The Quarantine 15 started off more as a joke on social media but it apparently is a thing! I inadvertently enrolled myself right into it after graduating from my nutrition program. Maybe some of you are experiencing this too. This joke is a reference to gaining weight while being at home during the COVID pandemic. Well this joke is truer than we realize.
We are in unprecedented times. Our sympathetic nervous system has been dialed up to survival mode. This is our fight or flight response. Feelings of fear, anxiety, or irritability can be expected. What do we need to feel safe? We are all just trying to navigate these unchartered waters. Life is going to ebb and flow with tides of uncertainty. What is important is how well we respond and adapt to change, always remembering to be gentle with our thoughts and our actions.
Cortisol, our main stress hormone, is produced by the adrenal glands. We naturally experience spikes of cortisol daily as part of our natural circadian rhythm cycles with melatonin. Cortisol is usually highest in the morning and cycles to lowest in the evening when melatonin is highest. When we are under chronic stress, cortisol is continuously pumped into the blood creating high cortisol levels. Our bodies are finely tuned to try and stay in balance. Out of balance, high cortisol levels can create dysregulation in our body, from our metabolism and blood sugar imbalances to mood swings and insomnia.
As an introvert, I was lucky and adjusted quite easily to staying home. I actually found it easier for me to eat better for the first few weeks of quarantine because I had a routine. My eating schedule had normalized and I wasn’t skipping meals any more because I was no longer on the go. But, slowly as the days went by, something shifted. I had been on the go for so long and then everything stopped. School ended. I was out of work. I was getting a lot of screen time. I wasn’t acknowledging or feeling stress but my body was sure perceiving signs of it. I noticed I was snacking more, craving sugary and fatty foods. I was experiencing insomnia, my sleep schedule was off, sleeping in and staying up late. My dreams were riddled with anxiety yet I felt fine during the day. Getting out for walks and exercise became less frequent. No wonder I was gaining a little weight. For some of us, this may be eating more bread and baked goods or having a few more alcoholic beverages. However stress shows up for you, don’t give yourself a hard time. Be gentle. We all have our own ways of coping.
It can be hard to grasp what we need when everything is so out of control. A way to find balance and become empowered is to embrace what we do have control over. These are some of the things that I’m embracing to find balance again in my own life. I hope these suggestions will be helpful for you too.
Keeping to a routine.
Keep it simple. Sleep, eat, move. Healing takes place when we can get adequate sleep. Get to bed and wake up around the same time each day. Minimizing screen and device use late into the evening can help reduce that cortisol input.
Use essential oils in your routines:
Grapefruit, Sweet Orange and Lemon can increase our energy and alertness.
Peppermint, Ginger and Rosemary can improve digestion.
Lavender, Bergamot and Geranium can help us to get to sleep and improve the quality of our sleep.
Balanced and mindful eating.
Eat balanced meals that support our macronutrients of healthy proteins, fats, carbs and fiber. Proteins, fats, and fiber can help make us feel more satiated and can reduce that need for snacking. Be mindful of how we are nourishing our body. Limit distractions, we are also digesting whatever has our attention. It is probably best to turn the news off while we are eating.
Movement. Internal and external.
Internal movement can be done through deep breathing and meditation. Deep breathing is a great way to switch into our calming, parasympathetic response. For external movement, get outside, get some fresh air. Gyms may still be closed but there are a lot of great exercise videos online. Have you tried any of Jessica’s online offerings yet?
The healing power of touch.
Applied Tensegrity is deeply relaxing, even when I do it on myself, this wonderful technique dissolves restriction in our fascia leading to a feeling of fluidity and ease in the body. It increases circulation of blood, lymph and the fluid moving through our fascial webbing. This leads to healthier organs, muscles and body systems. Book Applied Tensegrity with Nicole.
“A 60-minute massage can lower cortisol, a hormone that’s produced in response to stress, by an average of 30 percent. And when cortisol levels decline, serotonin — one of the body’s anti-pain mechanisms — increases by an average of 28 percent after receiving a massage. By lowering cortisol and increasing serotonin, you’re boosting your body’s ability to fight off pain, anxiety and feelings of sadness.” Mayo Clinic Health System
Resetting the nervous system and balancing the body with the seasons.
“Acupuncture points are believed to stimulate the central nervous system. This, in turn, releases chemicals into the muscles, spinal cord, and brain. These biochemical changes may stimulate the body's natural healing abilities and promote physical and emotional well-being.” John Hopkins Medicine
Acupuncture can be used to reset the nervous system and promote relaxation, better sleep and digestion. Acupuncture can help us find balance in the Spring through working with the Wood Element and the Liver and Gallbladder Meridians specifically. Balancing the Wood Element is helpful for irritability, stress, frustration, low energy, seasonal allergies and muscle tension, to name just a few signs of imbalance. Book Acupuncture to reset with Lacy.
Spring is a time of transitions. A time for renewal and growth. Change is happening all around us. This is a time for us to be gentle with ourselves, as we know, spring time and pandemics can be so unpredictable and destabilizing. Take care.
