Taking Care of Yourself During a Pandemic

But, what about taking care of myself? Initially, I stayed awake until the wee hours of the morning, composing music, practicing songs, and loving it. Then I would have to wake up at the new normal time, which my body did do, but, later, I was in a lot of agony, physically and mentally. Taking a two-hour nap in the afternoon only exacerbated the problem.

But, what about taking care of myself? Initially, I stayed awake until the wee hours of the morning, composing music, practicing songs, and loving it. Then I would have to wake up at the new normal time, which my body did do, but, later, I was in a lot of agony, physically and mentally. Taking a two-hour nap in the afternoon only exacerbated the problem.

Several things helped me get back on track. When my daughter and I were perusing the books at Books a Million, I came across a book called “The 21-Day Sugar Detox Daily Guide” by Diane Sanfilippo. After four days, I broke my detox and ate sugar. Then I knew I needed to hire a nutritionist. Online I found Paige Doyle. Her weekly, one-on-one sessions helped me recalibrate my body and get back on track with my sleep hygiene, eating, nutrition, and overall health. I met with her as I did the 21-day sugar detox, which was terrific.

After being away from Paige and not using the book’s recipes, I fell back into going to bed too late and waking up too early, and not exercising. What helped me get back on track this time was joining the Virgin Pulse app via my husband’s job. With their app, they help me develop daily healthy habits by taking care of my whole self. They offer a “Get back to basics healthy habit challenge,” choices in what you’d like to work on daily like taking the time to relax your mind before bed, walking for fitness, recording fitness, recording what time I went to bed last night, and how many hours I slept last night. They also offer free classes, programs, challenges, rewards, and a community to connect with. Adding Virgin Pulse into my daily life has helped me see exactly where I’m excelling and where I’ve missed the mark. Here’s their website.

I’m also learning to listen to my body, mostly. For example, I don’t set my alarm in the morning unless I have an appointment. This forces me to use my body’s internal clock to wake up. Yes, my internal clock has been messed up by the pandemic. That’s because before the pandemic hit, I was used to waking up at 5:00 AM to take my daughter to school. Now, I just don’t set my alarm and wake up when I wake up. Don’t get me wrong. My body is still adjusting. Being consistent in my bedtime routine and not eating a large meal at dinnertime has helped me sleep much better at night.

Talk it over with your loved ones. If your family members are night owls, let them know not to make a lot of noise at 2 or 3 AM. Being a light sleeper, I wake up from any noise. So, communicate with your family your intents and goals for your healthy mind and body.

In summary, look for resources online that can help you maintain healthy sleep hygiene, healthy eating habits, healthy exercise habits, and a healthy emotional self. Stay in touch with your friends and family, because reaching out to them helps you too!