Staying Home During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Anytime you turn on the television or internet these days, I'm sure you are getting plenty if not too much information about Covid-19. Boy have things escalated and changed since my last post written in the beginning of March! Instead of re-hashing what's already out there, I figured I'd focus this post on our "new normal" and some of the blessings in disguise...

Some snapshots of our lives so far...

sibling chess matches

lots and lots of puzzles...

haircut in the garage

tae kwon do zoom class

Sunday church service

This week is Spring Break so I had a chance to step away from work and just be with my family. Since we cannot travel this break as we usually do... decided to be creative and just "pretend" we are on vacation anyway! 

Kids are sleeping outside in a tent as I type...

Personally, taking a break from going anywhere and having all outside activities cancelled has been a nice change of pace for me. Here is a list of some things I'm thankful for...

• being able to wake up at around 8a (or later...) every morning because no need to get my middle schooler to school... before had to wake before 7a and not being a morning person... it was super painful
• in fact, no morning "rush" at all... before had to get the 4 kids out of the door during the weekday... was always the most stressful 90 minutes of the entire day!
• actually having time to go for a walk or run in the neighborhood... before I was either at work or in a car driving someone to sports or music lessons or something... by the time i got home and got the kids to bed I was exhausted...
• actually having time to cook meals and having fun doing it... before I relied on my mom and my au pair to prep most of the meals because I was either at work or in a car driving someone to sports or music lessons or something...
• even having time to bake and make desserts... yum!  ... and fun! ...before I was too tired from the day to want to do any of this even if I did have the time...

• eating meals together... like all three meals... every single day... hm... now that I think about it, not sure this one counts as a blessing... lol. There are moments I suppose where good memories will be made along with the crazy.  Like today for instance, at dinner time we were all singing at the top of our lungs... different songs from different musicals... was a blast!
• watching movies... lots of them... I'm a movie person because I like escaping into a different reality. What better way to not think about the negative news all day long then to disappear into another world. So we make popcorn, snuggle up with blankets on our beanbags in the basement and watch movies together. We kind of started this tradition last summer when we went through all the Harry Potter movies.  Now we have also finished all the Avenger movies in order, went through some DC Comics, even showed my kids the original Superman with Christopher Reeves, then on to the Dark Knight Trilogy... Ip Man 1 2 and 3 (looking forward to Ip Man 4!) ...and now going through X-Men series...
• having "daddy" home... before he would travel at least two or three times a month so having him home everyday is a plus...

All in all... I'm grateful for the slower pace of life. I feel more rested. What's more, it's amazing how much gas I'm saving. Usually, I have to fill my tank about twice a week but now I think I've gone almost 4 weeks without the fuel gauge indicator moving much at all.

Next week, I'll be back to work. Right now, that means Telemedicine. We cannot risk spreading the virus to the vulnerable who can get very sick and end up hospitalized, intubated, etc. So the "stay at home" advice is truly to combat an invisible enemy... to protect those in our community most susceptible to falling severely ill... to prevent overwhelming the hospitals and medical staff in our communities. It may sound redundant and over stated... but truly... please stay home!

So what to do during this time?  Many creative ideas out there on the internet on how to not be bored... but keep in mind these main things to stay healthy:

• Eat well - with all the extra time and easy access to the kitchen, may be challenging to avoid binge eating, snacking, grazing... may be tempted to fill up on sugars, chips, carbs... so don't forget your fruit and vegetables
• Exercise - try to get outside for fresh air and exercise daily... make it part of your routine
• Relax- important to find your own space and have some "alone" time... if necessary may need to do this outdoors but it is important to have a moment in your day to evoke the relaxation response
• Sleep - perhaps this is the most important of them all... but get your sleep! sleep will boost your immune system, improve your mood and energy, sharpen your mind and focus... cannot emphasize enough the importance of sleep... below are some tips I posted a while back on some tips to improve sleep:

• routine routine routine... 

• develop a bedtime routine about 1 hour before bedtime to wind down

• induce physical relaxation

• take a hot shower or soak in a warm bath to relax the muscles

• give yourself a body rub with a moisturizer that has a pleasing but not super strong scent

• can try lavendar scented candle, room spray or essential oil

• avoid increasing stress right before bed

• avoid the news right before bed

• avoid hard conversations

• write down your worries and put it in a box if need be to address in the morning

• shut down all electronics at least 30min but the longer the better before bedtime

• minimize sound

• use white noise if needed

• try ear plugs

• go to bed and fall asleep before the person snores next to you

• exposure to light

• flood yourself with natural sunlight during the day

• avoid blue light at night (computers, cell phones, ipads etc)

• if need to use night light, use red light

• exercise

• don't do it too close to bedtime

• but regular exercise during the day helps

• watch what you eat

• certain foods actually may help (like cherries, milk, bananas, turkey, and even not too sugary carbs)

• avoid foods that cause heartburn (like burgers and tomato based foods or spicy foods)

• avoid foods that are high in sugar

• watch what you drink

• avoid caffeine of any type past 4pm

• avoid alcohol too close to bedtime (less than 2-3 hrs prior) as this may initiate sleep but disrupts the maintenance of sleep

• avoid too many drinks of any type past dinner as this may cause the need to go to the bathroom during the night

• in small quantities certain herbal teas may help

• minimize disruptions

• avoid sleeping with a pet

• sleeping with small children can also be disruptive

• so what to do if you just can't get the worries out of your head? 
• try thinking of a story or play a movie in your head that would not evoke a strong emotional response, that way while you are thinking of that, other thoughts have a harder time creeping in and it is much easier to fall asleep when imagining things that have no emotional tug than dwelling on worries, things that happened during the day, or things that you plan to do in the future... 
• what NOT to do if you wake up in the middle of the night...
• look at the clock (cause then you're doing math and that wakes up a part of the brain that otherwise would not be activated at this time...)
• get up and go to the bathroom (I know this one can be hard and may not be possible for everyone, but truly if you get up you are now using muscles and again that wakes up another part of the brain that normally is not active at this time

Well, stay healthy and well, everyone. If you start to feel sick, develop a fever and cough, or just need to get checked, do reach out to your physician. Despite everything, lots of encouraging stories out there as well. We can get through this!

...rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer - Romans 12:12 (NASB)

Stress

Hello folks! It’s back to school and routine. I actually love this time of year. I love making schedules… color coding all the different activities per kid… typing up excel sheets to figure out how best to maximize time… and yet… and yet… we are warned not to overbook… not too overstimulate… Kids still need to be kids and have down time and play time. Yes, it’s all a balancing act. Parents are encouraged to be involved but not hover like helicopters…

So this year we have 3 kids in the public school system and 1 who just started preschool. We are sliding into a totally different phase of life. Before it was all about diapers, sleep hygiene, food intake… Now we still do keep track of the kids’ input, output and sleep…  but we also have to figure out how to attend Back to School Night for 3 kids at the same time... know when library books are due (...and of course all three kids have different library days)... as well as whether to dress our youngest in orange or black or yellow for whatever color of the day it is at preschool. Helping with homework, driving to activities, talking about friends… our days are full…

How not to get overwhelmed and stressed? Stress is a good topic to chew on for a while. I believe a lot of medical illnesses likely stem and definitely is exacerbated by stress. In fact, a couple of years ago I blogged about it here, how lifestyle modification can prevent/alleviate disease and stress being one of those factors. So what is stress?  It seems like such an overused term. Google defines it as “a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances” Well, “very demanding circumstances” may vary in meaning from person to person. Seems to me like a very broad and nonspecific description. Bottom line is your emotions and mental state is feeling strain and tension. So let’s look at this from two perspectives… prevention and treatment.

PREVENTION...
Easier said than done… but may start with knowing your limits and learning to say “no”. If possible, make choices that avoid those difficult circumstances. Too bad there is no vaccine for stress! But you know how if you are healthier to begin with, you have a better chance of fighting sickness? So you exercise, eat right and sleep right to make sure your immune system is strong to fight when sickness may fall and you may not be as sick. Similarly, I think if you exercise, eat right, sleep right, and have a good support system you will be more equipped to handle stress when it hits.

TREATMENT…
So the treatment for certain medical illnesses are supportive measures such as fluids, rest and time. Just as nutritious food, sleep, and even exercise help the body fight the bug, the same can help relieve stress. But you know what else? I think laughter is the best medicine for reducing tension. I think after having kids, I forgot how to laugh. Instead of laughing with them, I find myself often annoyed at the silly giggles and ridiculous cackling. O to discover my sense of humor again! Now there is also something called the Relaxation Response that I’ve blogged about before which also combats stress… but I’m telling ya… I’m going to be more intentional about laughing! Finally, just like with sickness, we need a prescription antibiotic to recover if the symptoms become severe and we become infected with a bacteria, we may need a prescription if the stress symptoms become severe and turn into something else. Do talk to your doctor if you are wondering if your stress level requires further intervention.

OK.. going to end with a video I found online that made me tear… Michael McIntyre and his stand up comedy about "people with no kids don't know"...

Promoting Healthy Change: Stress Management

Just like how everyone knows that exercise and healthy diet is good… we all know that stress is bad. It is intuitive... but we also got presented with conclusive scientific proof! So I’ll break it down and summarize.

Conditions caused or exacerbated by stress include:

• High blood pressure
• Cardiac arrhythmias
• Chronic Pain
• Insomnia
• Anxiety
• Hostility
• Depression
• PMS
• Infertility
• Side effects of Cancer treatments
• Side effects of AIDS therapy
• Preparation for surgery and xray procedures

So if we can reduce stress, not only will it improve our health but there is even evidence of it affecting the aging of our cells! Apparently, our telomeres become more stable and degrade less.

Right... so how to accomplish this? One may have to take inventory of all the things on one's plate and rearrange to intentionally decrease the amount of stress that one is exposed to. Of course this is easier said than done... but if you truly believe it is a priority, you can make it happen. There are many websites out there offering self help guides to stress management. There are also professional therapists who are trained in helping one cope with stress... they use techniques such as biofeedback, cognitive-behavioral therapy, or even hypnosis. Ask your physician if you need help in this area.

The conference talked about a "relaxation response" that you can induce. You can read more about it here.

Two steps necessary to evoke the Relaxation Response:

1. repetition of a word, sound, prayer, thought, phrase, or muscular activity
2. passive return to the repetition when other thoughts intrude

Physiologically this is what happens to your body when you evoke this response:

• decrease oxygen cosumption
• decrease respiratory rate
• decrease heart rate
• increase slow brain waves
• decrease blood pressure

Many Christians probably induce this response without fully realizing it. I can recall back to times growing up... whether it was before piano competitions or exams when I'd get nervous and stressed. Praying before hand would always help me calm down and perform better. Now as a mom, I need to evoke this response more intentionally especially when feeling at wits end with my preschoolers and toddler!

I think it is neat to know that God programmed this biological response in our bodies when we turn our minds to Him and lift up our needs. They didn't address this part at the conference... but I think it is comforting to know that we have a powerful and loving Father who knows our needs and will respond. This is in addition to the physiologic calming effect that "praying" or "meditating" evokes.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.