Weekend wellness checklist to help support yourself:

• Stay calm, drink tea, take a nap. Make time to unwind. Try to do some activities you enjoy. If you see sunshine- get out in it!
• Get the most up to date accurate information, but take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories, including social media. Hearing about the pandemic repeatedly can be upsetting and draining. Put a stopper in that energy leak.
• Reflect on how we can support each other and our communities as we adapt to the changing global and local conditions. Teamwork does make the dream work.
• Deliberately think and BE more positive than normal (think about laughing babies, daisies, sleigh bells, sunshine, rainbows, bubbles, glitter, puppies, unicorns, balloons, cupcakes, your favorite sport and the like... whatever makes you smile and brings YOU personal joy). Let that happy fuel recharge you.
• Eat REAL food/ Drink CLEAN fluids (fresh water, teas, fresh pressed juices, greens). The #1 cause of daytime fatigue in adults is dehydration, so stay hydrated with liquids that nourish you.
• Don't take unnecessary risks. Practice the basics with good hygiene and use the  "external defenses" like hand washing, & avoiding the obvious risks like getting sneezed on. Just because you still CAN go out to certain places, evaluate whether you really NEED to. Give your lungs a break and avoid the smoking or vaping of anything, drinking of alcohol, overdoing it on the caffeine or on over the counter remedies (remember that your liver, kidneys & other filtration organs have to work extra hard to metabolize all of that).
• Trust your innate, "inner defenses". Remember that your body is your friend, and work with that faithful friend. Get still so that you can connect with this inner wisdom. YOU are your best guru!
• Get plenty of sleep (aim for 7-9 hours in a row).
• Exercise, stretch, do breath work, meditate, crank up your favorite song and dance! We're big fans of Xi Gong and you can find some excellent videos on YouTube to help you learn this gentle art that can really help you get strong inside and out! Here's a link to one I've personally been enjoying : https://youtu.be/cwlvTcWR3Gs  Love the bird songs in the background! 
• Pick up the phone or fire up the FaceTime connecting with those you love in live time. Hearing their voices and seeing their faces on that screen will help you remember the support systems, your  tribe of people you love, trust and can depend on to openly share your experiences, concerns and feelings with. As a society, we were already on our way to getting too isolated before, so going through all this now can heighten the potential for loneliness. Consider reaching out with a phone call or handwritten note to someone who you believe might be lonely, or if you're heading to the store- call a neighbor to see if you can save them a trip and pick up for them what they  might need. These acts of kindness could really brighten their day, and it always feels good to help others as it distracts us from our own worries to boot!
• Important: please call your healthcare provider if the stress from all of this change is overwhelming and getting in the way of you maintaining your daily activities and responsibilities for several days in a row.