be calm

I know, we are currently living in crazy times due to the pandemic. But that even is one more reason to focus on yourself and to be as calm as possible and not to panic as many people do lately. I used to be the queen of panicking and driving myself completely nuts - panic and paranoia were constantly on my mind, needless to say that this is NOT a healthy base for being well. Thankfully I learned that staying calm is super important in order to be well.

Of course I have days when I will still panic and feel like I am going crazy but thankfully this does not happen anymore on a daily or weekly basis as it did before. Now I am a lot calmer thankfully. OK, probably my thyroid also did the trick to put me into panic mode many times but through nutrition, getting enough sleep and basically avoiding situations, people and jobs that put me into anxiety mode already quite does the trick.

I think what really helps to stay calm or to calm down are the following things

• getting lots of rest

• sleep is crucial, going to bed before midnight and getting up after 7-8 hours of sleep certainly helps

• eating enough and eating nourishing food. The majority of my life I used to under eat and that certainly made me a nervous wreck

• finding activities that help to relax and unwind, what works for me; going outside and enjoying nature, walking a lot (daily goal is 10.000 steps but most days i am below that), a relaxing SPA day, cooking and baking, designing illustrating and writing, reading, listening to podcasts

• tidying up, decluttering and cleaning might not sound like fun activities but it is really helpful to destress and to calm down - and the big benefit is a clean home afterwards!

• ha, spending time with a cat…that I find super relaxing

• spending time with friends and family

Those are things that work for me. Of course we are all different, so what works for me might not do the trick for you but the better you get to know yourself, the easier it is to figure out your needs and what does you well and what does not.

Also, what helps me is to not constantly follow the news because that sets you up in panic mode very quickly I find. Of course I will still read the news but not on a constant basis because that certainly makes me feel nervous and depressed - but I want to feel relaxed, calm and happy and that I only achieve when I focus on myself and do things that nourish my body and soul.

I hope this blog post serves you as a little inspiration how to stay calm or how to calm down and to find methods that work for you.

Lots of love,

Phyllis