{"id":22847,"date":"2021-04-14T09:46:25","date_gmt":"2021-04-14T09:46:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/versionx.bronwynrusso.com\/?p=22847"},"modified":"2024-11-22T09:09:57","modified_gmt":"2024-11-22T09:09:57","slug":"what-is-in-my-control","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/versionx.bronwynrusso.com\/?p=22847","title":{"rendered":"What is in my control?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
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Covid-19 has wreaked havoc for over a year and has proven it isn\u2019t leaving just yet as we observe the third wave crash down upon us. I managed to surf two waves safely however the third wave caught me off guard and pulled me into it\u2019s wild current. Receiving the positive result felt surreal and called for immediate action. In quarantine I observed the roller coaster of my mind as each day ebbed and flowed.<\/p>\n

The initial days were filled with logistics of quarantining, obtaining treatment and getting those around me or who had been in contact with me, tested and informed.
\nAnd then the reality of the isolation and difficulties in symptoms led to overwhelm. The days played drowning war games until the new pathways I had worked so hard to develop in my brain through my work and self-development, allowed me to come up for air and read the sign on the lighthouse \u201cthis experience is going to be what you make of it \u2013 you cannot control the circumstance but you can control your reaction to it\u201d.<\/p>\n

I was reminded while I did not have choice over the circumstance or my symptoms, I did have choice over how I could work with or around this circumstance. Here is a list of steps I took that helped me swim my way out to shore:<\/p>\n

Start the day with a positive:<\/u>\u00a0I did this with a morning meditation and prayer. Here is a meditation to try on insight timer\u00a0https:\/\/insig.ht\/ZN5CFYW39gb<\/a>\u00a0for a mindful morning.<\/p>\n

Set an intention for the day:<\/u>\u00a0Choosing an intention helps to stay accountable and keep on track. Some of my daily intentions included holding gratitude, joy, positivity, keeping to fact, connection, humour.<\/p>\n

Create routine:<\/u>\u00a0Routine and ritual are restorative to us. Our brain wants predictable activity so we can relax our vigilant nervous system.\u00a0This provided some structure to my day and gave it some meaning. Simple steps such as having a shower, getting dressed and making my bed made a difference. Middle of the day included a walk or stretches. In the evenings, steaming with eucalyptus then reading a book\/ journaling\/ watching a movie or series ended it off well.<\/p>\n

Connection:<\/u>\u00a0Staying connected with loved ones and those who are going through a similar experience adds support. It allows you to realise you are not alone. Reach out.<\/p>\n

Breathing:<\/u>\u00a0The most basic thing to know is\u00a0that taking a longer exhale than inhale can help calm your body.\u00a0Easy techniques include slow diaphragmatic belly breathing (vs. chest breathing), a 2:1 ratio for the exhale (i.e., inhale to the count of 4, exhale to the count of 8); 4-7-8 count breathing, and a common yogic alternate nostril breathing (pranayama).<\/p>\n

Movement:<\/u>\u00a0Finding some time in your day to physically move through gentle walks or stretching welcomes oxygen and light into your body and assists in finding new energy.<\/p>\n

Being in nature:<\/u>\u00a0If you are able to go outside and feel the sun or take a walk in the garden, this shakes off the sense of being cooped up and reminds you of your oneness with things around you. Be mindful and note the things you can see, hear, smell, touch as you are in nature. If you can\u2019t go outside, sit by a window and connect.<\/p>\n

Thought download:<\/u>\u00a0Finding time to unpack and write down what you are thinking and feeling provides relief and creates the opportunity for new perspective. It also allows your mind to feel more organized which leads to things around you feeling more organized.<\/p>\n

Focus on things you usually don\u2019t have time for (or haven\u2019t MADE time for):<\/u>\u00a0Send that email to a dear friend, write your Will, clear your emails, tidy that drawer, research hobby ideas, reflect on plans once quarantine is over \u2013 perhaps set a goal, give yourself some time to think and be creative in your work, catch up on sleep.<\/p>\n

Keep some distance from the news and social media:<\/u>\u00a0Daily updates on the rising Covid numbers increases anxiety and panic. Keeping your mind focused on uplifting material is much more helpful.<\/p>\n

Be kind and self-compassionate to yourself:<\/u>\u00a0It is normal and natural to have a flood of mixed feelings during this time \u2013 give yourself understanding.<\/p>\n

Focus on what is in your control and work on letting go what isn\u2019t:<\/u>\u00a0It might be helpful to create a list of what is and isn\u2019t in your control to separate these.\u00a0Allow this poem about what we can and cannot do to inspire you. It is called:
\n\u201cToday, when I could do nothing\u201d\u00a0https:\/\/datebook.sfchronicle.com\/books\/a-poem-about-finding-life-while-we-shelter-in-place<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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Science on mental health in Covid-19 patients:<\/em><\/strong><\/u><\/div>\n
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  • In a\u00a0new study from the University of Oxford, researchers went through electronic health records of more than 236,000 COVID-19 patients, and found that 34% had been diagnosed with a psychiatric or neurological condition within six months of being infected with the coronavirus.<\/li>\n
  • There was no significant difference in the number of people with anxiety and depression found in patients with mild COVID-19, those who had to go to the hospital and those who had to be placed in intensive care units.<\/li>\n
  • It was further\u00a0found that in patients with no previous psychiatric history, a diagnosis of COVID-19 was associated with an increased incidence of developing a first psychiatric diagnosis in the following 14 to 90 days after contracting the virus.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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    • Let\u2019s look after ourselves\u2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Covid-19 has wreaked havoc for over a year and has proven it isn\u2019t leaving just yet as we observe the third wave crash down upon us. I managed to surf two waves safely however the third wave caught me off guard and pulled me into it\u2019s wild current. Receiving the positive result felt surreal and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22849,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22847","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conscious-living"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/versionx.bronwynrusso.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22847"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/versionx.bronwynrusso.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/versionx.bronwynrusso.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/versionx.bronwynrusso.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/versionx.bronwynrusso.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22847"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/versionx.bronwynrusso.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22847\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22915,"href":"https:\/\/versionx.bronwynrusso.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22847\/revisions\/22915"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/versionx.bronwynrusso.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/22849"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/versionx.bronwynrusso.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/versionx.bronwynrusso.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/versionx.bronwynrusso.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}