Stay Strong, Dear World!
Change, uncertainty, information overload, and isolation are the many side effects of the covid-19. And we know that the days and weeks ahead are going to be challenging for us. What has been a huge silver lining has been the coming together of people. Everyone that we have encountered (virtually) has every intention to help. We, at Holy Cow are heartened by the kindness of strangers, the support of our clients and friends, and most importantly to know that ‘we are in this together’ still holds true literally and in practice.
But helping each other in a time of extreme distress seems like the oxygen mask protocol in an airplane emergency. We are instructed to ‘place the mask over our own mouth and nose before assisting others’. The simple logic behind that being if you run out of oxygen, you can't help anyone else with their oxygen mask
On the same lines, if we do not indulge in some self-care now, we might not be able to care for our loved ones if the time comes.
And while, we are not the experts at counseling or mental health issues, we are living this with all of you. Working with people, prioritizing their needs, solving logistical questions for you and making sure that we make you look good is in our DNA and happens to be our specialty.
In the same spirit of humankind first, we are sharing some tried and tested tips that have worked for us in the past. Prioritizing Self-care and mental health now is our mantra and here are some strategies. We are calling it the COMPOSE model. Not just a play on words to make ourselves calm but also the acronym that helps us strategize reaching that calm.
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CONNECT
Connect with you peers, friends, family, support structure.
Make it a rule: To connect with at least one person daily.
Challenge: Make this a different person each day.
We all process news differently. If we can find a way to engage leaving these various points of view behind, this can be very healing. Remember, someone else’s need to connect might be bigger than yours.
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ORDER
Have an order, a routine to your day. We are creatures of habit. Waking up, doing our daily chores… and then what? The last week or so has disrupted our lives and most importantly our daily schedules. So, create new rituals. Create new routines… and stick to them.
Eating healthy, well-balanced meals that increase your immunity should be everyone’s top priority.
Make sure you get enough sleep.
Get some exercise.
Enhance your hobbies and the to-do things that you never got around to doing.
Virtually hug a loved on.
Help where you can. A little bit of giving goes a long way.
Write a journal!!!
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MEDITATE
Now more than ever, we need to self-reflect, breathe, and take a minute or a few to meditate. Here are some apps and resources that we find helpful and are sharing with you.
Headspace: Meditation and Sleep
Deep breathing, guided meditation, periodic mind and body checks, progressive muscle relaxation techniques are all tested techniques to mindfulness. Make some tea and use some lavender oil to calm and soothe the nerves.
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Power of Positive
Thoughts become words, words become actions, actions become habits… and so on. Reading the news and facts and not focusing on fear would be important in these times. We must keep a positive attitude and do our best to help each other get through these challenging times. Now more than ever, the power of positive will help us get through this.
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Online engagement and counseling
And even then, everybody hurts… some time. And at other times, we just need someone to talk. While we at Holy Cow are not endorsing any of these, we want to share several resources that are publicly available and maybe useful to use as you see fit.
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Support while social distancing
Support your neighbors especially the elderly ones. If you are making a grocery store run, offer to buy daily needs and supplies for your support structure and leave it outside their homes. Check in with them and perhaps help them with yard work? Human solidarity in a time of social distancing will not only get us through this but will prove the old and tested ‘one good deed a day approach to happiness’.
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Exercise/ Walk/ Keep Moving
A healthy mind through a healthy body will keep us all going. So, keep moving and exercising. Yoga, virtual at-home videos, walks, tennis at the park, bike ride, toilet-paperwork out (yes, it is a think) are great examples of covid-19 isolation exercises.
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We know it is a lot to process and a lot of change and adjustment is happening. Please know that everyone is going through all these adjustments together.
In solidarity,
Holy Cow Team
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