By Neeta Oza (@neetafitness)
Million Dollar Question
How do we lead a peaceful life during the Covid crisis? Now there’s a Million Dollar Question. For me, the first thing to do would be to avoid thinking of Covid as a chaotic ‘crisis’ and instead, be thankful for the experience.
‘Thankful?’ you ask? Yes. A surreal concept given the situation, yet a rational way of soothing a potentially anxious thought-process, regarding this global pandemic sprung upon us.
This is exactly what I did when Covid arose in March 2020 out of the blue, just when I had just thrown away a bottle of perfectly good hand sanitiser I thought I wouldn’t be using anymore. Little did I know that a couple of weeks later, sanitiser would have more value than I ever could have imagined. At the time I remember hearing that shops had sold-out their sanitiser stock, and I felt like this product was now worth more than gold.
Adapt or Die
I, like billions of others around the world had to instantly adapt my lifestyle in every way. From wellbeing, work, to family, friends, relationships. One day a team member I worked for in my distant past gave her opinion on the topic of ‘change’. She said ‘adapt or die’, and I only really connected with what she meant from March 2020.
As time has moved on, the less I panic and the more I think about it being a journey, the happier and more content I feel.
At the time I began to make the best of a bizarre situation. This transition was quick, I knew my mindset had to adapt quickly.
I reluctantly cancelled my gym membership wondering how I would keep fit. I amended my fitness routine so that it was online and at home, using YouTube as my go-to, which I’ve ultimately loved – and especially enjoy being able to revolve exercising around my own schedule.
Our kitchen table became my desk as I worked from home, something I’d never done before as part of my working routine – I’d always worked in an office. With people. I sat in close proximity to our fridge & pantry – which I fortunately still have close access to.
Over time, I virtually kept in touch with family and friends and used FaceTime and Zoom more than I ever had – as well meeting my social bubble face-to-face social, within guidelines.
My lifestyle and routine has become more chilled, and this happened at exactly the right time for me. Before Covid made an entrance I found myself constantly fleeing during weekdays, spending a fair bit of my life on public transport (God bless public transport, yet not during rush-hour!) then partially unwinding during weekends, only to find myself back to the weekday rush before I knew it.
Now, I feel I make the most of my time, I think more concisely, my decisions are clearer, and I do what I enjoy doing.
& Breathe
Stress can affect the immune system in a variety of ways. Our body is so clever it always gives us signs to take a time-out or relax. This incredible machine made of flesh and bone enters survival mode and does what it can do to protect us when it feels like we’re being threatened. It understands how we feel constantly, is aware of our energy, our vibration and alignment. Our internal thoughts have a vital effect on the way our body responds to what we think about – as well as what we think about ourselves.
We can either take a deep breath, embrace challenging situations, or spend our precious time in a state of flux and frenzy resulting in our immune system becoming imbalanced, then giving us a heads-up to stop.
Sometimes the heads-up can be gradual like a series of mini-signs, or more like an explosion, a sudden shock to the system where we completely shut-down with absolutely no control. As much as we can it’s a good idea to be mindful of this during early stages. Our senses are there to help us for a reason and we are blessed to have 24-hour access to them.
I enjoy reading and watching the works of Abraham Hicks, and only recently found this quote from them which encourages us to ‘think with precision by caring about how you feel’. It really is all about how we feel, making the best of our time, and feeling good.
Therefore, due to Covid, I now have the best lifestyle I feel I’ve ever had. So, Thank You Covid, For the Experience of a Lifetime.