This past year, also known as the corona coaster, was a wild ride to say the least. Worldwide confusion, fear, panic, and isolation sent us into a tizzy of finding ways to find normalcy in a vast canyon of unrest. I found myself journaling more just to get things out of my head and doing things I had not done in a long time like busting out the sewing machine and digging through old pictures to relive some memories. I went through the questioning phase, the consume all the news phase and then decided I couldn’t sustain that and maintain a good state of mental health.
What I noticed though is that the kids just kept bouncing back time and time again. When it all started and everything came to a screeching halt, they didn’t like it, but they adapted. They did their schoolwork remotely and worked through the technology issues that came up. Winter sports ended abruptly, and spring sports didn’t get to start. Instead of choosing to just sit around, they found basketball hoops in the neighborhood to shoot baskets, threw baseballs to each other in the front yard, found things to jump onto to improve jumping skills, found trampolines to jump on to work on flips and challenged each other with workout routines they made up.
Then summer came and they couldn’t do things like summer camps and hang out in groups at each other’s houses, so they figured out ways to still have fun and spent the entire summer outside riding bikes and running around in the woods building bridges and lean-tos and all sorts of things.
When school finally started again in a totally different format (in person a couple days a week and remote learning the rest of the days), they didn’t like that either, but they adapted once again. They figured out how to plan their week, they worked through even more technology issues and adapted yet again when quarantines started happening because of school exposure. They wore their face masks and carried their desk shields, washed their hands and sanitized all day long. Did they grumble about it, sure, but they adapted to the new rules.
Sports started up again, but they had to wear facemasks, be prepared with their own water instead of water fountains, keep distanced during practices, compete virtually, etc. They agreed because they just wanted to get out there and play and compete.
When it was announced that we were going back to school 5 days a week, they were ready and when ice storms and flooding prevented that from happening, they just rolled with the punches. They have been the most resilient of all during all the restrictions and changes in rules over the last year. I believe we have a lot to learn from how well they have adapted and bounced back after every set back.
As babies, the only way they learn to go from crawling to walking is to fall down a bunch of times until they get it right. Maybe it’s because they are closer to that time in their life than I am because they just kept going and kept trying different things. They learned what didn’t work and tried different things until they got the hang of all the changes that we kept throwing their way.
As an adult, I found myself acting more like a toddler and throwing a fit when there was a new restriction or change in rules. I would argue that it didn’t make sense or didn’t seem right in some way. I would work myself up about it and mull it over in my head for hours at a time, which always impacted my mood in a negative way. When I recognized what I was doing, I would try to take a few minutes put some happy oils in the diffuser and write it out in my journal to get it out of my head and that helped put things in a better perspective.
As we are coming to the end of this roller coaster ride, we will all get off of the ride but the only difference is, the kids rode through it with a lot less stress and trepidation than I did.
Kids are sponges and soak up the entire life experience in a way that molds and shapes their way of thinking that they will carry into adulthood. I believe they have learned a great deal about how to work within an ever-changing world dynamic at a more accelerated pace than I ever did that’s for sure.
Kids are resilient. Adults are too, we just have to work a little bit harder at it. It might seem silly to some but journaling really helped me ride this corona coaster and keep things in perspective. I delve deeper into this process in my course Corralling Life into One Notebook. If you are looking for a way to corral your stress and put it in perspective, I would encourage you to jump on the waitlist for my course and snag a discount code HERE.
Be resilient my friend… and keep your hands, arms and legs inside the ride until it comes to a complete stop. 😏
Health and Wellness Fears
In this time of uncertainty, worry and concern about the health and wellness of yourself and your family, it’s time to take a long hard look at the things you do on a daily basis! Turn FEAR to something different: Fully Educated and Ready!
You know that you should eat a well-balanced diet and move your body to stay strong with some form of exercise. These are not new revelations. And yet, you push those things aside because you are “too busy” or “don’t feel like it” or “the kids won’t eat that” or “I don’t like vegetables” or “my joints hurt too much to exercise”…. You can fill in the blank with whatever comes to mind. This is the time, right now, to embrace changes in your diet that will fuel you with good energy!
On March 27 at 1:00 p.m. I will hold a zoom conference call to chat about some things I've implemented in my own diet that help me stay appropriately fueled, help me achieve my weight loss goals and keep me above the wellness line. You can join in the call or receive a replay HERE.
Control your Mindset
The fact of the matter is YOU ARE IN COMPLETE CONTROL of what choices you make and what actions you take. You are also in control of the THOUGHTS that you allow into your head! You must be super intentional about your mindset especially in the reality of the pandemic we are facing today. It is so easy to get derailed with constant news and updates of things that may concern you and cause worry!
On March 28 at 7:00 p.m. I will hold a zoom conference call to chat about some things I've implemented in my own daily routine that help me keep my emotions in check. You can join in the call or receive a replay HERE.
Many people are fearful of loss of income right now. It is real. Maybe it's time to think of adding an additional income stream for your family. If that's where you are, I'm going to break down the network marketing opportunity as it relates to Young Living on March 29 at 7:00 p.m.. Maybe it's for you and maybe it's not, join me to find out more HERE.
Be Intentional
I have been doing something everyday since December that has helped me stay laser focused on the things that I want to achieve – one of which is wellness. Maybe you’ve heard of Rachel Hollis and her Start Today Journal? She sells a beautiful journal but I just grabbed a notebook I had on hand and started doing it! You can check out her video here..
The power of writing your goals down everyday (AFTER you list several things you are grateful for) brings them front and center in your mind, every.single.day. And you know what happens? You start thinking about those things more and you start taking actions to make them happen. Grab a journal/notebook/a piece of paper and start writing!
Environmental Choices
I have been super intentional about wellness and I don’t just mean what food I fuel my body with or how much exercise I get, but I have also focused heavily on eliminating as many toxins from my home environment as possible to reduce the chemical burden on my body.
Being intentional about your physical well being is not just a fleeting moment in time. Not just because there's a pandemic going on. It has to be for the long haul. Your physical well being does not just involve eating veggies and limiting sugar, although that is pretty important. Your physical well being is also about paying attention to the products you use in your home that could be negatively affecting your health.
Grab a bottle of your most used cleaning product and google some of the ingredients listed on the bottle. Inform yourself about what you are using! You have other options to clean your home with plant based cleaners that are effective and not harmful to you or the environment.
On March 30 at 1:00 p.m. I will delve into a few cleaning products I choose to use in my house. Join me HERE.
On March 31 at 7:00 p.m. I will explain why I use essential oils in my everyday routine and how I use them on a daily basis (pandemic or not) to keep my family above the wellness line. You can join that discussion HERE.
Right now, more than ever, it’s on everyone’s mind…. How in the world do I keep my family healthy?
Educate yourself
If that’s you, I want to invite you to join me in one of up coming discussions (held via zoom so we can be appropriately socially distant 😉). RSVP to a zoom call discussion here!. I would be honored to have you join me.
I will cover using essential oils to help deal with emotions, jumpstart your wellness with some great recipes, Network marketing 101 for those considering adding a supplemental income, cleaning with Thieves and rounding out the month with an essential oils samples class (registration for the sample class closes March 27 so I can mail out the samples.
Join an upcoming zoom call
Check out the topics, times and RSVP to a zoom call discussion here!. Can't wait to see your smiling face on one of my upcoming zoom calls!
I am available to chat one on one as well just leave a comment below and I'll touch base with you.
Meanwhile, I'll be praying for wellness, purpose and abundance for everyone!
💕Gwen
Welcome to the Secret Sauce Blog where I help modern moms simplify life with tools that make life easier. We have a lot of responsibilities and it can get overwhelming. Keeping the family healthy, organized, actually eat together and tread lightly in the process takes some serious #momskills!
