Not ironically, but certainly with the sense of the universe giving us a wise, if forceful, elbow bump, April is Health Awareness Month, with World Health Day on the 7th. It is also International Mother Earth Day on April 22nd.
In this time of deep uncertainty, what constitutes health?
The world has changed, and it will never be what it was before this. We’re not yet one week into lockdown as part of a worldwide attempt to protect the health of as many people as possible from the physical impact of the virus. But I’m sure that most of us are already realising acutely that health is not just confined to our physical being. Our sense of wellbeing is also strongly determined by our emotional health. And it is also impacted by the mental and physical health of all those around us, or those connected to us. If there is a term that seems to capture where we are at in the world right now – individually and collectively – it is our connectedness.
While we speak about the global village, and share our experiences of living in the world via technologies that enable us to connect and communicate across the globe, the shock realisation of Covid-19, but also its potential value is the understanding that our connectedness is incredibly intimate at some levels. That human touch, proximity, interaction, shared space, routine, travel – i.e. connectedness – have made this a crisis that is not just about our individual health, but about collective wellbeing. What it reveals to us as individuals is our impact on one another – on the health and wellbeing of each other. And that the nature of our health, at all levels, extends beyond ourselves – into our families, our friendship circles, our communities, our environment, across generations; even across species. Melting icebergs, erupting volcanoes, the devastating fires around the world not even a few months back, and the impact they’ve had on the earth, its animals, on people, were reminding us about the fragile state of our planetary health – of which we are so intimately a part. The tides are changing.
This is a time to invest radically in our health, in every way, in all of these spheres. And for us to care radically, both for and beyond ourselves.
Sometimes surrender means giving up trying to understand and becoming comfortable with not knowing.
– Eckhart Tolle
Use this time to reflect on what this means, on how to be from now on, and to move forward. Hold yourself steady: steady your emotions, and be steady in your actions and thoughts. This time presents an opportunity to do our lives differently, and to become adaptable and agile in the face of change and uncertainty. Take time to choose what is important to you. Consider what it is you value, and how you can best support yourself right now.
On a practical and physical level: sort, clean out, and declutter! This also helps at an emotional level to let things go.
We are being asked to let go of what was; to breathe, to stop, and to reflect.
While there are hundreds of tips being posted on social media, for courses you can sign up to, and for things to keep you busy, be discerning now more than ever about what you choose to consume. Take long periods of time away from your phone and social media.
Some balancing tips:
- Check-in with (at least) 3 people a day.
- Identify (and commit to) 3 things that you will do each day.
- Get up, make your bed, etc – it helps to have a structure and a routine.
- Drink enough water, and get into or underwater to wash away and cleanse yourself emotionally as well as physically.
- Make sure you are moving your body.
- Spend time journaling 10 mins a day.
- Be kinder to others and yourself.
- Be aware of the stories going on in your mind.
- Consider: What brings you joy? What brings you pleasure?
I am still here to support you towards your radical self-care and health in many of the ways that I usually offer – just through virtual means for the time being.
I am available daily at 8 am on Instagram @papoutsistheoni.
We connect, I give tips, we breathe, and sometimes I do a reading. The last few days have been a time for me to show up for you all and be focused and in service, which is what I want and needs to do.
Be well, and safe.
Theoni
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