MORE THAN “ME TIME”

Everyday wellness habits that engage your entire being.

As I transition back into populated environments, my daily schedule has acquired a fast-paced, multi-tasking quality. While a busy calendar feels satisfyingly reminiscent of my previously active lifestyle, it also poses new questions: How much am I ready to take on? Do I want to preserve aspects of my lock-down routine? Am I the same person that I was before the pandemic? These and similar concerns resonate with many of us as we work to create our “new normal,” and considering the massive changes we’ve endured, it’s only natural to experience stress and anxiety along the way. I spoke with meditation teacher Sarah McLean, therapist Alia Aizenstat, and fitness trainer Sam Brodkey about mind and body wellness. Because if there’s one thing this past year has taught us, it’s that emotional and physical health are interconnected. Here are several ways to take a holistic self-care practice back into the reopening world.

CULTIVATING MIND AND BODY WELLNESS THROUGH FITNESS, MEDITATION, AND STRESS MANAGEMENT

FIND COMMUNITY

For fitness trainer Sam Brodkey, the best thing about Santa Barbara Athletic Club is its community. “It’s rare to see a club where people get along the way they do here, people treat it as more than just a place to work out,” he shares. For those who are new to the club, the best place to build community is in a workout class or with a trainer. The club offers over 100 weekly group classes, from highintensity strength training to restorative yoga. Training programs include nutrition and health planning, stress management, and injury prevention tips. Brodkey explains that SB Athletic Club professional trainers can customize your fitness routine to best suit your needs, while workout classes give way to a camaraderie that transforms exercise into a fun and playful activity. At a refuge that offers an open-air spin studio, Santa Barbara’s only squash courts, a heated lap pool, saunas, and steam rooms, breaking a sweat is only part of the experience. This comprehensive approach to fitness inspires a round of familiar faces throughout the club.

TAKE IT SLOW

On your first trip back to the gym you’ll notice extra stiffness on the way in and extra soreness on the way out. “It’s important to safely get back into old activities,” Brodkey explains. He emphasizes that instead of trying to pick up where you left off, it’s better to meet yourself at your current level of fitness and set new goals.

MEDITATE

Think of the mind like a muscle, then think of meditation like exercise for that muscle. According to Sarah McLean, meditation teacher and founder of McLean Meditation Institute, meditating daily can make a long-term, positive difference in how we think and express ourselves. To elaborate on this, McLean breaks down the science behind meditation. “During meditation blood pressure goes down, respiration starts to normalize, and your perception of the world changes so you can see everything is happening for you rather than to you,” she informs. By doing this every day, we create resilience in our nervous systems. “Stress accumulates unnoticed, and what meditation does on a regular basis is keep the stress at bay so that emotional issues don’t arrive as quickly,” she says.

For those who are new to meditation, McLean emphasizes several motivating points: “It’s okay to have thoughts,'' McLean says. “It’s the nature of the mind to think.” She explains that meditation isn’t about forcing the mind into silence, it’s about redirecting your thoughts and attention to the present moment. McLean recommends finding an object of focus for your attention–the breath, sounds in your environment, or even something sightbased. That’s right, you don’t have to close your eyes to meditate. “Some people like to stare at a candle flame or the night sky, or even imagine a light in the mind’s eye,” she says. McLean also reminds beginners that every meditation session will feel a little different and it’s important not to expect a specific experience. “You can start with any kind of focus, you do not need an app, you can use the timer on your phone, just keep it on do not disturb. Even though it might be romantic to do it–you know, on the beach or on the mountain top–do it in your bedroom. Sit upright, close the door, set up five minutes for yourself, and give it a shot.”

“When you put your body and face in a place that shows power and happiness,

your mood will follow. It’s actually remarkable; it will change your physiology.”

CULTIVATE YOUR EMOTIONAL WELLNESS TOOLKIT

When I spoke with local marriage and family therapist Alia Aizenstat about stress and anxiety management, the first thing she emphasized was that these feelings are a part of being human and that everyone’s wellness toolkit will look different. A wellness toolkit is essentially a collection of exercises or strategies one can employ during moments of high stress and or anxiety. The following techniques will help you feel grounded when it’s difficult to think clearly.

5-4-3-2-1 Technique

The 5-4-3-2-1 technique helps us tap into our senses. During a moment of high anxiety, begin by identifying 5 things you can see, followed by 4 things you can feel/touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste. Aizenstat explains that this form of grounding helps us to come back into the body when our thoughts overwhelm us.

Disrupt the pattern

High stress can promote cyclical patterns of thought and feeling. “We often get lost in this thought pattern where we think, ‘I just need to push through a little bit more,’ but rather than feeling better we get increasingly dysregulated because we’re not meeting our basic needs,” says Aizenstat. “When we catch ourselves in this state of thinking, it’s time to change the pattern.” Disrupting the pattern can be as simple as walking into another room to get a glass of water. It could equally mean going on a jog, attending a yoga class, or listening to an audiobook.

Posture up and smile

Aizenstat often encourages patients to “posture up and smile.” She explains, “When you put your body and face in a place that shows power and happiness, your mood will follow. It’s actually remarkable; it will change your physiology.” Even if you don’t feel empowered, carrying yourself in such a way will put you on the right track. The next time you feel stressed or anxious before a presentation or interview, try striking a power stance.

The best thing about embracing mind and body wellness is it equips you with a skill set that’s applicable for the rest of your life. Whether we’re experiencing a pandemic or not, life is inherently difficult at times, and by taking both your emotional and physical needs into account, you can better navigate even the most challenging encounters. Establishing a personalized fitness routine, developing a meditation practice, and constructing a wellness toolkit, are key ways to nurture your mind and body, but to really feel the benefits of these methods, it’s important to engage in them regularly. This means scheduling time for wellness, even if it’s only five minutes.

Two underlying notions unite the advice gathered from Brodkey, McLean, and Aizenstat. The first is that we can all benefit from support, and the second is to move through life with selfcompassion. Utilizing therapeutic and athletic resources to become the best version of yourself is on par with scheduling a doctor’s appointment. If we can simply allow ourselves to have needs and to be ourselves in a way that is free of judgment, that’s when true transformation occurs. *