The new year started with a bang. As I write, our country is facing the highest daily infection and mortality rates from the COVID pandemic and the greatest challenge to our democracy in more than two centuries. The trials and difficulties of 2020 were clearly not left on the cusp of 2021. In a year the world will be different to us, and most likely it will look better. Start over each day, focusing on the present moment and looking for ways to help. Reliability is our birthright. It can be cultivated and even shared. Despite the chaos around us, we are largely in control of our health, home, and heart. This is where the reliability begins.
Some simple reminders: Change is challenging, especially when you’re alone. So buddy. Find support from friends or family and form new partnerships to help and hold one another accountable. Make small, sensible, and meaningful changes one at a time, rather than making one big leap at once. Incremental changes – one at a time – add up. Be honest and kind to yourself. Strive for change, not perfection. Finally, realize what is in your sphere of influence and let go of what is not.
Adopt healthy habits
We may have made ambitious changes in our diet or lifestyle, and we may be keeping up with our plans. Sometimes, however, our ambitions exceed our capabilities and collapse under the weight of high expectations and perceived failure. The most significant changes are often combinations of subtle shifts that add up to large ones over time. Even the smallest positive change in our regular routine can lead to monumental success.
Drink a quart of water in the morning before consuming caffeine: 16 oz. When you first wake up, another 16 ounces. while you get dressed and make your bed. Add apple cider vinegar or half a lemon or grapefruit to alkalize the body, improve digestion, and increase hydration. Starting the day with moisture generally encourages better hydration for the rest of the day. Proper hydration improves energy, mental clarity, sleep, healthy weight maintenance, detoxification, and inflammation.
Stretch for 20 minutes a day. Listen to music and your body. Move accordingly.
Fast at times. Delay eating in the morning until you have exercised a little. This increases our metabolism, sharpens our minds and improves brain, cardiovascular and immune functions.
Stick to a wake and sleep schedule. Establishing consistency in sleeping, exercise, and eating habits optimizes metabolism and our ability to deal with stress.
Try a new healthy food or recipe every week and add it to your regular food rotation. Document it. By the end of the year there will be lots of new healthy foods.
Detoxify once a week by eating only vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, healthy fats and moisture with herbal teas or bone broth.
Make your home your haven
Our home should be our refuge and refuge.
Make your bed and do your best to make it a beautiful and sensual pleasure.
Designate an area of your home as a sacred space for creativity, contemplation, and joy. Don’t let worries or uncomfortable work come into this room. Make it beautiful and keep it clean.
Do the washing up. A drawer, a shelf, a cupboard and a room at the same time. Set goals for a room in the house each month.
Fill your home with scents and sounds that will help you feel happy and relaxed.
Bring nature inside. Plants and flowers nourish our interiors with oxygen and grace.
Protect your heart
We don’t have to participate in the chaos of a crazy world. Protect your heart and mind as if your life and sanity depend on it. Any of the following can change your outlook and resilience.
Add a 10-minute guided meditation before going on to the day’s business and before going to bed. There are apps like CALM that can help.
Don’t check your email or work with a screen for the first hour and the last two to three hours of your day. Make the first and last things you do meaningful and peaceful.
Limit your message consumption to the same amount of time per day and balance the intake with human connection or life-affirming activity. If you hear or watch the news for an hour, talk to a trusted friend, read an inspirational book, or take a walk in the woods for at least an hour.
Do something every day: a nice meal, a homemade card, a flower arrangement, music, a journal entry, a sketch of a tree, etc.
Keep a gratitude journal listing three specific moments of the day for which you felt uplifting gratitude. In more detail, describe a positive experience that changed your day for the better. This daily habit becomes a treasure trove of certainty.
Give every day in a way that is intentional and invisible. Nothing feels better.
May we all remember that this too will pass. The good and the bad. The painful and sublime. Living mindfully means that we can experience both challenge and happiness as equal opportunities for growth and transformation. May 2021 will be the best year of your life, and may you make a commitment to do it. FBN
From Kären van der Veer, NMD
Dr. Kären van der Veer has more than 20 years of experience as a doctor, acupuncturist and educator. Her career was determined by her passion and dedication to others. She currently teaches at Northern Arizona University and sees patients at the Aspen Integrative Medical Center in Flagstaff, 323 N Leroux, Suite B. For more information, call 928-213-5828.
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