SEVEN PRACTICAL TIPS FOR MAINTAINING YOUR WELLBEING EVEN IN TRYING TIMES

The current period is a stress test for our bodies, minds and emotions. Under the pressure of events, now more than ever before, we are experiencing how our subconscious mechanisms – even those that we would rather not have – are being put into motion. Fears and concerns weigh on a number of people at least sometimes:

What will happen next…?
How long will this last…?
Will our company survive …?
Will I get my next salary…?
Will our children fall behind in their education…?

A Buddhist joke says that if you want to find out where you are in your spiritual development, pay a visit to your parents. There you will see how much inner peace and detachment you truly have.

The current period of the coronavirus epidemic is draining us and asking us: Well, how are managing? Are you still okay?

Coal crystallises into a diamond under tremendous pressure…so let’s use this time to polish our inner diamonds. Below, I provide several tips that will help you keep your body, mind and emotions in good condition. I regularly use these tools and even more frequently and more consciously these days.

1/ BODY care

Take care of your body with love, attention and wisdom. More than ever, you may realise that having and using your body in a state of good health is rare and not a matter of course. Give it enough sleep and movement. Take care of it with high-quality food. The state of your body affects your emotions.

“A healthy soul in a healthy body.”
In our country, this saying has been imprinted on people’s consciousness thanks to the founder of the Sokol physical-fitness organisation, Miroslav Tyrš. I heard it many times from my grandmother, a Sokol member in body and soul. She took part in Sokol in her youth and after the organisation was restored, she exercised at many Sokol sessions during her retirement.

“Motion creates emotion.”
One of my favourite teachers, Tony Robbins, says: “Motion creates emotion.” And: “Change your physiology -> change your state!” This means that when we change the state of our bodies for the better, we also change our thought patterns and emotions. I have subconsciously been using this in my personal life and at courses for many years. Those of you who have been there know how much dancing, jumping and breathing happens at our courses! Because movement and breathing reliably stimulate our energy and thus our emotions. Negative emotions flow away and positive emotions flow in.

If you don’t believe me, stop now and read for a moment and after a period of two minutes, jump up with your arms held aloft. In order for you to improve your jumping, put on this or some other favourite music.

If you jump with all you’ve got for a few minutes, with your hands above your head, you will let go of your dejection and depression. Thanks to this movement, your tears, crying and anger will perhaps be set in motion…followed by relief and a feeling of lightness and joy. This is an important cleansing of the body. We need to regularly purge embedded emotions from our bodies. With movement, you will wash away everything that burdens you. For some, that may be running…jumping on a trampoline…use whatever works to get your blood flowing.

2/ DIET influences our physical and mental condition

Of no less importance, our diet also affects how we feel. Every kind of food supports certain emotions. Be sure to eat a balanced diet that is beneficial to your body. If possible, purchase high-quality ingredients, prepare them with love and give yourself time to enjoy them. Preferably in in the company of those you love if you can. Shared meals bring people closer together.

Share meals with loved ones:

Sharing a meal brings us closer together – I’ll explain. In most Asian countries, it is customary that when you have a meal with friends or family, no one gets his or her own portion on a plate. Instead, various dishes are placed in the middle of the table and everyone gets an empty plate and chooses their food from the shared centre. When you go to a restaurant, everyone orders something, but they share it with each other. I have tried it many times and believe me that it promotes a sense of togetherness and belonging much more than “I have my plate and no one is going to eat anything from it”!

3/ FOOD for the soul

Read, study and educate yourself in fields that interest you. Learn new things from books, articles, videos and courses. Personal growth is one of our basic human needs – understandably under the condition that the body’s needs are satisfied.

4/ TOUCH

Embrace, touch, caress and massage each other … with your partner, children… and if you don’t have anyone with you, then touch your own body. Caress and massage yourself with love and attention. That is nourishment for your body and soul.

5/ SHARING and communication

Give yourself time to be with your loved ones, when you can share your feelings, concerns and hopes more in depth. And when you can take the time to really listen to each other. In order for your conversations to be deeper and bring you true togetherness, I recommend that you find inspiration in the rules of the communication ritual.

6/ GRATITUDE

Gratitude enables us to be aware of the abundance of life even in times of (seeming) scarcity. Whatever the conditions in which you are living, with a little effort you will find hundreds of things for which you can be grateful.

If nothing else, you wake up every morning. Sunrises and sunsets. For having something to eat and drink. For the fact that you have running water and electricity at home, and you even have the internet! Otherwise you wouldn’t be able to read this article (and millions of people around the world don’t have water or electricity).

And for the fact that, thanks to the internet, you have access to an endless flow of information and inspiration.

Nearly all of you can be mega-grateful for having people whom you love in your life. And what’s more, most of you can spend this time in their physical presence.

I swear by the “practice of gratitude”, when you write down what you are grateful for in your life. You can approach it in a general manner… You can focus on gratitude for your partner, children, other people… You can give thanks to your body… You can give thanks for the conveniences of the modern age…

Where our attention goes, our energy goes. And that’s especially true if your attention turns to what you don’t have now (freedom to travel, face mask and disinfectants, the possibility to visit your grandmother, the chance to sit in a café with friends, the chance to sit in a café at all…). Force your restless mind to focus on what YOU HAVE. Sit down, take a pencil and a sheet of paper, and write. You will see that a new idea comes with every item you write down.

Do this regularly, morning and evening. Or even more often. And tell others why you are grateful for them <3.

7/ BE USEFUL

It is equally important to look at ways you can be useful. To your family, friends, co-workers and clients, to society in general.

I was touched by an article about a Vietnamese woman living in the Czech Republic, who in the village of XY brought CZK 30,000 to a government office as a contribution to the fight against the coronavirus. People who think of others more than themselves are naturally happier. Every good deed that you do for others will be reflected on your psyche. You are inevitably part of the good that you send out into the world.

Are you lacking love? -> Love others.
Do you long for attention? -> Start taking an interest in others.
Are you afraid? Do you feel that you are lacking something? -> Have a look at how you can do something useful for the people around you – either in person or from afar.

The desire to contribute to the good of society is also a human need. It is the apex of the notional pyramid. And most of the greats whom we remember today imprinted themselves on our hearts and minds because they did something meaningful for the world, and creating for others was the most important thing for them. Thanks to that, they lived meaningful lives and had a lot of energy. The did not wilt under the influence of discomfort. The were not the sum of their fears. Because their mission was bigger than themselves.

(Examples: Nelson Mandela, Viktor Frankl, Mahatma Gandhi)

You can find a lot of practical information and tips on how to support love and intimacy in your relationship in my  Secret of a Happy Relationship online course. Support for relationships is now more important than ever before. Therefore, during this time of many questions and challenges, we are offering this programme with a more than 50% discount, for CZK 2,222 + VAT.

Among other things, we chose this amount because 2222 is the number of hope. It tells us to have faith and helps us to overcome difficult trials. Thanks to perseverance, it helps us to find harmony and peace.

© Mgr. Denisa Říha Palečková, 2020

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