Isabelle, our Head Nutritionist and Pharmacist provides her top tips to help manage the current status of overwhelm.
We do not have the answers to the current chaos but, here at Kinetic Enterprises Limited we are here to share positivity, a sense of community and sound advice to our customers.
Science or technology at the moment cannot fix the current chaos, and often the general reaction of the public is to panic and develop a form of emotional crisis. Besides this situation not being ideal for everyone’s mental and emotional wellbeing, we must remember that some of our customers or colleagues need more support than ever. Those that are elderly, live alone, fall into the more vulnerable category of individuals. Or simply think of those who live in a very small place and need to adopt a new routine as a family or even those losing their jobs and are completely uncertain about their future. Some of the suggestions might apply to you or not at all. But take time to read, seek or suggest advice on how things can work out for you and others today. Take each day at a time, until the nation has better control as a country and around the world, over our future.
1) Develop a structure to your day:
Working from home is new for many, but also working from home with children and other halves around. Structuring your day can give it a sense of purpose and achievement and keep everyone a lot calmer and entertained at the same time.
It can sound tricky, but avoid working in your pyjamas or even in bed. Develop a routine of getting ready for the day, just as you would if you had to commute to work. When the evening comes, if you feel that you have been able to complete your set tasks for the day, then switch off your work laptop, electronics and even leave your personal phone away from the bedroom before bed. Essentially switch off from unnecessary stress.
Do remember to only set realistic expectations, especially if you have children. You will most likely take it in turns to look after your family especially if husband and wife must alternate as well as looking after the house and the cooking.
2) Exercise:
Vital for your body and mind. Our current restrictions allow for a walk in the park or even a walk around your neighbourhood on your own or in pairs. Breathe in some fresh air, taking in some sunlight, have a change of scene, and come back feeling re-vived. For some of us, running or cycling are alternatives or just kicking a ball with your children in your garden. If exercising in the outdoors on some days isn’t possible, there are plenty of online platforms offering yoga, meditation or workouts.
3) Keep connecting with others:
Even if virtual, that connection is important. Keep conversations going, and remember the community you have on your street or neighbourhood. Reach out to those who may need help in purchasing a few essentials or have a smaller network of friends and family than you do. Just drop it by their front door if needed and that is it.
4) Choose to do things that are comforting:
Cook as a family; if uncluttering helps your mind, then go ahead and do that; have a bath with some music or essential oils like lavender to help keep the mind calm; do puzzles with your children when they are taking a break from their homework or do some gardening in between work and childcare.
5) Nourish your mind and body:
Do some meal planning, although you might think it is quite a hard task since we are struggling to get the basic groceries. Again ask your neighbour to share or swap some items. You never know you might be surprised.
Nourishing your mind and body is important. It can be easy to go down a path, where we reach out for processed foods, sugary snacks and too much coffee, tea or alcohol. Remember all these are stimulants to the body, acting on our adrenal glands (those tiny glands that sit above your kidneys) and release the stress hormone commonly known as cortisol. Processed foods or sugary snacks all contain hidden sugars, and cause increases in your blood sugar levels, which can cause changes in mood, changes in how your body processes the sugar and is a precursor to type 2 diabetes, but also hormonal imbalances. Sugar also disturbs the gut microbiome (the trillions of bacteria found in our gut), which in turn works with our immune system. We want a strong immune system and not a weak one right now!
So if you have time, bake at home and use sugars derived from fruits. As snacks, be conscious of what you are having and again, vary where you can from crudités, oatcakes, rice cakes, some nuts or seeds, olives, fruits, or a simple piece of toast with some nut butter or good old lather of butter. Make a latte or a smoothie, with one of the products we stock. Browse our Kinetic website and look into the options from brands such as Nutiva, OM Mushrooms, Garden of Life or Organic Traditions.
As for your main meals, even if you are currently cutting down on the number of ingredients or variety you are putting into our dishes, you can still aim to have 1-2 vegetables per dish (even if frozen). Favour wholegrains like wholegrain pasta or rice and make sure to have a form of protein, be it a legume (chickpeas, cannellini beans, red kidney beans, lentils); tofu; fish or seafood; or a source of lean animal protein such as turkey or chicken.
If for example, you usually pick oven-cooked fish coated with breadcrumbs for instance, simply because of the general lack of time after work. Then this is the perfect time to try and make your own breadcrumbs with oats for instance or homemade bread. Our access to hundreds of heathy recipes online, is key to help challenge us in making the right choices for our mind and body.
Thinking of a natural remedy to support customers who may need it?
Here are a few suggestions:
Ashwaghanda is a known botanical that is revered for its properties as an adaptogen. Traditionally used to help promote a calm mind and encourage restful sleep. According to Ayurvedic principles, Ashwaghanda is a wonderful daily herb that can help support general wellbeing, vitality and health.
You can find Ashwaghanda in our
• Nature’s Answer holistically balanced alcohol-free Ashwaghanda extract, that can be taken daily, as recommended on the packaging, by diluting it in a small amount of water.
• Organic Traditions Chocolate Latte with Ashwaghanda and Probiotics, this is a latte made with certified organic Ayurvedic herbs and spices, made with coconut milk and is dairy free. It is also a source of fibre and has really good amounts of Magnesium from the raw cacao. Magnesium is involved in about 300 processed in the body and is an important mineral for the brain. It can also be found in lots of other sources than chocolate of course. This latte also has prebiotics and 1 billion of beneficial live heat stable probiotics per serving.
• Microbiome Mood Formula by Garden of Life, contains 300mg of organic Ashwaghanda, a dose clinically shown to work synergistically with wild Alaskan blueberries to support emotional wellbeing. A blend of diverse clinically studied live bacteria at 50 CFU and certified organic prebiotics are also present, which support the immune system, gut health and helps increase resilience to stress. The latter also relates to how the gut and brain work hand in hand, and communicate with each other to help support our feel good hormone (serotonin) production. Beneficial bacteria also help produce the brain chemicals such as GABA, and in turn help reduce symptoms of anxiety and low mood.
This is a wrap for us and if you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out for advice we may be able to help with. Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming information we will be releasing over the next few days.
Please stay indoors as much as possible and stay safe! Sending you plenty of well wishes from the Kinetic Team. We are in this together and this will make us stronger.
