair cells, and skin elasticity. I'll link my daily coffee recipe here, which includes collagen in it: https://www.candidcassie.com/single-post/2019/08/11/I-Drank-Bulletproof-Coffee-Every-Day-for-a-Year
-Stress also negatively effects our immune systems; this is why breath work is important. Breath work is suggested often for anxiety management, and it is an awesome tool for that, but what about the immune system? Breath work helps regulate our heart rates (it gets elevated during long and short periods of stress), lower our cortisol levels, and relax our bodies so that energy is utilized for repairing or fighting infections/viruses. Not to mention it benefits your lungs and strengthens the core!
-Utilize essential oils and sage; there are studies to back up their benefits! Burning the proper type of sage kills bacteria in the air. And as for essential oils, there are so many you can research that will help with various ailments. But for the current situation I have some top contenders:
1. Rosemary oil. Reduces physical signs of stress in the body. Studies show that it lowers cortisol levels and regulates pulse. It can help with congestion and respiratory problems. Rosemary contains a compound called cineole, which helps to break up mucus and decrease inflammation...crucial for this virus.
2. Peppermint oil. I could go on forever about peppermint. It's a daily use for me at this point. One of my best friends, Jessy, gifted me a necklace that radiates oil fragrance all day, and I typically chose this oil. Menthol is an extract of peppermint, and I think most people are familiar with the cooling effects on our throats when we inhale something with menthol in it. It's also amazing when it comes to clearing sinuses, but my most frequent use of peppermint oil is to treat my headaches. I dab a bit of it at my temples right at the hair line, on the back of my neck (rub it in at your hair line at the back of your neck), and the spot where your shoulders meet your neck. Also make sure to tab a bit under your nose and breathe deeply.
3. Lemon oil. This can be used for disinfecting surfaces of your home by diluting it in water as it is great at killing bacteria without toxins. And I can't lie, the smell is fresh and reminds me of spring or summer.
-Schedule your meals and snacks. I understand don't do well with tracking food in any way because it might be triggering for them, and I respect that. But if you can in a healthy way, please do. Having a little bit of structure with my meals ensures I don't just eat out of boredom. Roughly tracking my macros helps to make sure I'm getting the proper macro- and micro-nutrients in order to keep my body functioning at its best.
-Remember what is most important. During this time we've watched every store, venue, event, hair salon, nail salon, tattoo shop, tanning salon, etc. close. What have you adjusted to living without (perhaps with some disappointment but, nonetheless, we're surviving) and found that you can adapt? What is some thing that seems minuscule in day-to-day life but now you can't wait to experience again? For me it's basic human connection and seeing my loved ones. It's being in my school's kitchen and tasting my peer's dishes they create. It's returning to my favorite hobbies. It's planning exciting trips. It's having access to fresh produce and an abundance of product in grocery stores. I think moving forward, the world will collectively feel a surge of gratitude for the seemingly mundane, for things we previously took for granted.
There is more I could say, but I'll save it for another time. I want to continue to use this little platform as an open safe space for all. I want to continue to be informative and honest, regardless if it's hard or harsh. The sense of community I've felt and seen has been spectacular; I encourage us all to hold onto that and hold onto each other, even if it's currently from a distance.
I will be planning easy recipes, nutrition information, compiled home workouts, and as much content as I possibly can. Thank you for reading and I hope you walk away with at least one positive thing.
*All pictures are my own
*Additional sources beyond my institution: