April 2020
By: Sangeeta Benbow
Adult Fitness & Wellness Program Director

 

Hello Connection Family!  It’s been 4 weeks since The Connection closed. In some ways, for me, time has gone quickly but haphazardly:  balancing working from home, exercising at home, long walks, housework, cooking home-made meals much more than I used to, managing kids and pets, finally getting to projects, and finding time to get to my Netflix saved queue. At the same time, it seems like ages, and I’m eager to get back to normal, as you surely are. We hope you are staying healthy and feeling well.

The news is scary and we still don’t know how long this will last. We are trying to follow the rules, even though it’s challenging. We love the people we live with, or maybe we live alone, but want to see our friends and get back to the gym, the library, music or sport events and social gatherings. We want to go grocery shopping without feeling scared.

At this point, most of us know people who have been affected and may even be grieving a loved one.   But while many of us have the luxury of being able to be home, our society’s essential workers are working day and night to keep us safe, get us back to health, and supplied with necessities.  Let’s thank them whenever possible.  My eternal gratitude to you if you are one of these people!

In that vein, below are specific ideas for Being Compassionate to our Community, Family & Friends, and to ourselves.  (excerpted from Kathryn Good, “Inspire Goodness”)  

I hope they speak to you!

In good health,

Sangeeta Prasad Benbow

Feel free to email me at sangeeta.benbow@theconnectiononline.org for exercise and mind-body questions! I look forward to seeing you all soon.

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https://inspirekindness.com/blog/practicing-kindness-during-the-coronavirus  

 

5 Ways to Be Kind to Your Community

Be a good neighbor. Check-in with your neighbors to make sure they have what they need and to let them know they have people that care. Be especially aware of elderly neighbors and people that live alone. You know all that technology we have – let’s use it like never before to truly connect.

Support local businesses. Order takeout or buy gift cards for later use. Send a Facebook message to remind them that very soon, we will all be back out and about again to visit their business. Keep your memberships going. Continue to give to your church and area nonprofits and give more if you can.

Remember the caretakers. Find a way to say thank you to health professionals and first responders. Post words of encouragement on their social media

channels. If you have to go to the doctor’s office or hospital, practice grace and understanding if they are short on time, resources, or answers.

Be generous. Don’t take more than you need when it comes to groceries and supplies. Or if you do buy extra, drop them off at police stations, fire stations, and emergency rooms. If you order take-out, leave a bigger tip than usual.

Help people. From hungry kids that are missing school lunch to people in demand-shifted jobs like restaurant workers and custodians, there will be people all over our communities that will be struggling. If you know them, think of what help could look like and reach out. If no one comes to mind, give to your local United Way or food bank; the needs these organizations will be addressing will be fierce.

 

5 Ways to Be Kind to Your Friends and Family

 

Be goofy. Listen to music – loud. Sing along – in funny voices. Have a dance party – in costumes. Laugh and then laugh some more. Then e-connect with some best friends and get them to join in virtually.

Eat and drink well. Open the old cookbooks that just sit on your shelf. Cook a creative meal with the entire family. Open that bottle of wine you have been saving.

Have family time. Play the board games that your kids always want to play, but you never really play. Have a basketball goal? Play a family game of HORSE. Actually use the fire pit you put in years ago.

Reconnect. Write emails to childhood or college friends that you haven’t heard from in a long time. Detail what has been happening in your life and ask questions about what is going on with them. Tag them in an old photo.

Pick up the phone. Call grandma, your favorite aunt, your best friend. Use Zoom, Facetime or Google Duo or Uber Conference (all easy to use) to see the face of someone you love or at least just call them to hear their voice. We are going to need to do better than merely texting right now.

 

5 Ways to Be Kind to Yourself

 

Organize. View this extra time at home as an opportunity to finally declutter. Clean out the closets and reorganize the drawers. How about all the photos trapped on your devices? Get them on a computer and sorted into folders. Use this time to clear your house and mind – and smile, laugh, and cry at the memories that come up as you go through your home.

Get outside. Take a hike, go fishing, breathe in the fresh air, enjoy our world. The grandness of our world, combined with its attention to detail, has a way of making everything else seem like it will all be ok.

Stay calm. Meditate and take deep breaths, anything to practice some mindfulness, and reduce anxiety. Take this time to rest and restore your mind, body, and soul. Oh yeah, Netflix and chill, and don’t feel guilty about it.

Read. Go through your bookshelf and open up a book that you keep meaning to start but haven’t gotten around to it. Gather a pile of books that you need to pass on to others because if you are honest with yourself, you’ll never actually read them.

Feel your emotions. If the trip you have been saving for is canceled, it’s ok to be disappointed. If social distancing gets you down, it’s ok to be lonely. Feel the sadness. Cry and yell for a minute. Then intentionally find joy and be grateful for all that you have. Have faith that we will get through this. And then pass it on, because faith and joy are just as contagious as fear and panic.

 

Stay well, and be kind, friends. We need it now more than ever.