The winter weather is upon us again—it is that time of the year. The leaves are on the ground, and we have all experienced the first snow/blizzard. First of all, there is a lot to be thankful for. We have celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, and more. Now, we look forward to Christmas, and the new year with feverish excitement. We hope to celebrate all the holidays in great health, peace, in great familiar company, and most of all, safely.
We have the added pressure of staying safe in the pandemic. How do we stay safe?
MENTAL HEALTH SAFETY
The battle is fought and won in the mind. Your mental health is important, and you have to intentionally take care of it. Even though, sometimes when you hear the news of someone dying or an acquaintance getting sick you become scared and even upset. The pandemic makes it feel like the end is near for everyone. For some, the feeling of mortality brings an added layer of fear. For others, they don’t care. Whatever your faith or belief system, one thing we can agree on is that it is better to remain mentally safe and positive even in the face of life’s battles than to sink into depression and despair.
With this in mind, it becomes an intentional battle, and an intentional well planned out process to secure your mind and keep it safe from the ills of social isolation, depression and loneliness. You can choose to do a host of things, but one thing is for certain. You must decide to give your mind and thought process enough care, consistently. So, this winter, for your mind, plan out a strategy.
- Find books, podcasts, movies, information from spirituality to cooking
o Plan a line up a host of Comedy Central comedians to keep playing in the background
o Have a host of sermons, gospel music, 60’s music, rap music
- Blocking out negativity (friends, people, events)
- Have a buddy system—someone who can keep you accountable so that you don’t slip into pain
- Be a buddy for someone – Sometimes when we reach out and bear each other’s burden,we forget our own
- Don’t feel guilty about taking time out for self-care
- Strengthen your connections
o Connect with friends maybe via a phone call
o Reconnect with yourself – do what you used to enjoy doing—meditate
o Turn off your phones—reduce social media
o Don’t believe everything on social media
You must make the decision NOW to do something to keep your mental health safe
PHYSICAL SAFETY
This is Alberta, and what we can expect is to have quite a bit of snow and suboptimal driving, and sidewalk conditions. So please make sure you
- Winterize your vehicles—change your wiper blades, tires, oil etc.
- Have spares of everything (torch light, food, blankets) in your vehicles
- Download the latest weather app—be up to date on the weather updates
- Be informed
- Stay home if roads are treacherous
Your safety is important. You must decide early on to keep safe!
HEALTH SAFETY
We are still in the middle of a pandemic and there is no end in sight. The underlying fact still remains that people with pre-existing conditions are having a tougher time with the virus. It just goes to show that we need to take care of our health. Prevention is better than cure.
- Take your multivitamins
- Stay fit—join a gym or work out in front of your TV
- Stay active
- Have a bottle of hand sanitizer, rubbing alcohol, and masks
o Public health directives—follow them
- Be updated
- Incorporate more veggies and fruit into your diet—take care of your gut
- Sleep well
- Don’t feel guilty about taking time out for self-care
In conclusion, your safety is important. Remember you are loved. It is easy to forget the little things and not pay attention to the details especially when it comes to your health and safety. As moms, parents, wives, managers, bosses, we have hectic schedules, and busy lives and they keep getting busier….. Nothing changes except you create the change and make change happen.
And in the words of the Dalai Lama…. If you feel burn out setting in, if you feel demoralized and exhausted, it is best for the sake of everyone, to withdraw and restore oneself….
Tayo Elnathan
