Making sense of days that make no sense requires new patterns, habits, and routines. For me, trying to muddle through the cacophony of work and children and non-stop days at home is very, very challenging to my brain. So, to help, I’ve been building small rituals into the day to start to cue myself that yes, work is happening now, and yes, it’s a new day.
Every morning lately, I’ve been posting a selfie to my Facebook page and my Instagram page. Right now it feels like going to the coffee shop—I get to pop in, say good morning to people all around the world, check-in with my neighbors and parents and friends, and then start the day.
How do you make space for healthier habits when you’re exhausted by family and work? That’s the question I got asked in The Wise Women’s Council this month, and that I’m tackling on this episode of the Ask Sarah Podcast (our premium, private podcast for Patreon backers and WWC members—you can get access for $7/month). “I have a limited amount of discipline and willpower and I’m spending it all on my family and business. How do I keep some for myself in order to make healthier choices and feel better physically?
As we all adjust to the uncertainty and sudden shifts of what’s happening around the world with the global COVID-19 pandemic, I wanted to share a few small rituals that we’ve used in our household to find a moment of normalcy in our lives.
If you’re feeling a bit all over the place, I want to talk about how stress affects each of us differently and why these reactions are coming up. Here’s a map for how stress responses work in the body, why we each have different feelings and responses, and how to begin to process your feelings with some of my favorite tools.
If you’re feeling heightened levels of stress, anxiety, or worry, this episode is for you. I’ve recorded a short breathing practice that can help calm anxiety and reduce stress even if you only have a couple of minutes. These are unprecedented times and while this won’t solve everything, this might give you a moment of reprieve if you’re feeling the heaviness of everything right now.