In this post/episode I am sharing 5 tips to stay calm during chaos. With the coronavirus outbreak, it is more important than ever that we find these ways to keep ourselves calm.
You can listen to the episode below or keep scrolling to read the blog post instead.
I said in an email newsletter a couple of weeks ago that I didn’t want to send my newsletter that week. I felt so useless and just like what is me sending this email about cross stitch really going to do to help such a huge pandemic.
Then I had my busiest week ever with kit sales. Like over a month’s worth of orders in one week. And I realised how many people were turning to cross stitch. And I realised we need our hobbies now more than ever. They are what’s getting us through this.
And I will admit, I was in a bit of a slump myself. My anxiety was the highest it’s been in years, I couldn’t sleep properly, which is not like me at all. My sister suffers from insomnia and I could never understand how she just couldn’t sleep. Well, I get it now. However, now I’m back to good mental health I am catching up on that sleep a little too much.
Anyway, I quickly realised I couldn’t go on like that and I’m sure some of you are feeling this too. But, we can get ourselves into these states even when there is no pandemic happening in the world. Just life can do this to us.
I also realised that all my normal routine had gone out of the window. Some of that was because I was crazy busy with orders, but it was also just because our normal routine had completely changed. We are all home and I am so used to having a few hours to myself and you guys know I am an introvert, so this was all throwing me off.
But this didn’t mean my rhythms had to change. Allie Casazza talks about rhythms a lot. I love her haha! Rhythms are made for this exact thing happening. We can still do them even if our normal routine is up in the air. If you want more talk about rhythms then go check out her podcast and courses.
So I got back to 5 daily rhythms I did before all this hit and it made me feel so much better. There are actually a lot more than 5 things we can do and before I dive in I just quickly want to talk about a new stitch-a-long I am starting next week, on the 5th of April. This is going to be a SAL all about peace, calm and happiness. I haven’t thought of a catchy name for this one. But all through the month of April, we are going to be stitching to keep us peaceful, calm and happy. There is currently 50% off the SAL which you can join over on this page.
OK, let’s dive into 5 ways to keep us calm during the chaos. I am trying to make these easy things we can all do at home no matter our circumstances right now.
5 Ways to Stay Calm During Chaos
1. Breathe
My first thing you can do is breathe. Sounds so simple right? Well, that’s because it is, but how often are we actually stopping and taking a deep breath? Let’s do this together now. Stop what you are doing and take a long deep breath with me.
And another.
And one more time.
Did anyone else just automatically close their eyes when they did that? But do you feel a little better? I hope so.
2. Make a gratitude list
My next thing you can do to stay calm is make a gratitude list. This was one of the first things to go for me when our routine went out the window, but it’s sooo good for you. During all that anxiety I was feeling I could have written down so much to be grateful for. In fact, here are some examples.
- I’m grateful that I’m still getting orders when so many businesses are struggling.
- I’m grateful for my wonderful community for supporting myself and each other.
- I’m grateful that my husband had an injury so he was off work when all this happened so I had extra help. (Obviously I feel sorry for him, I’m not a totally bad wife 🤣).
- I’m grateful that my kids are home and we get to homeschool them; something I seriously considered when George was starting school. (FYI, I was right to send him to school, he need to be surrounded by people).
- I’m grateful that my family is safe when so many others aren’t.
That’s 5 thoughts that could have made me feel better last week.
And let me just say!!
This isn’t about making yourself feel bad for having feelings of stress when people might have it worse than you. You’re feelings are valid. But it’s about getting yourself in a better mindset so you don’t let the negative feelings take over.
3. Do 10 star jumps/jumping jacks
My next tip is to do 10 star jumps or jumping jacks if that’s what you call them. And if you can, go outside and do them.
Sometimes when all our anxiety and stress are building up, we need a physical release and this also boosts are endorphins. And in the words of Elle Woods “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands, they just don’t .” Does anyone else love the film Legally Blonde?
4. Read or watch T.V.
Next is to read. Or watch your favourite TV show if you don’t like to read. Not the news though!
Basically, I just want you to get lost for an hour or so and engross yourself in someone else’s world for a little bit. This isn’t a long-term good idea, but sometimes it all just gets too much and this is exactly what we need.
For me, I always read before bed anyway as a way to wind down. But I stopped doing that once this craziness all happened. No wonder I wasn’t sleeping! I love reading before bed… unless the book is so good that I end up staying up too late.
5. Cross stitch (obviously)
And last, can you guess? Cross stitch, of course. Like I said at the start of this episode, we need cross stitch more than ever right now.
If you are in isolation, having a project to work on can give you that sense of having something to sort of show up for. If you’re working at home, cross stitch can give you that nice break during the day. Especailly if you’re on a computer all day, it gives your eyes a nice break from screens. And if you’re a mum who suddenly finds herself trying to homeschool and keep the house, and everything else that comes with being a mum then this gives you something for yourself, just for you.
And again, cross stitch can take our mind off what’s going on in the world and help relax us. It can help us sleep better if we do this before bed so if you don’t want to read stitch instead.
I love cross stitch. It’s jsut the best, isn’t it?
So if you do these 5 things every day I know you will feel calmer and less anxious and less stressed and mjust happier.
And like I said, this isn’t just to help with the current coronavirus pandemic, this can help with any hard thing you have in your life right now. Although it seems like the world has stopped, I know for some of you it hasn’t. You still have probelms that may have just got a whole lot worse because of what’s going on, but they will still be there when all of this is over. I hope these tips help you through those times.
If you liked this post, you will love the new stitch-a-long that’s launching next week so be sure to check it out here.
And I hope you are all staying safe. If you’re feeling lonely come join my Facebook group. We did a bit of live stitching together yesterday which was fun so come and join in.
Stay safe, and keep stitching.
