Guest Blog ALERT: Coping During Chaos with Janine Standish

Hello All!

I’m Janine Standish, a Licensed Professional Counselor and yoga instructor.  In the midst of a global pandemic and quarantine, Jenna asked me to share some helpful hints for coping. 

Here are some tools to help you navigate the current stressors we are all facing. 

One of the most useful resources I have seen is this article on “Who Do I Want to Be During COVID-19?”  It allow us to reflect on the various stages that one might be at during such a crisis.  Begin by examining the fear zone, the learning zone and the growth zone. 

Assess where you primarily lie, and then also assess if you are possibly in one zone for one behavior, but a different zone for another.  You do not have to be relegated to one zone.  It is important to examine your strengths and challenges during such a time.  Once you have done so, consider if how you are currently behaving is how you’d like to show up during global pandemic.  Are there ways you’d like to shift your behavior, resources that you might utilize to expand your coping, things that you are truly proud of yourself for managing?

One change I would make to this chart is in the growth zone it states, “I live in the present and focus on the future.”  While I do believe it is imperative to be grounded in the present moment, I genuinely believe that it is unhelpful to focus on the future during such a time.  There is too much uncertainty about how it might unfold.  Instead, I would encourage you to consider how you can show up bigger and better in each moment of your day as it happens. 

As a student and teacher of Baptiste inspired Yoga Methodology, I try to embrace Baron Baptiste’s idea of “you are here or nowhere.”  The present moment is all we have.  We cannot change what has happened in the past and we cannot predict the future.  If we show up and embrace the opportunities in each and every moment- we don’t miss small moments with people we love, opportunities to slow down and check in with our bodies or the chance to have mastery over our own nervous system.  “Today is a gift, that’s why we call it the present.”

How much attention are you paying to the gifts that are put before you each day, even in solitude of your own home?  If you take the time to stop, look, and BREATHE, I promise you will find some real gems.

Reference link: https://qorf.org.au/who-do-i-want-to-be-during-covid-19/

Learn to manage your breath:

Attached is a quick video about breath that I made for the American Heart Association’s “Be well” campaign.  Breath is a powerful tool that can transform our life if we learn to have mastery over it.  It is the quickest and most efficient way to calm our nervous system.  Breath work, mindfulness and meditation practices are so crucial in times like these.  I would especially recommend the 21 day meditation challenge by Oprah and Deepak Chopra on “Hope in Uncertain Times,” which you can find in the App Store on your device.  There is even a section with journal questions post meditation.  Reflecting on the process is enormously helpful in propelling us forward and making the best out of our current situation.  Furthermore, having the ability to look back at such entries in the future will assist you in remaining grounded in gratitude for many of the things you might have taken for granted before quarantine.  

Below are some great apps that can assist with breath work, mindfulness and meditation practices.

Adults:

• Buddhify

• Tapping Solution

• Oprah & Deepak 21 day meditation

• Headspace 

• Aloe Bud

• Happify

Kids:

• Moshi Twilight

• Breathe Kids

Both:

• Calm

• Insight Timer

Practice gratitude:

Focusing on what we are grateful for has actually been shown to create a shift in our neurochemistry.  It LITERALLY changes our brain chemicals.   Did you know that research shows that gratitude equates to greater overall happiness and satisfaction with life?  It’s true!  Check out the info graphic below from happierhuman.com which lists a variety of ways gratitude can be a total game changer!

I challenge you to start your day by listing 3 things you are grateful for.

Research demonstrates that gratitude practices are more effective when we actually write these thoughts down. I find it particularly helpful to meditate and then engage in gratitude practices.  Its the perfect 1-2 punch to start my day!!

Create a structure for your day. 

Here are some suggestions for important ways to do this during quarantine…

It is typical to have a myriad of emotions throughout the day. 

Embrace each moment, check in with your body, scan to see where you might be holding tension, engage in breath work, mindfulness and meditation to release such. 

Additionally, utilize strategies for releasing built up emotions and frustrations - walk, yoga, dance, HIIT, weights, connecting with others, sharing your experiences.

Remember that we are all currently part of a collective traumatic experience and that EVERYONE is coping with changes due to COVID-19. 

No single person has it worse or better than another. 

Each person’s experience is unique to him/her and everyone’s ability to cope varies.

Most importantly, choose kindness.

WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER!!!

Written fully by the amazing: JANINE STANDISH

Find more insight and tips: @peacefulcalmhappy on IG.

Or 

Committed to transforming your mindfulness game? 

Connect with her for Virtual Mindfulness Coaching!

jstandish@meaningfuldirections.com

Psychology Today profile link: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/janine-standish-hackensack-nj/188887

HSH LOVES YOU JANINE!

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Written by Jenna Werner

Hey there, I’m Jenna! I'm a Registered Dietitian, online nutrition coach and serious food lover. I'm ready to help you quit dieting forever and fall in love with the way food makes you feel.

Learn more about me and the HSH offerings here.