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We are all currently living in a really strange new world and whilst some might perceive all the new possibilities I suspect for many the uncertainty is causing a whole heap of new stresses and strains. So coping with these new stressors might be an important thing to learn.

So what simple little techniques can we employ to help us cope with these difficult times?

1. Probably the most important thing is to realise that this will eventually pass. It isn’t going to last forever and we will return to some kind of normality some time in the not too distant future. The world will keep revolving and we will still all have to start paying tax again once we are earning money……
2. Exercise is an often overlooked but very effective form of stress relief. So make sure that on that once a day occasion when you can hopefully get out of your home and ‘get some fresh air’ you also manage to get your heart pumping well and get a little breathless. This certainly reduces all sorts of stress issues.
3. Yoga, as well as a form of exercise, is also an extremely good way of calming down and reducing the thoughts battling it out for supremacy in your brain. A combination of stretches and held poses is good for improved muscular strength, balance and relaxation.
4. Tai Chi is very similar in nature. A form of movement and poses this serves to reduce the stress and calm the mind too. Both Yoga and Tai Chi can easily be practiced at home in the living room, the bedroom or even out side in the garden. Both also have plenty of options of apps on iPhone or Android which can teach you the movements and poses.
5. Meditation or Mindfulness. These may take a little practice to get used to but they do allow you to focus your mind on something else other than your current worries. The practice is helpful in itself but definitely you get better at this the more that you do it. It is about taking time out to sit still and concentrate on your breathing or focus on the minutiae of the daily surroundings. Using this changed focus to take your mind away from your worries.
6. Getting plenty of restful sleep is important and this might involve changing your bedtime routine. Take electronic devices out of the bedroom and spend at least an hour before bed reading quietly or listening to relaxing music can all help. Also a warm bath taken just before bed can set you up for a better nights sleep. A good night’s sleep is a very significant aid to reduce stress.
7. Music can be very soothing to the mind, but that of course very much depends on the type of music. I doubt if listening to Thrash Metal would be very soothing… but then you never know. Horses for courses and all that.
8. EFT or the Emotional Freedom Technique is some times known as ‘that tapping thing’. It is certainly worthy of investigation and has proved helpful for many individuals with anxiety and stress disorders. It works at several levels but also serves as a form of distraction technique. Look it up on Google and give it a try.
9. Acupuncture and Hypnosis are both very good in this field but would require access to an appropriate therapist and thus not much use to us in Lockdown but if you are already trained in self hypnosis this can certainly help. You may also find practitioners willing to provide virtual services over Skype and FaceTime.
10. Chat to a friend. In this time of social distancing and social isolation it is worth remembering the value of a chat with a friend or loved one. Whether in person or virtually over the phone or facetime spending time with family or friends can be a good way to unburden yourself of your worries. We are naturally very social creatures so especially in this peculiar time we can seek solace in the company of others even if at an appropriate distance.

All of the above can be used in any combination to help you deal with these uncertain times.

It is always worth repeating that this will not last forever and when we do eventually return to some degree of normality we will then be able to look back on these times and hopefully find a few new things we have learned about ourselves and others. About what is important to us and perhaps about what is not important at all.

Stay Home, Stay Safe and well. Protect the NHS and Save Lives.

Eternal Youth Clinic is closed at the moment and I have volunteered to return to the NHS to help in any way I can. I am currently setting up a Covid-19 testing program and hopefully we can begin soon.

In these unsettling and uncertain times we are bombarded with advice from all sides and their appears to be some confusion among the public as to what each guideline means for them.

So I have taken the time to come up with 10 ways that you personally can help in this current crisis. 10 ways that you can help the NHS, your neighbours and your community and probably make life easier for yourself too.

Some of these ways you have already been told but hopefully I can help to emphasise them and make sure you actually do them. So here goes.

1. STAY HOME. This to me seems obvious but it seems to be the most confusing for a lot of the public. It just means Stay Home.
   Unless you are a key worker then just stay at home. Stay in your back garden. Don’t go out for trips. Don’t go and visit your friends.
   This virus is spread by droplets and contact. This particular virus apparently needs comparatively large droplets to spread but these fortunately fall to the ground fairly quickly. If you limit your exposure to everything outside of your house. If you stay away from surfaces that have been touched by others you reduce the rate of infection. This reduces the pressure on the NHS and will SAVE LIVES. Do it.
2. WASH YOUR HANDS. This too is often repeated and seems pretty obvious. Simple soap breaks up the virus particles and deactivates it thus preventing infection. It doesn’t need to be alcoholic gels or antibacterial soap, just plain soap works brilliantly. So just use soap.
3. SOCIAL DISTANCING. This also seems confusing to some.As the large droplets drop to the ground quickly just being two metres (or 6 feet) apart makes a MASSIVE difference to your chance of catching the infection. No kisses and hugs, no hand shakes. Greet people from 2 metres away. then stay at least two metres away. If you struggle to know how far two metres is just imagine a dead body on the floor infront of you. If the body can easily fit between you and the person facing you then that’s fine. If not then you are too close. Step back. Once again doing this reduces the rate of spread of the infection and thus LESS PEOPLE WILL DIE. Do it.
4. CALM DOWN. Right, the above, are the obvious and frequently repeated messages but lets all CALM DOWN please. Some of the problems we are facing are due to the virus but some of the problems are created by the panic buying stuff. This is idiocy of the highest order. If you pop to the supermarket for a pint of milk and notice the stocks are low on toilet paper so you go ahead and buy the last two packs ‘just incase’ you are CREATING a problem that doesn’t need to exist. JUST STOP IT. CALM DOWN. We will get through this and it will be a whole lot easier if you don’t act like an idiot.
5. EXERCISE. YOGA AND STRETCHING. All forms of exercise are good for you both physically and mentally. Exercise reduces stress and aids sleep and improves overall health. There is a lot of exercise you can do in the comfort of your own front room. Yoga is good for relaxation and stretching as well as overall health. Sit-ups, press ups and simple weights are easy to do in the home. If you can pop outside and easily go for a walk or a run or a cycle whilst maintaining social distancing that’s great but you can still do a lot even if outside is not an easy option. the main reason why previously people used to say they didn’t exercise was lack of time.You now have all the time in the world. Organise your days and fit a minimum of 20-30 minutes of moderate exercise every day. It will certainly reduce the boredom.
6. CONTRIBUTION. Helping your friends family or neighbours is really a good idea. When you go for your weekly shop offer to pick up vital supplies for your elderly next door neighbour. This will help you and them . they will not be putting themselves at greater risk by going out and you will feel better that you have contributed to improving the situation for your community as a whole.
7. MINDFULLNESS/MEDITATION. With all this spare time many people are looking for things to do.Spending some of the day sitting quietly in a room simply watching your breathing can be very helpful It is a good form of stress reduction and calms the mind. Simple regulated breathing can help too. Just for a moment or tooth concentrate on breathing in for about four seconds and out for about eight. Count the seconds off in your head. Doing this for even as little as twenty or thirty breaths can really make you feel a lot calmer and a lot more in control. Try it, See if it helps you. You may need to practice for a bit as it can seems odd at first but it really is a good form of stress reduction technique.
8. GRATITUDE. We have now got a lot of time on our hands. We need to take this time and use it wisely. It is all too easy to get caught up in the doom and gloom and the panic buying. It is easy to spend too much time worrying about our situation, Our family, our income our fears and anxieties can come to the fore. It is however important to get this all into perspective. We are in fact incredibly lucky. Anyone in the UK no matter how bad things seem, is a whole load better off than those in the third world. We really should be grateful that we have some where to live. A nice bed to sleep on. Food in the fridge to put on the table for the family to eat. We should be very grateful for all the good things we do have rather than being anxious and fretful about the things we don’t have. We do have now lots of time to look after ourselves properly. Let’s do that first.
9. EAT WELL. Yes I know this is obvious but it really is important. Getting well balanced nut4ritious meals will improve your immunity and make you less likely to get infected and likely to recover more quickly if you do get sick. Ironically the main reason people give for living off junk food is lack of time. Again you now have more time than ever before. Use that time to good wholesome nutritious meals from scratch. They will not only be healthier for your they will attest better too. Eat fresh, eat natural, eat food without a list of ingredients. There are no ingredients listed on an apple or a lettuce. EAT REAL FOOD.
10. STAY CONNECTED. We are undoubtedly social animals. We need connection with family, friends and local community. Whilst we can’t go and visit we need to make use of technology to stay connected. Text, phone, message, facetime, Skype etc can all be used to maintain that personal level of contact that we crave. Use all the technology available to STAY CONNECTED

Those are my top ten things to concentrate on and as an unannounced bonus here is a very simple tip. With all that hand washing we’re now doing many people are finding their hands dry and cracked and irritated. So we need to remember to moisturise your hands. Many things help from simple aqueous creams to coconut oil. It doesn’t really matter what you use. As a good guide it is better to apply a very little but very frequently. Five, six, seven times a day is better than slapping a lot on once or twice a day. Apply a little bit of cream to the hands and it should rub in and disappear very quickly. If it is taking ages to rub in then you have probably applied too much.

FINALLY. Remember “This too shall pass”. This isn’t forever. This isn’t the end of the world as we know it. When this is over we can all go back to at least some semblance of normal but lets hope this makes us at least a bit different. Let’s hope this will make us all a whole lot more grateful of what we do have. Grateful of the freedoms we do possess. Grateful to reconnect with our families and our social lives. Let’s not take for granted the life we do have.

Stay Safe and Stay Well.