| Dear Yogis, How are you? I’m checking in from my last email and wondering if you are experiencing any of the frustration that I have been experiencing? Suffering from cabin fever, wearing way too many hats and feeling like this pandemic will never end? That’s how I have been feeling… “Covid-fatigue” is what it’s called and boy did I have this! Grumpy was an understatement of how I was behaving. I started to see myself getting angry easily. I was short-tempered and easily triggered by the silliest things! “Put that sock in the laundry basket!!!!” Then I started to experience body aches. All of my old injuries from 20 years ago (torn rotator cuff, golf’s elbow and sprained wrist, fractured ribs… ) they all came back with a vengeance!! My frustration and anger was fuelling my pain! The tissues in my body were holding on to all of this frustration…my tissues and tendons were stuck!!…I was stuck! In Chinese medicine we call this liver qi stagnation. According to Chinese medicine theory the liver is the organ that can easily be affected by anger. It is also the organ that holds and supplies the blood in our body! So if the liver is stagnated – or stuck – the blood won’t flow. And if the blood doesn’t flow – then there is tension and pain! I’m writing to share my experience because I know I’m not alone and I want to let you know the 3 top tips that have helped me to get back to me: Breathe: Take time out of your day to pause and breathe. It’s easy to forget to do conscious breathing. Even me the yoga teacher & acupuncturist forgets too! It’s one of the simplest things we can do when we’re triggered or stressed. A simple breath – an inhalation and exhalation can take us out of ‘fight flight’ mode. Breathing adds more oxygen to assist our blood and qi to move more smoothly in the body. When the blood flows smoothly – less pain and fatigue. Get Quiet…be still: Start a meditation or mindfulness practice. There are so many free apps out there. Insighttimer.com is a great place to start! I personally use a combination of this free app and my paid guided meditations from Chopra.com. Taking a Daily 1min moment can do wonders to clear the clutter in your mind. Consider trying this one from me: https://www.yogawithtracie.com/one-minute-meditation/ Get help for your pain: Find a therapist that you trust (Acupuncture, massage, physio, chiro…). Whether it be physical pain or emotional, these Regulated Health Professionals are ESSENTIAL! We have to uphold strict standards during COVID to ensure that you’re safe. We are open during Lockdown! So, along with treating myself with acupuncture, I’ve also been receiving massage therapy for my shoulder pain and it’s helping! Don’t wait – get help with your pain and discomfort. https://www.yogawithtracie.com/acupuncture-with-tracie/ Let me know what you’ve been up to and how you’ve been coping through your Covid-fatigue. I would love to hear from you. Love & peace, Tracie |
Suffering from Covid-Fatigue?
