Hi everyone –
I’m going share a confession with you. A few weeks ago I found myself feeling down. I was thinking that I was losing precious time. My husband and I are in our seventies. We’re quarantining at home for… who knows how long. I found myself dwelling on the loss of time with my children, granddaughters, friends, and more. But I quickly realized that the real reason I was losing time was because of that mindset!
Time continues to march on – no matter where we are and what we’re doing. And I would hate for us to mourn the loss of these days, because we don’t know when this pandemic period will end. Instead, try to change your mindset and expectations. Try to find joy in smaller things – weekly phone calls with family, regular sleep, an afternoon walk – anything. Celebrate small milestones, such as making it through another week!
Did you clean out your junk drawer? Do a few lunges in the middle of the day? We’re not going to celebrate major milestones with big nights out or vacations any time soon. Try rewarding yourself with a minute of deep breathing! Really! Have you tried the 4-7-8 technique? Breath in slowly while counting to four. Then, hold your breath for a count of seven. Exhale to a count of eight. Repeat a few times. It’s a mini-mental vacation!
A final note if you do feel down. I like the deadline technique. Rather than blame myself for a negative emotion, I give it a time limit. I acknowledge the feeling and then give myself a set amount of time to dwell on it. When I hit the time limit, I know I need to move on. This technique allows me to acknowledge my feelings and not put immediate pressure on myself to “fix things.” I allow myself to explore the emotion – but not dwell on it forever. Life is too short!
Wishing you a peaceful long weekend.
Love,
Soupermom
Marilyn Polon (Soupermom), Co-Founder and CAO (chief anxiety officer) has been worried about Soupergirl since the company launched in 2008. Actually, even before that. Her career has also been random and fascinating. After twenty years as a speech therapist, Soupermom changed careers and became a volunteer coordinator. She then had a wonderful stint as a docent at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. She was then dragged out of retirement by her daughter who insisted that they start a soup company. Could that be any more random?
All of the company’s recipes come from Soupermom’s kitchen. Honestly, she’s a testament to the power of healthy eating. Her hobbies include really long hikes, walking, doting on her granddaughters, and coming up with new recipes for Soupergirl. She is also a guru of all things health related but gets the words to every single song she sings incorrect. All of them. Loudly. Lastly, her laugh is contagious.