How to Care for Your Body and Mind While Social Distancing

Spending more time in our homes doesn’t mean we should lie around for extended periods of time and abandon our regular health and fitness goals. If anything, the COVID-19 outbreak means we should do more to nourish our minds and bodies—as good self-care could help to keep us stronger and healthier during the global crisis we’re facing. For some tips on caring for your mind and body during this difficult time, check out the resources below. 

Manage Anxiety, Stress, and Negative Emotions

The pandemic is no time to put your mental health on the back burner. Finding ways to cope with stress is crucial during this difficult time. 

Book a Virtual Session with Dr. Blake Pearson to Discuss Functional and Cannabinoid Therapies for Mental Health and Sleep Disorders

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Clearing Bad Energy from Your Home

Get Physically Fit at Home or Outside

There are many creative ways to incorporate at-home fitness into your routine, regardless of the space requirements you may be working with. If you venture outside, make sure you take safety precautions, and if you’re able to go to your gym or studio, try to attend smaller classes if possible. 

From Yoga to CrossFit, Here Are the 10 Best Online Home Workouts

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What Outdoor Activities Are Safe to Do During the Coronavirus Outbreak?

Relax and Unwind with Yoga and Meditation

Strength and flexibility benefits aside, Yoga and Meditation can be powerful stress reduction tools. These helpful links can guide you through your practice, with no need to leave the home.

3 Reasons to Meditate in the Battle Against Coronavirus

5 Free Mindfulness Apps Worthy of Your Attention

7 Best Yoga Apps You Can Use Anytime and Anywhere

Free Online Yoga Classes to Try at Home

Build a Home Gym or Yoga Studio

While waiting for the pandemic to pass, find space in your home to exercise. This could be an extra bedroom or rarely used dining room, or you can build out a new workout space. 

Learn How to Create a Yoga Sanctuary at Home

5 Tricks to Working Out at Home That’ll Help You Maintain Your Motivation

These 50 Best Workout Songs will Fire You Up and Get You Moving

Even if your gym, meditation center, yoga studio, or therapist’s office is closed during the COVID-19 outbreak, you can still care for your mind and body from the comfort and safety of your home. With access to these great tips and resources, you’ll have all the information you need to nourish your mind and body, burn calories, build strength and alleviate anxiety while continuing to maintain distance from others. 

Dr. Blake Pearson is an internationally recognized expert in the field of functional and cannabinoid-based medicine with extensive experience helping individuals manage chronic pain, sleep disorders and mental health conditions. Grounded in evidence, Dr. Pearson’s patient-centred, virtual care model enables him to work with patients to address multiple symptoms at once and improve overall well-being. Visit www.pearsonhealth.ca or call 519-339-9233 to book a consultation.

Written by Stephanie Haywood at mylifeboost.com

Coping with COVID-19 related Anxiety - Remember the Five M's!

As the Primary Care Lead for the Erie St. Clair LHIN’s Mental health, Addiction and Opioid Reduction Strategy, mental health is an area that is very near and dear to me. With the outbreak of COVID-19, we have seen an increase in anxiety-related calls to my practice. Fear and anxiety about the disease can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions, so over the coming weeks I’ll be sharing some additional resources here, to help our community stay both mentally and physically healthy during this unprecedented time.

Whether you’re already struggling with anxiety, sleeplessness or loneliness due to being in self-isolation - or just want to take pro-active steps to keep anxiety at bay - we’ve compiled a few recommendations to help you stay mentally and physically strong.

If distress impacts your daily life for several days or weeks, talk to a doctor, counsellor or contact your local Canadian Mental Health Association branch.

To help our patients access the care they need during this time, I’m also providing access to virtual care services to help ease the burden on the healthcare system. Our team is standing by to help: 519-339-9233.

*Must be an Ontario Resident.

Coping with COVID-19 related Anxiety

Remember the Five M’s!

1.    Maintain human connections

·         Call your family, FaceTime a friend, start a weekly virtual meet-up with friends. E-mail pictures and videos. Laugh, smile, connect.

2.    Move your body

·         Exercise releases endorphins which reduce stress. Even a little bit of movement will help. If you can get outside for some vitamin D, even better – but be sure to keep a minimum 6-foot distance from anyone else!

3.    Mindfulness & self-care

·         Self-care is critically important at this time as stress can be made worse if we aren’t taking care of ourselves. Engage in activities that you enjoy or haven’t had time to do. Learn something new like meditation – there are load of great apps out there (Headspace, Calm, Stop, Breathe, Think) and meditation can control stress, decrease anxiety and improve cardiovascular health.

4.    Minimize news

·         Seek information from reliable sources only and limit checking the latest news to short, defined periods of time. Turn-off the push notifications on your phone to avoid being peppered with updates 24/7 which can induce anxiety.

5.    Maximize healthy eating

·         Nutrition is medicine: By eating a healthy, balanced diet and avoiding processed foods you can boost your immune system, improve energy and reduce anxiety.