Shelter in Place

Anxiety, worry, and chaos is brewing all around us. There’s no doubt we feel out of control because quite frankly, we cannot control what is going on in our world. There is so much going on inside our brains that the cacophony seems to be seeping in.

What we CAN control is how we respond to the situation at hand. How we live in our home from day to day; how we can integrate things into our lives that will help us to keep calm and organized. “Forces beyond your control can take away everything you possess except one thing, your freedom to choose how you will respond to the situation.” -- Viktor Frankl

A survivor of the Holocaust, Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning reflects on the sources of strength that it takes to survive. We recommended this book for our readers this past month and there is no more appropriate time to be reading this than now. Here are some other recommendations for your ‘shelter in place’ to be productive, perhaps enlightening and certainly a bit less tense: 

Gain Control of your thoughts
Our minds are swirling and on autopilot. Enjoy the little moments instead of continuing to be stressed.

  • Do you have extra time with your children? Whatever age they are, how about a read-aloud book? Reading aloud is calming, hones the ability to focus, and encourages creativity.

  • Get more control over the anxious to-do list in your head. We have found that the App called “ Things” is super helpful with getting ideas out of your head and memorialized.

  • Keep a note pad and a variety of pens by the bed. If thoughts wake you up, write them down.

And as always, we recommend you get involved in a good book. Here are some great ones for this time:

  • The Diary of Anne Frank: We have so much to be grateful for and much to learn. (This is what I am reading aloud to my teenagers right now….)

  • Freedom and Resolve by Gangaji – The freedom of choice and discovery of your place in the universe.

  • Rebecca Makkai's The Great Believers, a story about how the AIDS epidemic ravaged Chicago in the 1980s.

Get control or your body and mind
Now that we may have to work from home, how will you stay on track and organize your time?

  • Set your alarm for movement breaks. Set a yoga mat down for simple 15-minute stretches or mediation.

  • Keep good food in the home and ORGANIZE YOUR PANTRY! Instead of stocking up and then you cannot find any food because your pantry is way too crowded.

  • Apps. Your favorite yoga studio is most probably offering zoom classes at this time. You can either do that like Mara is because nothing compares to her studio (Lighthouse Yoga) or go to Instagram and get all the free classes at your fingertips!

  • Henry Winslow Yoga. Henry is the Yoga champion of the world. He offers a 40-day, 40- minute daily class that covers everything. He is beyond knowledgable and one of the best teachers around today.

  • Doterra essential oils. Calming scents lead to calmness!

  • Here’s our favorite card game, ages 10-100! Dutch Blitz, it’s some combination of solitaire meets ‘spit’ up to four players. My kids and I love this!!

Get control of your environment
Organize ONE thing a day. If you feel like taking on a task during this “quarantined” time, tackle one drawer, one closet, one shelf. You will feel accomplished and in control. It seems we all need to feel in control, at least of something.

 Get control for a minute
Lastly, how do we stay in control?

  • Breathe.

  • Exercise.

  • Eat right.

  • Get hugs from your loved one. With clean hands, of course.

F Stephens