Dude. We are gonna feel so much better once this is all over, right? I mean jeeeeeeeez. Times are tough! But. I have something to say about this, and I believe it’s important.

Did you know that stress affects our immune system? If we are constantly stressed, our immune system suffers, and our bodies don’t do a great job at fighting off illness. (And I am SURE that these days, you would really like to have a strong immune system.) Also, stress can hinder our digestive system. This is a vicious cycle because our digestion and immune system are closely related, since most of our immune system resides in our gut. So if we are constantly stressed, we will not properly digest food or absorb nutrients, which weakens our immune system, and then we get sick. Illness causes stress, and stress leads to more poor digestion. Rinse and repeat. I know it’s a bummer to get sick, but because of what’s going on today, I think none of us want to be sick. We don’t even want to catch a cold.

More so than ever, NOW is the time to find inner peace. Inner strength. We must find reasons to smile. We must create the reasons. We cannot wait for some good news and then we can breathe again. We cannot just sit and wait until this is all over. We need to find that peace and strength within ourselves now. But how do we do this when times are so tough?? How can I smile when I lost my job and I fear for the health of my loved ones??

We work towards it. We put in the time and effort. My yoga teacher Julie from Stretch Your Spirit tells us “Now is our time to shine. THIS is what we’ve been training for.” And she’s absolutely right. We don’t just practice mindfulness and peace when times are great. We desperately need to practice it when times have gone to shit. And we are in the shit, my loves. Big time!

So please, figure out what makes you shine. There are boatloads of FB live concerts out there (in fact, we are hosting one this Tues 3/31 at 7:30 pm!). There are online courses. New things to learn! New hobbies. There are new recipes to try. There are virtual happy hours to organize. There are herbs that want to be planted. There are yoga classes to take.

Am I saying there is no need to be scared and upset? Nah. That’s cra-cra. I am saying that we DESERVE happiness. So let’s go get it. If we can find some inner strength, it will help us to get through this chapter.

Our families need us to be strong. So do our friends, and our jobs, and our bodies. This is one chapter in the book, and we’re gonna get through it and kick some pandemic ass.

I love you.

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