Sometimes it can be hard to stay grounded when everything around you seems to be uncontrollable. The covid-19 pandemic, for example? Who would have thought that our entire world would be turned upside down in a matter of one week?

It’s so easy to feel anxious and disconnected all while trying to keep it together for ourselves and our loved ones. But, you know what, it’s okay to feel this way. It’s okay to not know how to tackle this. It’s okay to only map everything out day by day or moment by moment. Because the truth of the matter is, we’re all in the same boat and none of us have this figured out.

So how can you help yourself feel grounded in these unsettling times? Here are 5 ways in which the Urban Wellness Clinic team is taking control of their anxiety.

Meditation

I know you’ve heard how helpful meditation is. And I know that the idea of sitting in silence for five minutes seems impossible without having a rush of various thoughts and tasks crashing into your head and pulling you into a more anxiety-ridden state.

Although meditation may sound somewhat boring or ‘not your thing’, there is something to be said about the benefits that it provides us. A motivating factor, especially for myself, is the recent outflow of scientific evidence that has shown how meditation can help alter parts of our brain that deal with emotions. By calming the mind and decreasing stress levels, there is a significant decrease in the perceived level of stress and corresponding anxiety.

Meditation also does not mean you have to be sitting cross-legged in a minimalist room with incense lit. Yes, that sounds fantastic, but also not realistic for those of us who live in bustling cities and have minimal space in our apartments.

Meditation can look like anything and it should be done in your comfort zone. Find a place that makes you feel relaxed, such as on your couch with a cup of tea or that one sun-drenched corner in your living room. The next step can be just as simple, too. You can find a number of apps for your phone that provides you with a pre-recorded guided meditation session. You can even find one that limits them down to 5 minutes. Essentially, guided meditation helps you stay the course so even if your mind starts to wander, the teacher helps you bring your awareness back to your body and your breath. You can find guided sessions on platforms such as YouTtube or Spotify or download apps such as Insight Timer and Headspace.

There are so many ways to meditate, so find what is right for you, your time and, most importantly, what actually helps calm your nervous system down.

Breathing exercises

Meditation is all about bringing awareness to the now and sometimes the best and easiest way to do that is to tap into where your breath is at any given moment in time. Whether you’re sitting at your home office, on a walk or working out.

If you are a member of the UWC family, then you know how we help incorporate breathing techniques into your daily routine. The emphasis is always on the right way to breathe so that you are not only calming your nervous system down, but you are also decreasing the tension carried into your neck and shoulders and also strengthening your core.

We practice Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) which is a series of exercises that are based off of movements we learn as infants. We lose our ability to maintain these movements due to the influence of bad posture and a mostly stagnant lifestyle as we grow up.

A great way to tap back into these movements is to work on the same stabilizing patterns and proper breathing techniques we were practicing as babies.

If you are looking to learn how we train using DNS, you can prescribe to our Exercise Library. This is a series of videos with all of the exercises we know and love at Urban Wellness Clinic. You will not only have access to videos on how to perform and master the DNS exercises, but also core exercises, stretching, mobility and exercises that fall under our Essential 7 Movements. These essential 7 include patterns like hinge, squat, carry, push, pull, anti-rotate and lunge.

At-home workouts

If you are missing your gym and the equipment you use to support your mobility routine, it can be hard to wrap your head around a simple bodyweight exercise in the confines of your home. It can feel frustrating and, let’s face it, a little boring. But there are so many ways to get creative.

Not sure how to get creative with the items you have on hand at home? Reach out to your favorite trainers online or set up a session with us at Urban Wellness Clinic remotely. You can keep yourself accountable and still break a sweat with Matt Semrick through his social media workouts or schedule a complimentary one-on-one session with your provider to review safe and effective exercises you can do at home.

The good news is that we are all indoors and we have all found fun and creative ways to not only continue our movement practice but also innovative ways to help you along the way!

More protein, less sugar

Mindfulness around your food intake right now is important to help keep anxiety at bay. The more junk food, refined sugars and caffeine consumed, the more stressed your body will feel. When we are stressed in our mind our body shifts into a fight or flight state. You may not be fleeing from anything physically, but your mind and body feel as if they are about to run away from a predator. That predator, in our modern-day, is our anxiety.

This stressful state then increases our stress hormones which love to feed off of unhealthy ingredients and chemicals. A great way to cut down on the anxiety and the inflammation built up in our bodies is by cutting down the source that feeds it: sugar.

Start your day with protein, think of savory choices such as eggs and meat rather than sweet oatmeal and pancakes. Starting your day off this way will help curb cravings for even more sugar later. And, of course, water water water!

Uptick (or start) incorporating more greens and challenge yourself to add them into each meal. Even just adding 1 cup of spinach to your meals can help your body obtain more iron, B vitamins, provide you with omega-3’s and aid in digestion.

Great gut health starts with healthy eating habits and has a positive effect on your body overall. There is a reason it is called your ‘gut brain’ and it has been shown, clinically, that by changing your eating habits you can decrease depression, anxiety, reduce brain fog and reduce the chances of autoimmune disorders down the road.

Sleep

How many times have we all thought about what it would be like to have some time off to catch up on sleep? Now is a great time to start a new routine that allows you to build in an ideal 7-8 hours a night.

Times are no doubt stressful and we all are dealing with new normals that can leave a lot to deal with on our plates, but the longer we stress and the longer we stay up at night pondering the “if’s and’s or but’s”, the more we are suppressing our immune system.

Sleep is powerful and needed for our bodies to properly reset. Did you know that in Eastern Medicine, they have found that our organs reset themselves in varying hours of the night? If we aren’t getting proper sleep, then our bodies are not being given the opportunity to prepare for another day.

There are so many benefits to getting proper sleep:

• Increased immunity
• Improved memory
• Lower blood pressure
• Decreased risk of injury
• Reduced stress response

Our day to day responsibilities will always be there and to varying degrees, but by losing out on precious time to give our mind and body rest we are not honoring our physical bodies and will not be able to tackle our problems head-on. So let go of what is, allow yourself time to rest and face a new day with a refreshed mindset.

Your stress and anxiety may be changing day-to-day, and that is only fair. The way you deal with it may change from day to day as well. That is also fair. Use these simple tools to help give yourself what it is you need at that moment. Whatever you choose, allow it to provide you with the space to feel calm and know that we are all in this together.

Our team is here to help you come up with ways to get through this time (or any other chapter in your life for that matter). Reach out to us via phone at 212-355-0445 or email us with your questions and concerns at hello@urbanwellnessclinic. Together we can come out of this stronger than ever.

Yours In Health,

Dr. Monisha Mallik, D.C.