Self Care During Lockdowns ~ Flatten The Fear

Most of us have never experienced such restrictions in our lifetimes. Without a doubt we face an unprecedented bombardment of rules, arguments, civil unrest, contradictions, and most of all – things that provoke negative thoughts and emotions.

Fear is not our friend. It breeds worry, blame, anger, hopelessness, and negativity. For the most part, we fear the unknown and the unseen. It’s like laying in bed in the dark with the covers over our head, trying to interpret every noise and creak in the house. From there, we imagine the worst, like something out of a horror movie.

One of the things that helps with fear of the unknown, is to create your own plan for daily living. There will always be some dark days, but the goal is to reduce and minimize the dark clouds that pass over our souls. Central to the “be happy” plan is maintaining practical aspects of physical and mental health during the lockdowns. Since there has been so much fear mongering in the media, our biggest challenge, and the best conquest in this covid era, is to overcome fear.

To overcome fear, we have to remind ourselves that we have control over our own thoughts. Fear is a biological signal that serves to increase adrenalin and prepare us for fight or flight. In the absence of the need to fight or run, it means the fear is mostly irrational. Besides that, there is nowhere to run to. In the past people would flee countries where the political scenarios became worrisome or tyrannical. But with the current situation, moving to a different country is not an option, and would not be an improvement anyway.

One thing we can count on in life is change. Where there is instability and upheaval, we can expect things to change. In the meantime, it helps to do rational evaluations and be thankful for what is stable, secure, happy, positive and hopeful.

Gratitude is central to maintaining peace of mind. If we have peace, as in the absence of war and being attacked, a roof over our heads, health among the members of our family, hot water, heat, and food – basically it is a good day.

The small things can be amplified, like when you see roses blooming in your garden in winter months. Or a burst of sunlight through the clouds that highlights the snow on the mountain tops. We don’t have to go anywhere to appreciate these things.

I think we are all realizing how important our health is and how much we have to rely on ourselves to maintain it. Many health care services are adversely affected as a result of the focus on covid. We have heard so much about the fear of overwhelming health care systems, we are inclined to avoid those services all together if we can.

For many people, part of this entire health argument is to listen to the experts. I don’t think we have much choice but to follow the mandates that are put into place, and wait and see how long they are going to last. We can adapt. But the most important thing, is to listen to our own body and mind. We can nurture and nourish ourselves with the food we eat, and combine it with wholesome food for thought.

If you take grocery shopping for instance. The line ups are longer than usual, which changes the habit of running out for a couple of lemons or some sour cream. Many of the small produce stores are now shuttered, so we have to go to the large supermarkets even if we just need an onion.

Given all the changes around grocery shopping, means that we have to plan the meals, fresh produce and healthy meals to last for longer periods of time. If we can shop for everything in one stop, to last two to four weeks – then we can reduce the length of time in line ups, as well as reduce the exposure to others.

Fresh produce and whole foods are the healthiest for our diets, but you cannot keep lettuce and radishes for three weeks. That means, the planning includes buying things like fresh salad ingredients, fresh beans, peppers, cauliflower, and broccoli, then using those up in the first week.

The longer lasting root vegetables such as turnips, carrots, parsnip, squash, sweet potatoes and beets – are the vegetables to use for the second and third week between grocery shopping. When setting up the grocery plan, the first couple of times, you realize what you are most likely to run out of, and also what things you allowed to go to waste.

After a bit of trial and error, you realize what you run out of and then add to it. For instance coffee cream lasts a week or ten days in the fridge – but you can buy a larger container and pour some of it into smaller containers and freeze it.

Overall, adapting the shopping and food planning to last for longer stretches, also helps with our sense of security.

Most of us are spending more time than usual online. I was listening to some lectures on eye strain and near sightedness and how much this increases with time spent indoors looking at screens, whether it is television, phones, or computers. Getting outdoors makes a difference to the health of our eyes as well.

We all need fresh air and exercise. To combat the excessive computer time, it is best to get two hours of fresh air each day if possible, which is crucial to our overall health. When adding to a daily routine or plan to stay healthy, we are wise to include habits that increase our physical mobility. It is also a good idea to make a point of taking frequent breaks to look at things further away – like the sky, birds, mountains and trees.

Gardening and playing an instrument are self soothing activities. The use of essential oils cannot be under estimated. I have learned to love the smell of cypress, marjoram, thyme, sandalwood, lavender, jasmine, and several others. In fact, essential oils are more powerful than the mainstream systems will ever admit to.

Over the years I developed some severe allergies, to the point of anaphylaxis. The first time it happened was life threatening, since it progressed rapidly before I realized what was happening. After the first time, I had a few more episodes to signal the onset, which was itchiness and rapid swelling in my hands and throat, followed by hives and body rash.

The first time, I attributed it to the last food I had eaten before going to bed, which was blueberries. But the next time it happened, it seemed unrelated to food. I do have some epinephrine in a first aid kit, but after doing some research, I figured that it is a mast cell anaphylaxis, and not quite the same as other allergic reactions.

The second and third times there was an onset of anaphylaxis, I used Benadryl, steroid cream on my hands, and a dropper to put a high concentration of undiluted oregano oil down my throat and under my tongue. The last time it happened, I used just the oregano oil. For me, this is what works to stop the progression to full blown anaphylaxis.

After thinking about how it developed, I could correlate it to a root canal and illness related to the dental procedure that developed more than ten years ago. No doubt, certain things are cumulative. I think there was a build up of allergens, antigens, and toxins, that simmered away systemically for a period of time. It took three years before I would try blueberries again to test my theory, and sure enough, it was not the blueberries that caused the first reaction.

Now I realize the cause of mast cell anaphylaxis is complex, and is related to cortisol, the adrenal system, blood dyscrasia, neurotransmitters and receptors, lymphatic toxins, and stress. If there is a significant amount of stress, it really increases the risk of having this type of allergic reaction. I have learned to manage it, so that I do not have to go through the episodes of battling it and fearing the worst.

I have not had any allergic reactions in the past year and a half. Thankfully, it has been getting better, not worse. With any type of chronic condition, we want to alleviate it on an intrinsic level. If we can manage to do so, it increases our confidence in managing our own health. I realize this approach is not for everyone. But I have managed to stay away from doctors for many years, and consider myself to be better off for it, not worse.

We have entered a period of health interference, where the government keeps announcing how they are “keeping us safe” when nothing could be further from the truth. I don’t mind staying out of the health care system, and for that much I am grateful beyond words. We never know if we will be hit by a debilitating illness or accident, but each day that we can maintain our health and freedom from illness or pain, is a good day.

Most of us can relate to getting a blister on our foot during a hike. Prior to the blister, we never gave out feet a second thought. Then before we know it, we cannot think about or concentrate on anything else. I think it is similar with many things. We take our health for granted until there is something we cannot ignore. A few preventative measures can save us a fair bit of grief, and in some cases, can completely alter the direction things are going with our health.

Of all things to avoid, we need to be very cautious about prescription drugs and alcohol. All addiction is about mood elevation and escape. But it wreaks havoc with our systems and creates a cycle of dependancy and sickness.

It takes years to clear our bodies and minds of an addiction once it takes root. Every addiction has many layers, from the cause, to the effects on ourselves and those around us. For those suffering with addictions, there is hope. We have the capacity to change, and once the dopamine levels and peace of mind is restored, there is a path to feeling better.

As much as it helps to plan our days, from groceries and to-do lists, now is the time to plan our thoughts and bring them captive to our own quest for joy and happiness. The entire media and covid barrage, seems to want the opposite – so the best we can do is defy them with our thoughts.

Some people get mad if we don’t think masks and lockdowns are effective. Or if we don’t believe asymptomatic healthy people should be called covid cases. But, even if we are following the rules and mandates, it does not mean we cannot think for ourselves.

They speak in opposites. They drum up fear and anger. There is misinformation galore. If we can manage to filter out the negatives, and make a determined effort to stay happy, it defeats their purpose.

For those who are abusing power and deceiving the masses – I would not want to be in their shoes, no matter how much money they have. There will be a day of reckoning. There are Universal laws, which if ignored – they do so at their own peril.

What is our best ammunition against the onslaught? There is no greater time to make a commitment to being humble and happy. Gratitude for personal health. Gratitude for nature. Gratitude for the nature of truth.

Truth will rise to the surface. There is no regime of tyranny that has lasted forever. There has never been a deceptive and self-serving scheme that has not eventually crumbled. We have coexisted with viruses since the beginning of time, and regardless, humankind has grown and thrived. Covid is not the beginning, or the end of viruses. It is not as atypical as they would have us believe.

So we might as well add patience to our list of happiness objectives. Let the rest of them wrestle the wind if they want to. We can ride out the storm and wake up with a song in our hearts.

They want worry and fear to consume us? They can pound sand. We don’t have to surrender our thoughts. The sky is not falling. I have been checking it every day.

As far as the lockdown is concerned – salute it with a happy thought. We will be just fine. The more this covid hype continues, the more of a farce it seems to be. They are aiming for the great reset, so they do not want to see the cases go down, no matter what people do. Relax. This is not our fault.

Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage (2020). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.