In the midst of the storm

How are you all doing?

I don’t know about you but this has been a tough couple of weeks. The lead – up to mid term break, the extension of the lock down, maybe it was waiting on it coming and ‘surviving’ until then, but boy, it’s not been easy!

• Is it the stress of wanting to do my best for home-schooling but knowing I’m gradually running out of steam?
• Is it that Theo is missing his alone time with me and he’s been voicing that a lot more?
• Is it that I’m soooooo done with the cold weather?
• Is it that I’m missing meeting my friends and catch-ups and hugs?
• Is it that I’m missing seeing my clients and practising what I love?
• Or is it that I am just one of the millions of people caught up in the midst of this crazy Covid storm, trying to find my peace in really turbulent, difficult and emotionally draining times?

I’m afraid I don’t have a miracle answer here, but what I do have, is the faith and knowledge that hanging in there, whilst putting into practise the little things that we know are good for our mind, bodies and souls, is exactly what we need to be doing now, more than ever.

So what does that look like for me? Let me whip out my ‘Emergency Sarah McCabe Style Tool Kit’ and show you…

• Gratitude – I quieten myself when I’m feeling overwhelmed, and I thank God so sincerely for the good in my life. From my cosy house, to my kid’s giggles… my warm socks to the birds I hear in the garden. There is ALWAYS something to be grateful for, and even the act of ‘searching’ for the ‘things’ somehow calms the storm a little.
• Breathing – lovely big deep breaths, the exhale longer than the inhale, think breathe in for 4 and breathe out for 6. This resets the nervous system in a beautiful calming way.
• Move – a lot of the time, when we’re experiencing stress in our bodies we tense up and become rigid, and that makes things ten times worse. So my favourite thing to do (and I’ve been known to do this mid-homeschool session when it feels like our brains are going to explode!) is to put on one of our favourite songs, turn it up loud, and get everybody up and dancing or running around like a family of crazies! It feels good and you can see the tension releasing in everyone.
• Make yourself a warm drink and do it mindfully. Take 5 minutes to very slowly, being aware of your movements and the sounds, make yourself a cuppa. Don’t rush to switch off the kettle, let it switch itself off when it’s ready. Take nice slow breaths while you’re waiting for the kettle to boil. Listen to the clinks of the spoon against the cup while you’re mixing it all up and then enjoy the drink. You may have a little one clinging to your leg or a load of “mummy – I don’t understand” moans to listen to, but if you can, for that 5 minutes, pay attention to what you are doing and enjoy the process. This may sound quite strange but choosing to be mindful during an every day task like that is calming and relaxing to your heightened nervous system.
• Stay hydrated and eat well… you need good energy sources to keep you fuelled. Please don’t forget the importance of staying hydrated, when we are dehydrated we have higher cortisol levels (the stress hormone) in our bodies, making it even harder to deal with everyday issues, never mind being in the middle of a pandemic!

Most importantly, hang in there! There are loads of us in the same boat at the moment. I take a lot of comfort in knowing that I am not on my own. So please reach out to someone for a chat or even just an off-load… these are difficult, strange times and sometimes it’s ok to just hang in there. But if we can add a few little things to your day to find a little calm amidst the storm, then even better.

Wishing you peace and calm, Sarah x

Hope, Health & Healing Acupuncture