Week 4 – Helpful Tips for those Self-Isolating

First - 3 tips for each day

Day 1

We can do this!
Smile – it's good for you and for everyone else too.
Dance around the kitchen.

A Week of Short Posts for those who are ‘self-isolating’.

Day 1

Well it's the first day of week four for me and I am deeply grateful to be well and content with my hermit status. I'm reminded that, over the centuries, humankind has had many challenges and somehow humans are still inhabiting planet earth. We've had wars, plagues, invasions, persecutions, and we're still here. In Ireland, our invasions, 'plantations' penal laws, the great Irish Famine, and many uprisings for Irish freedom, are a huge part of our history and consciousness. So, we can do this! We have skills deep within, carried on from our ancestors, developed over thousands of years, and yes, we have dealt with many, many stresses in times past, and we can do this too.
'Smile and the world smiles with you', is an old saying. There is much truth in this. The smile muscle is called the zygomaticus major and is linked to the thymus gland, which is part of our immune system. So, smiling is not just good for everyone who sees it, but it's good for you too. So, smile, smile, smile, in the mirror, at the cat, the kids, the neighbour passing the window, the washing machine, the tea towel: smile!
I'm hearing tales of folk dancing round the kitchen, so why not give it a go? Next time a song from your teens comes on the radio, throw some shapes in the kitchen, go on! You'll be glad you did...I know I always am.

So, today, believe we can do this; do lots of smiling; and show off your moves to the fridge or the cooker!

Day 2

In our normal, busy lives, we may not notice how much the media affects us. In the present situation, with much less noise and distraction, it's easy to notice how listening to too many news bulletins or seeing predictions of doom on social media can bring us down. You can be happily going about your business washing up or cleaning windows, and suddenly you notice you're not singing or smiling any more. Sometimes, all that's happened is you've just, without even paying full attention to it, heard a news bulletin; or your child reads out a negative post from social media. We are in charge of ourselves, so it's up to us to screen out too much negativity.
Not all of our neighbours may be 'with it' when it comes to social media. A simple text to those who live alone or have small children and are not out and about at the moment may make a huge difference to their day. Or wave to their window from a distance as you head out for your 2km walk today. Knowing someone acknowledges their existence may be hugely important to them today.
Today may be the day you need some extra pampering. Some days can be a little more challenging. So, what's your best 'pamper'? A nice skinny flat white in the sunshine? A long shower or bath? To just actually sit and listen to your favourite piece of music or read your favourite poem?
I immediately hear 'hope is a thing with feathers' by Emily Dickenson or 'Thank you for the music' by Abba, as I write this today.

It's a day for listening to mostly positive media; for smiling at neighbours; and for giving yourself some extra pampering.

Day 3

1. I was quite impressed recently to see some of my family doing a jigsaw with a thousand pieces. Some people love doing jigsaws, or making Lego. My grandson is a whizz! Or doing a Rubik's Cube or Sudoku. Maybe you've forgotten you have jigsaws or some board games under the stairs. Today could be the day to root them out; they use brain, hand and eye coordination, and are good fun too.

2. Just as we know getting up and dressed when we've been bedbound for a few days does us good, so too we really know that dressing up to the nines to sit up at the table for dinner with our best table ware really gives us joy. It doesn't have to be a birthday or anniversary; just being here today is special. A shower, the best dress, some perfume and makeup: wow! Does it ever lift the spirits. And maybe watch a favourite happy movie afterwards.

3. In my slow cooker at this moment is some concoction of sweet potato, carrots, parsnips, coconut, ginger, a little Herbamare, and some lentils. The smells wafting towards my laptop are lovely and I'm looking forward to having it in a while. What about that lovely vegan cookery book you got recently? Or click on to Jamie Oliver or Donal Skehan: they all have lovely quick recipes online, and the young gentleman or young lady in your house might like to help too.

Day 4

I find something soothing and relaxing about lavender oil. My Mam sprinkles a few drops before going to bed; I put a few drops on my hanky every day; aromatherapists use it in a mix with other oils to give their clients a relaxing massage. A friend, who was raised in a children's home, told me the nuns used it to clean the surroundings if one of the children became ill. A favourite in my home apothecary.
Sprouted seeds are known to be much more nourishing than non-sprouted. They are fun and easy to do, and are a lovely creative endeavour for the smaller folk in your household. The bioSnacky mini germinator can be found in healthstores, and there are many varieties of seeds which can be played with too. A great way to enrich the quality of your soups, stews, or salads.
How is the moving going? I'm happily continuing to use my rebounder (mini trampoline) every day, doing about 10 minutes, three times a day, and feeling the better for it. As I'm moving against gravity, on a soft surface, there is no jarring on my knees or hips, and it is also good for that part of our immune system called the lymphatic system. Joe Wicks has some lovely gentle exercises for seniors on the BBC, and there are lots of other exercise/dance/ChiKung/Yoga/Pilates classes available on line; so, no excuses please!

Today, we are remembering that our grannies used Lavender Oil extensively and it's quite a nice thing for us to use too. We're sprouting seeds (even if virtually) with our smallies; and we're keeping moving.

My Top Tip: Grow your own bioSnacky^® sprouts at home

Sprouting your own bioSnacky^® seeds will provide you with a constant supply of fresh organic living sprouts for use every day and all year round.

BioSnacky^® can be grown in your kitchen, providing delicious and nutritious organic sprouts in a matter of days.

What you get:
1 pack of Alfalfa
1 pack of Little Radish
1 pack of Mung Beans
And a choice of: 1 Glass Germinator Jar or 1 x 3-Tier Germinator

"Easy to sprout and add a lovely crunchy touch to dishes and salads"
Bronwen Thompson

How to grow bioSnacky^®

Day 5

There are so many choices for this time of retreat that sometimes we may forget the simplest and most important of all. The Breath. It's not enough to be round doing chores and shallow breathing which is what we mostly do. We need to have a few 'breath breaks' every day when we breathe big deep breaths into the depth of our lungs, hold for a moment, and then exhale slowly. If we can do this in the fresh air or at an open window, all the better.
Another easy one to forget, but vital for our health and well-being, is water intake. Our body is mostly water and needs at least a litre every day. Every part of our body needs to be hydrated.
And we still need to keep doing those big proper hand washes and not slip back into our old ways of giving our hands a quick rinse under the tap. No, it's a nice long wash with soap, back and front of hands, between the fingers, the nails, the thumb, the wrist, a thorough washing every time, especially if we've been out on any of our essential trips. Moisturising afterwards is really important too as, if your hands are like mine, they have become very dry and chapped, and I read that moisturising is quite a healthy thing at this time also.

Today is a reminder day of the essentials we need to take care of everyday to keep ourselves healthy and well: deep breathing; drinking water; and deep and thorough hand washing.

Day 6

All our lives, most of us have been walking round on our feet. Do we ever say 'thank you, feet, for all the places you bring me every day'? Let's give a little TLC to our feet today; give ourselves a mini pedicure. Find a quiet corner if you can, get a nice basin of warm water, or relax on the side of the bath. Consciously wash the feet, every part of them, especially between the toes. If trimming is required, or the pumice stone needs to be used, let's do it today. Thoroughly dry the feet and toes, and with kindness and gentleness moisturise the whole of both feet. If it's your thing, go ahead and paint the nails in a colour that makes you smile when you see them.
My friend Marian runs a small meditation group in North County Dublin. Her group has decided they will meditate together-but-apart at the same time as they normally would, twice a week. Is this something that would work for your meditation group, or any other group: creative writing, painting, singing? Even knowing 'the others' are there is a quiet support that helps us get on with the activity.
I've heard folks say, 'I'm sick looking at these four walls'. Well, today let's really look at them. And the doors, bookshelves, cooker, bathroom, CD player. Let's just look at how lucky we are to have this abode for our physical, mental and spiritual bodies. Not everyone has somewhere to keep them warm and dry, where they can have fun, dance, sing, cook or do all the other things we are doing these days to keep us healthy. The ancient Irish monks at Gougane Barra or Skellig Michil had stone huts which they built themselves and stone beds; no soft comfy mattress for them. How lucky are we, indeed?

Let's not forget to look after our feet too. Let's still do our group activity on our own at home, having set up that all our group are doing the same. And let's really appreciate our cave, our hermitage, our home.

Day 7

I saw a lady on TV last night saying that crafting is on the rise. What's your craft? Did you love knitting when you were a child, or embroidery, or sewing? Were you the one whose felting everyone in your class envied, or did you enjoy taking a whole year to make a rug to give you auntie? Now is the time to resurrect that crafting you used to love to do.
In my hall, in my kitchen and in my sitting room, my salt lamps are on all day every day. The soft light is soothing and relaxing, but for me, more importantly, negative ions are important. This is something I read about many years ago, so my salt lamps are fully on the go now and I'm so glad to have them. If yours is in the garage, in the hall cupboards, or in some old box somewhere, now might be a good time to take it out again.
And finally, on Day 7 of week four, let's be really thankful to have got to here. Thankful for our homes, our families, our communication devices, our radios and TV's; our kind neighbours who offer to do our shopping; Mother Nature, looking her beautiful best as she blossoms forth this Springtime.

Thank you. Love and Good Health to All. I'm still taking my Echinaforce every day.