8 minute read
OF life post–lockdowns
I remember thinking that after the lockdowns had lifted life would just go back to normal. Like the green light meant the stress and build–up of these years would diminish overnight and it would all be better again. But it hasn’t felt like that at all.
There is a lingering fatigue that is physical and even more so, mental and emotional. We held on for so long, we worried, we became anxious we got angry and overwhelmed. And then we put a smile on and tried to go back to normal almost overnight.
I remember feeling a sense of relief when the end date actually stuck, when we were finally allowed to experience life as we all knew it to be. But that relief was followed with an anxiety I didn’t anticipate. I felt nervous and overwhelmed at the thought of having to go back to routines, to be in large social settings, to be asked to function as mother and have it all together like I
BY CATHY SPOONER
apparently used to. I was so far from having it all together… even though I tried.
I’ve experienced severe anxiety over the years and I assumed these feelings of trepidation, or sometimes even complete overwhelm, were just me. Getting overwhelmed by life is something I have been very familiar with over the years and as we made our way back into the world I didn’t hear a lot of conversations that reflected what I was feeling internally.
Everyone was glad to be out and living a somewhat normal existence again. We all threw ourselves back into life and all the stressors that were there before without even batting an eyelid. I’m unsure whether many people felt that anxiety initially like I did, but if they did, I wasn’t seeing or hearing it.
It was business as usual. From the outside. The last year or so we’ve done such a good job of keeping up appearances, something us mothers do so well. But internally it’s taking its toll. We had just been through an experience we had no reference point for. A space in time where we experienced much higher levels of stress and impact on our nervous systems. And then like magic, we acted as though it never happened and went straight back into life.
Over time I saw those appearances start to crack. The conversations around me started to reflect more of what my inner landscape looked like. We were beyond exhausted and it was finally catching up with us all. Women felt as though they were failing again, this pressure to come out the other side and get on with life was starting to wear them down.
It’s no wonder, because nobody was talking about the after effects of lockdowns. No one was discussing what this type of experience does to our nervous systems and how we learn ways to cope, yet only for so long. The constant holding on, waiting for a another date when things would be better again had us living in a sustained stress state for long periods of time. This kind of drawn–out constant stress is what our nervous systems are not necessarily made to do. We will cope, until we just can’t anymore.
The realities of those times during lockdowns when listed on paper are very real problems singularly, let alone as a compounded affect of more than one.
Sustained periods of stress, anxiety and overwhelm placing pressure on our mental and emotional health
Having the stability and security of our normal lives be totally shifted
Experiencing loss of jobs and financial stress
Relationships with partners were strained and tested
Relationships with our children experienced much more stress and pressure
Relationships with loved ones shifted due to distance and isolation
Combining working from home and home schooling the kids
The pressure of becoming a teacher overnight, understanding the kids curriculum and managing supporting multiple kids work
The concern and fear for our wellbeing and welfare
Being restricted to home environments that were not safe spaces for ourselves or children.
All of these elements created a super storm of pressure on our nervous systems. They made life feel unstable, not safe and lacking all the security we had. Yet we were expected to just act like none of that happened and move on. Let’s not talk about the impacts of this time, let’s move on and forget about it because we are so grateful and happy it’s all over.
But it’s caught up with us now. We are tired, burnt out, we have mental and physical health issues. Coming into Christmas 2022 I didn’t know a single woman in my personal life or clients that wasn’t experiencing fatigue and mental burn out. It wasn’t just surface level either, you could see and feel in us that this felt deeper and bigger than we realised.
Moving forward, how do we recover and make choices that reflect what we actually need, as opposed to what we think we should be doing?
Being mindful of our commitments and where we feel stretched or if it’s too much
Getting comfortable with saying no to social, personal or work requests
Intentionally carving out more time for rest and rejuvenation
Seeking support from a doctor, counsellor, psychologist or natural health practitioner
Allowing yourself to need a reset and hit pause.
Moving forward we need to acknowledge the impacts this experience has had on us and to be a lot kinder to ourselves. There is no urgency to go back to how life was, in fact, there are many lessons about life and some of the ways we lived pre Covid that would benefit from change. It takes time to recover and replenish ourselves, but if we don’t pause for long enough we won’t ever feel fully recovered.
DE–STRESS / MOVE YOUR BODY / DECREASE CHEMICAL LOAD
(WRITTEN BY DIANA ARUNDELL – THE AVOCA NATUROPATH & NUTRITIONIST)
in the day/week/month for unexpected surprises that may be trying to make their way into the tightly run schedule or just simply just stop, breathe and become conscious of what you are doing.
de–stress
It is estimated that most diseases and illnesses (90%) are a result of stress and the majority of visits to health professionals are stress related. What more do we need to hear to kick us into gear and do something about the impact of stress on our health? One option is to wait until a serious illness occurs that makes us stop in our tracks and take a good look at ourselves and say ‘if I knew that was going to happen, I would have made some changes’. Another option is doing what we can now to prevent a potentially life threatening health related wake up call.
For many people the word ‘busy’ can be interchanged with the word ‘stress’ and a constant up–regulated state of hyper function can have the same impact on the body as stress can. For some, every moment of the day is micromanaged and jammed with being productive, getting things done and operating in a constant up–regulated state. Often productivity has been linked to a sense of worthiness or stopping and just relaxing has been linked to feelings of guilt. Consider creating some space
Stressful life events are inevitable, however how we deal with the stress response is what’s important. Our body has a ‘fight or flight’ response to help increase heart rate, blood flow and mental alertness to effectively deal with the stressor, however this is meant to be only a temporary and short term state. Our nervous system and body are meant to return to a relaxed ‘rest and digest’ state once the stress has passed. This allows the up–regulated stress hormones to subside and reduces pressure on the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and central nervous systems until the next stressor comes.
If too much time is spent in the ‘fight or flight’ mode or an up–regulated state, our mental and physical health can begin to suffer resulting in mental health issues, high blood pressure, lowered immunity, digestive disturbance (reflux, bowel issues), insomnia, fatigue and eventually alterations to other systems of the body e.g. hormone imbalance or auto–immune issues.
Be aware of how stress is impacting you and consider your choices:
Set good boundaries and time management. Schedule a start time and end time for work commitments and stick to it
Take time for YOU to relax and play. This is self–care, not self–ish
Catch your breath – stop during the day to take 3 deep abdominal breaths and bring your awareness back down in your body and out of your mind
Meditation – Try a guided 10 minute every morning for a week then decide if it’s a good idea or not. Insight timer is a terrific free app
Rather than reaching for alcohol, drugs or sugar when stressed – take a nap, a walk, meditate or drink a green juice.
Move Your Body
Move it or lose it. Muscles and joints in both adults and kids need to be used or they will become weak, less flexible and potentially hinder how we move about and enjoy life. This includes the heart muscle. Schedule in 3 hours per week of exercise that increases your heart rate and strengthens muscles. Start slow and build up to avoid injury and burn out.
Physical, mental and emotional health requires the body to move –again for both adults and kids. The physical body has been designed to bend, stretch, weight bear and our world is evolving further and further towards encouraging us to move less – remote controls for everything and it seems we are needing to leave the house less and less with almost everything available as home delivery!
If you’re not sure where to start – just start. Wake up 30 minutes earlier and go for a walk before your day starts. In the warmer months, take exercise clothes to work and go for a walk straight from work to avoid coming home and changing your mind. Engage with a personal trainer to get you started and if you have the thought of needing to get fit before you see the trainer, stop it, that’s their job!
reduce chemical load/ toxic exposure
A toxin is any substance that can harm your health and with more than 144,000 man–made chemicals now in existence, our toxic exposure is greater than ever before. It’s true that the body has a brilliant inbuilt detoxification system involving the liver and kidneys, however it’s worth considering at what point toxic overload may outweigh the ability of the body to eliminate toxins and the impact of this on our health.
Toxins can show up as additives in our food, chemicals in our water supply, airborne pollutants, pesticides, personal care and household products, plastic containers, fire resistant fabrics and plastic toys just to name a few.
Some ways to reduce chemical exposure and toxic load:
Store food in beeswax wraps or glass and don’t heat anything up in plastic containers
Use natural personal care products, sunscreen and cleaning products, avoid nail polish, glues, dyes
Drink filtered water and use glass or stainless–steel water bottles
Buy organic food where possible and wash all fresh food before consumption, grass fed meat, wild caught sea food (from unpolluted waterways) free range eggs and chicken
Limit tuna to 1–2 serves per week
Use stainless steel, cast iron or ceramic cookware rather than aluminium and non–stick
Avoid cigarette smoke – first hand, second hand and third hand (chemical residue from smoking that accumulates in furniture/clothing)
Support elimination via the skin through perspiration by exercise, saunas and skin brushing
Support good kidney function by adequate hydration with water
Increase the consumption of greens in the diet, especially the Brassica family –broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, cabbage, as these contain nutrients that support phase 2 detoxification in the liver
High chlorophyll containing greens such as spirulina, chlorella, coriander, barley grass and broccoli sprouts may improve the excretion of toxins.
For further information or to make an appointment please contact Diana Arundell at Avoca Naturopath and Nutritionist on 0410 465 900.
Diana Arundell is a university–qualified naturopath and consults from her Avoca Naturopath clinic. She has a special interest in fertility and pregnancy health, digestive health, immune function and family wellness programs. She was a nutrition lecturer at Macquarie University for 10 years, and is an accredited Journey Practitioner. For further information or to make an appointment please contact Diana Arundell at Avoca Naturopath on 0410 465 900.
Good elimination pathways such as regular bowel motions are essential for supporting detoxification. Toxins can continue to re–enter circulation if not eliminated via regular bowel motions.
