To Renew and Recover: How Big is Your Boat?

For those coping with the direct effects of COVID-19, finding ways to renew and recover has been challenging. Even as the vaccine begins to be administered, it does not ease the immediate stress of  those still working to manage COVID-19 and its effects. There is still much to get through before life can truly be better.

Quotes to Motivate

Winston Churchill is noted for a quote about keeping going when going through a difficult time. There’s also the quote about keeping calm and carrying on. In our current state of affairs, it is safe to say that we are going through a difficult time. Also, there are plenty of people, especially those in health care and long-term care, who have kept calm and carried on.

What do you do when there seems to be no end in sight? Or, if the end is coming, which is sounds ominous, how do you keep going? Quotes are helpful. People use mantras to help refocus in times of stress. With everything that has happened and with so much unknown, I think, with apologies to Roy Scheider’s character in JAWS, we are gonna need a bigger boat.

How To Renew and Recover

Some of these best ways to renew and recover involve laughter. Watching a comedy video  can help provide laughs. Watching a funny movie can help lift spirits. Also, being with people who make you laugh is good medicine for the soul.

There are also videos online that provide support for caregivers. Sometimes being with people who can relate to what you are going through provide the best support. There are several online videos for caregivers that offer education and understanding.

Other ways to renew and recover include exercise and eating healthy. A simple walk around the neighborhood can help clear your mind. Music is also a great way to relieve stress and find relief. Focused breathing can also reduce stress.

Whatever way works for you, keep doing that. Breathe. Eat. Move. Be easy on yourself and know you can do this. You are doing your best.

Kathy Dreyer, Ph.D., is an Advisor at AGE-u-cate® Training Institute, which develops and delivers innovative research-based aging and dementia training programs such as Dementia Live® and Compassionate Touch®, for professional and family caregivers; kathy.dreyer@ageucate.com