Covid Check-In

It’s hard to believe that in a few days, we’ll be in September.

If you’re like me, my timelines have been jumbled with living in Covid times. I’m constantly checking my calendar just to make sure what day it is. Six months we’ve been trying to deal with this global pandemic and while our politicians/governments have been trying to sort through how to manage living with this rampant virus, we as a planet have been undergoing so much stress, change, disorder, chaos and a slew of wild emotions to just make sense of everything taking place. Let’s just say 2020 has been a lot to handle. We’ve all had our ups and downs. We’ve watched as people have fought hard for their freedoms and brought awareness to systems that have been eating away at us as a society and fighting to knock those down. We’ve seen the goodness in humanity and also its ugliness. But even with all of this disorder, it’s given a lot of enlightenment and a cause for change.

Society aside, I’ve also seen a lot of change in myself in the past few months. A lot of really great personal growth and a lot of things I’ve put on the back burner. Rather than wallowing in all the things I’ve done wrong during this isolation, I decided to acknowledge what I needed to work on and work through it with love and support for myself.

Let’s set judgment and self-loathing aside and start to get back on track with a Covid Check-In. Here are some tips you can start incorporating into your life now to check in with yourself and help get you back into a mentally and physically healthy state.

Center Yourself- NOW!

I can’t express to you enough how crucial this is. I envy the people who have a beautifully spinning and open root chakra, especially during these times because mine has been terrible to manage. And who can blame it? Our current political/social climate alone on top of everything else happening globally, can send any root chakra into closing up and feeling displaced and insecure. If you are feeling the following imbalances, you need to check in with your root chakra and get yourself grounded:

• Excessive negativity, cynicism

• Eating disorders – and yes, this includes overeating

• Greed, avarice

• Illusion

• Excessive feeling of insecurity, living in survival mode constantly

Even if you’re not experiencing these feelings and emotions, it’s still incredibly important, especially now, to check in with yourself daily. I do this in the mornings right when I wake up (and before the cup of coffee). I sit in my sacred space, close my eyes, and just listen to myself and find my center. This is “me time”. What is it that my soul is trying to say? How am I feeling? What thoughts are weighing me down? I then take time to do my affirmations and shield myself to help in keeping my thoughts pure and full of light for my day. However, you need to do this is completely up to you, but check in with yourself so you can prepare for the day ahead.

Get Moving

Now that we’ve all gotten used to the comfort of being home, many of us have lost our routines and are finding it hard to get back into the swing of things. Don’t be hard on yourself about this. Acknowledge that you’ve had enough time to rest, and it’s now time to get that energy in your body moving and flowing. Getting yourself moving doesn’t mean you need to get a gym membership. It could be as simple as playing a song and dancing to it for 3 minutes. You can take a walk around your neighborhood, do some home exercises, stretch while you’re watching your favorite TV show, do yoga… the list goes on. Whatever you choose, just get moving.

Drink More Water

If the coffee intake and alcohol have gone up, it’s time to cut that down and add in some much-needed H2O. A foggy, spacey brain calls for water and more than ever we need to have a clear mind in the Wild West of this virus. Not only that but flushing out your system of toxins is only going to keep you healthy and your immune system booming. If you don’t like to drink water, there are ways you can spice it up a bit! I like to add lemon slices, but you can also add slices of fruit you like and herbs like peppermint leaves to add some fun flavor.

Start To Add Back The Greens

Ditch the Door Dash and bring back in the greens. It’s so easy to just open your favorite food delivery app and order your favorite foods, but not only does this add more strain to your bank account, it can also add some pounds depending on how often and how much you order. Take back some control of what you’re eating and start cooking again for yourself and your family. Adding back in nutrients like your greens and fruits is vital to unclog that brain and get your energy back up and flowing. And believe it or not, cooking can be fun! Have a date night with your significant other by making some fun dishes you’ve never had before!

Declutter- Out With The Old & In With The New

Being stuck at home over the past few months, you’ve probably begun to notice all the crap that you’ve collected over the years. Why do I have enough clothes to cover 30 people? What the heck is this coconut drink holder with a face on it that I got from a county fair years back and why do I have six different face masks? Your clutter may not be as severe as mine, but we all have things that we’ve collected over the years, including relationships that no longer serve us. This is a great time to clear it out. Clear it out and make room for what will serve you in the most beautiful and positive way.

Get Out Of Your House. I Mean It- Right Now!

No matter how wonderful your home setup is, it’s crucial for you to step away and just get out and see some other scenery. If your health or social concerns are keeping you indoors, there are still ways to get out and enjoy the world around you. Get in your car, start your favorite playlist, roll the windows down, and just take a drive. You can also put together a picnic and take it to a park where you can still social distance and enjoy the outdoors. If leaving really isn’t safe for you, that’s okay! Your yard is still a great setup to get yourself outside and breathe in some fresh air!

Step Away From Social Media

How many mornings have you woken up, grabbed your phone, started scrolling through social media, and within a minute you’re suddenly pissed off at something you read? (I’m raising my hand). What a terrible way to start the day. Once that’s triggered, it sticks to you and you can enjoy a long day of that negativity eating at you. Social media has become a giant web of arguing, debating, insecurities, and control with a little dash of that cute photo of a cousin of yours playing with their dog. So I highly recommend breaking away when you can. If your reason is to keep in touch with family in friends, then call them! Text them! Send them an email!

Check In With Those You Love

We are all feeling the separation from those we love. This is one of the hardest things to deal with. I haven’t seen my grandparents since February of this year. I’ve been separated from my partner since the end of February due to travel bans. I’ve been separated from my best friends who I did everything with. It’s been incredibly hard, but I’m not alone in this and neither are YOU. It’s important to check in with our loved ones during this time of separation. Need some friend time? Set up some zoom hangouts! You can even make it a party!

Get Rid Of The Judgement

This has been the key to me. When this virus began to spread and forced us all into a global lockdown I was confronted with not only my own inner demons, but others close to me had the same experience. And yes- they ALL acted differently. Some dove head first into depression and I didn’t hear from them for over a month. Another friend completely alienated themselves and didn’t make an effort at all to connect or keep in touch. Others experienced some emotional yo-yos and a lot of us saw people take all their issues to social media. EVERYONE deals with things differently. Whether you agree with how it’s done or not, everyone has to cope and understand things in their own way.

None of us have lived through a “pandemic” and one that completely isolated the entire world. Yet, here we are trying to make sense of it. I had to work through this myself and realize that most people are just doing their best to try to comprehend and handle such a situation. Who am I to judge how that takes place? We need to be KIND to each other. We need to be SUPPORTIVE and UNDERSTANDING. Let people heal and work through things how they need to and realize for themselves “this isn’t about you”.

Most importantly, get rid of the judgment in yourself. If you’ve gained some weight, it’s okay! If you’ve lost your old workout routine, it’s okay! If you’ve been a bad friend, it’s okay! Acknowledge what you have to work on and do it with love and support for yourself.