Master Grazia’s life skills
Best-selling authors Nadia and Katia Narain – aka the ‘self-care sisters’ – are health and wellbeing experts
Your brain is constantly looking for safety and certainty. It is collecting data from your situation and from past experiences to try to predict outcomes to keep you safe. So when there is uncertainty, it causes us huge amounts of stress. Be gentle with yourself – if you haven’t slept well, for instance, don’t try to do too much that day. But the interesting thing is that we never really know what is ahead of us. We like to think we have control of our lives, but we really don’t.
Life can change in an instant. You could fall in love in a moment, someone you love could be diagnosed with a serious illness or, like now, we could all end up in a global lockdown.
The key is to stay as present as possible. For most of us, things are OK right now: we have food, shelter, water, friends. When you can be present and still, you may find you are more able to ride whatever wave comes at you, rather than fighting it.
But if you feel really unsettled and out of control, try controlling the small things. Give yourself small tasks that you know you can accomplish, like waking up at the same time every day. We also suggest a daily promise jar, where you write down small vows. Some are fun, like cake-baking; some are little chores that need to be done. At 3pm every day, pull a promise from the jar and do it immediately – it will give you some direction for the day.
If you feel particularly overwhelmed, a breathing technique can help you cope and focus on the present. Put one hand on your belly, the other on your heart and concentrate on the rhythm of your belly and heart as you breathe.
We are all missing some of the things that were normal in the past, like travelling, going to work, being in groups with friends. But there have also been some interesting resets and discoveries. Think about whether there is anything good that you can take into your life as we move forward. You may be afraid that life doesn’t return to normal, but what if it is better than what you had?
‘Self-care For Self-isolation’ (£6.99, Orion Spring) is out now