So far this year has been craziness to say the least. In a blink of an eye our lives have shifted in multiple ways with what seems to be chaos around every corner. Everything feels explosive. From what we are seeing on the news to the violences, surges…etc. While we are constantly trying to adjust to our new norms it can be quite easy to lose ourselves, our good habits, our focus, and our determination to achieve important goals.

The most important thing to realize here is that if you are experiencing any form of a “set back”, take a moment for yourself to notice that what we are going through is heavy and real. It is OK to not feel 100% right now. Dealing with a loss of motivation and frustration to stay on top of things is completely normal for what we are all experiencing. If there is any time to not be hard on yourself, it is now. Give yourself a pat on the back for making it this far into the year. It has been anything but easy.

Although this energy seems solely chaotic, this same energy can be used to channel ourselves back to order. Try not to spend time over thinking or stressing. Let’s take a moment to check in ourselves with a few simple steps we can take to recenter and reset our focus during these turbulent times.

1. Assess your distractions - During stressful times it is very common to reach for a quick fix or a distraction in order to take our minds off of things. Distractions can be alcohol, social media, TV, shopping, eating junk food, etc. The list goes on. I’m sure you were able to think of at least 2 things you are guilty of over doing while coping with stress. While it is healthy to live life and enjoy the simple things, we should make sure that these distractions are not taking over and controlling our futures. Take a moment to take inventory of your distractions. Become aware that we may be reaching for these quick fixes a little more these days in order to cope with the stress that we are feeling. Once we have this awareness we can begin lessoning our dependency on them. What are you top 3 distractions? Have you been over using them? What are these distractions doing for you? What are 3 healthy boundaries you can set for each of these?

2. Journal your emotions - With so much going on it, it is easy to get overwhelmed by the chaos. Journaling is a great way to make sense of your emotions and get everything that is in your head out, and on to a piece of paper. If you find yourself feeling anxious, grab a pen and begin writing down the way that you feel. Allow your words to flow with zero judgement. Write down any and everything that has been consuming your thoughts. Finish you journal entries with small action steps you can take to

3. Eat clean - Food can have a large impact on our emotions and the way our bodies are functioning under stress. "Certain foods can contribute to our anxiety and stress by not providing our bodies with essential nutrients and straining our body's physiological systems, as well as increasing inflammation and the production of stress hormones," says Keri Glassman, M.S., R.D., C.N.D. Stay away from refined carbs or sugar, as they cause spikes in your blood sugar levels to spike. Not only does this lead to an almost immediate crash, leaving you tired and run down but, the body will also begin to produce cortisol in order to deal with the stress of these up and down fluctuations (this is not good!). When we consume nutrient dense plant foods we give our bodies the proper nutrients to properly function and cope with stress.

4. Make time for yourself - The most essential thing we can do during this time in order to properly show up for ourselves and others is to practice self care. Make sure you are taking time for yourself to relax and reboot your batteries. Take part in activities that ground you, center you, and bring you to your peaceful place. Take a bubble bath, go to the beach, meditate, take a morning walk….do things that will charge you up. Make this time a priority. Self care is a great way to alleviate stress in order to keep not only our minds but our bodies healthy as well. Our immune systems are weakened under stress so it is important that we are keeping our stress levels low.

And remember these are simply suggestions if you are wanting to realign yourself during these stressful times. It is very easy to get swept away by stress and it is always beneficial to check in on ourselves as well as begin to make small steps back towards what really matters.

If you are interested in following a guided reset, sign up for the Living Fierce Club to gain access to any of our programs. Each program varies by length and equipped with guided videos, activity trackers, team building options, and more!