Daily Tips & Resources For You During C-19
PWCB Community. We see you.
I know that some of you are struggling more than others. That some of you are pregnant while others have children who are in their teens. I know that some of you are feeling healthy and strong while others of you are not. I know that many of you are trying to negotiate how the heck to have small children to entertain and home school (whatever that happens to mean to you) while others are enjoying the time to connect and be creative. Some of you are still working while others are unable to work and are feeling the stress of that. A few of you on this list aren’t mothers at all. A bunch of you are providers yourselves. Each of us will move through this differently, day to day. We are right there with you. Each of us wakes up some mornings feeling motivated and creative and others where we feel the weight of this all at once.
So, today we are offering a few things to hopefully lend a hand:
1. BASIC NEEDS FOR EVERY DAY: Maintaining your biopsychosocial health
Nutrition: Protein throughout the day. Limit (but don’t necessarily exclude depending on what you know of yourself) sugar, caffeine, alcohol, other substances. Many of us are turning towards old habits during times of discomfort. It is super helpful to be aware and present with what we do to escape. Stay present best you can and fill your body (and brain) with healthy nutrition.
Sleep: Maintain a regular sleep routine. Consider a warm bath or shower before bed. Or 5 minutes of stretching. Do a little “brain dump” before turning out the light where you spend just a minute or two writing down everything on your mind. Please be mindful of screen time before sleeping right now. Remember that if we aren’t priming our nervous system for sleep, we won’t sleep very well.
Hydration: water, water, water. Add a tea bag or some lemon or apple cider vinegar. But see if you can set a goal and drink that much every day. Fill a camelback in the am and have it gone by evening. Fill a liter water bottle 2-3 times throughout the day. Place water throughout your house and just have a drink when you enter each room. Whatever works. But stay hydrated. Anxiety and dehydration are correlated.
Exercise: EVERY DAY. Really. Get outside and walk around your block. Have a dance party in your living room. Do an online exercise or yoga class (there are many!). whatever it takes. But move your body every day.
Breath/Mindfulness: You guys- We can’t stress this enough. People who do not have some regular practice in this will spin out with the collective angst. If this feels overwhelming, just commit to 3 deep breaths every morning. That's all it needs to be.
Social support: Find one person outside of your home to connect with by phone or video every day. One person a day. Stay connected.
OTHER: what else do you need to commit to daily that will help carry you through? Are you someone who needs alone time? A shower? Music? A hug? Find your thing and plan for it and commit to it. If you have a partner or someone whom you live with, tell them what you need and ask for their help in accessing these things.
2. The PWCB has an Instagram account (@pwcboulder) and we are doing live feeds at 3:30pm MST each day.
These are hosted by one of our PWCB providers and are meant to provide tips, strategies, ideas, and information regarding how to stay healthy during the quarantine. Again, many of these are geared for moms or young children but the ideas shared will be appropriate for any human being-parent or not and partnered or not. Come check it out and if it seems useful please help us spread the word.
4. We are getting some GREAT ideas from all of you about resources.
Here are some of them:
https://www.onepeloton.com/app. Offering free online classes in all kinds of fitness for 90 days
https://www.yogapod.com/boulder/ Live streaming yoga classes daily.
ALSO: We are hearing from a number of you about job loss, financial strain, and economic uncertainty. We get it. If you can continue to pay full fees for therapy or other web-based support, please do. If you cannot, please don’t stop scheduling. The PWCB is NOT turning anyone away from support right now. You pay what you can and we will provide you with support. Just like our support people are doing for us.
Sending love and health your way,
Kate and the PWCB team