As women we can feel it is our sacred duty to save everyone.

Do you feel as if a large part of the responsibility to maintain your family's, friends', and neighbors' health is your responsibility?

Do you feel that it is your job to keep everyone or as many people possible safe from the Covid-19 virus?

As mothers, lovers, partners, sisters, daughters, nieces, granddaughters, and best friends, we can feel that it is, in some way, our job to save everyone. The instinct to protect loved ones and to nurture life is hard wired into our survival and our psyches as women. We may not be able to completely negate that primal pull, but we can prioritize some time for taking care of ourselves.

We all know that constant stress over an extended period of time is damaging to our physical and mental health. During these stressful weeks, try to take some time to get out of your home space and take a walk. Walking is a great stress reliever. As your body moves, so do your thoughts, and your stress levels will decrease.

If you make a few changes before you go to sleep at night, you can unload some stress too. No TV, or phone (except for relaxing music), or electronics in bed. If you want to read in bed, read a book, not on a device, but an actual book in your hand. Preferably, read a book with a storyline that will take your mind off the current pandemic.

Finally, when you lay down to sleep, you might try a Yoga Nidra. It's a guided relaxation meditation that you can listen to while laying flat on your back in bed and not moving a muscle before you fall asleep. A guide talks you through relaxing your whole body, usually to music or the sounds of nature. I know some people have a reluctance to try yoga, thinking it is tied to religion. Yoga Nidra is not religious; it is a beneficial technique for relaxing your body and your mind. It helps you turn off worry, fall asleep, and get a good restful night's sleep. Sounds good doesn't it?

You can find recorded Yoga Nidra meditations on YouTube, or in a general web search. Pop in your headphones and listen with your phone or smart speaker.

Here is a link to one of my favorites.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7H0FKzeuVVs

In times like this, when so much is out of our control, it's important to do what we can, make adjustments along the way, and let go of some of the stress.

I hope you are following the advice of medical experts and I wish you and your loved ones the best of health!

Dr. A.