By Rena Greenberg
Managing stress has become a No. 1 priority in this challenging time.
To say we are living in a stressful time would be an understatement. Even if you are adapting to “the new normal,” it can be unnerving to go out in the world and see how rapidly things have changed since the coronavirus shutdowns.
It’s not just the fact that everyone is wearing masks, but the reality that social distancing can feel so cold and isolating. We are longing for life to go back to “the way it was,” yet we’re being told that this may be a long time coming, if at all.
Even as the United States opens up in places, it’s with a great deal of trepidation—and sometimes it’s two steps forward and one back as the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise in many states. This ominous virus has put a fear in many of us that can be difficult to shake.
Still, we must cling to hope. Faith reminds us that through every challenge there is a potential blessing waiting for us.
In the meantime, we know that stress can not only plague our mind and emotions, but it can wreak havoc on all the body’s systems, leaving us vulnerable to illness and disease. That’s why managing stress has to become a No. 1 priority. Here are three ways to help you stay in balance:
1. Breathe Deep
It sounds so basic. Of course, you are breathing right now as you read this, but are your breaths rapid and shallow or are they slow and deep? Your breath is connected to your brain, and conscious breathing is a way to regulate your brainwaves. When your brainwaves slow down, all the systems of your body relax. That’s because slowing down your breathing activates the body’s relaxation response and breaks your sympathetic nervous system’s chronic flight or fight reaction. When you are in flight or fight mode, you are basically in a state of panic and—when your body is experiencing chronic anxiety—your immune system starts to break down.
The simplest way to break this vicious cycle of keeping your body in a constant state of dread is to begin to breathe consciously. Right now, as you are reading this, slow your breathing down.
Try this:
Breathe in to the count of four.
Hold to the count of four.
Exhale to the count of four.
Hold your breath out to the count of four.
Repeat.
Take a break and close your eyes as you breathe deeply to intensify the benefits.
2. Worry Less
How would you like to live worry-free, pandemic or no pandemic? Believe it or not, worry is a habit that can be broken. I recently created 10 videos in which I give you a powerful affirmation and message each day to help you live your life worry-free all the time. What a great opportunity to retrain your mind! It’s free, it’s powerful and it’s effective. All you have to do is say “yes” and use this link to get started: https://www.easywillpower.com/sign-up-10-day/.
For 10 days, you will receive via email a one- to two-minute, worry-free affirmation and coaching video. You may not be able to heal the world, but you can heal your life!
3. Use CBD for Anxiety
I was excited to discover that Israeli researchers have launched several clinical trials to see if there are potential antiviral benefits from CBD’s anti-inflammatory compounds. Recently, InnoCan Pharma, a Canadian pharmaceutical company, began collaborating with Tel Aviv University to determine if CBD could be utilized to repair cells damaged by COVID-19. I look forward to hearing the results of this collaborative study, which you can read about at: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/innocan-pharma-collaborates-tel-aviv-204600158.html
In the meantime, one thing we do know about medical-grade, high-quality CBD is that for most people it helps to reduce nervousness and improve mood. If you aren’t already using CBD for overall health and wellness, you may want to incorporate high-quality full spectrum CBD (cultivated from the whole plant). These are tough times, and it’s essential that you ramp up your self-care and commit to focusing on your own well-being.
It’s time to uplift yourself instead of allowing fear or inertia to overcome you.
Rena Greenberg, a Hay House author, can be reached at http://www.EasyWillpower.com. Her weight loss and gastric bypass hypnosis success has been featured in 150-plus news stories including USA Today, Woman’s World, The Doctor’s, CNN, Good Morning America and Nightline. PBS stations nationally aired Rena’s show, “Easy Willpower,” in August 2015. Her wellness program is sponsored in 75 hospitals and 100-plus corporations. She conducts hypnotherapy sessions with people all over the world on Skype.