So there are some silver linings to all of the craziness surrounding us during this COVID-19 scare…

For starters, it seems like I’m seeing more people take the time to get outside, whether that be running, biking, or just walking their dog. People are actually slowing down and getting some nature and vitamin D in their lives. That can only lead to positive things and I hope those people realize how much that helps overall mood, stress, etc.

Also, people are paying more attention to general hygeine. Kinda terrifying how many people clearly weren’t washing their hands before or being cognizant of germs they may be spreading.

As more shut downs happen and more people are quarantined, self inflicted or not, it will hopefully allow people the opportunity to get more creative and get back in touch with things they love. Read: as awesome as binge watching Netflix is, don’t do that every day. One day, sure. I probably will do that as well. Okay, probably more than 1 day, but still. But then allow this to be a time to reset and really focus and get clear on WHAT YOU WANT out of life. What makes you happy/brings you joy? How do you want to contribute to society? Is it something different than what you’re currently doing? Cool. Figure out how to pivot. Get creative.

Another silver lining is that a lot of people are offering AMAZING FREE RESOURCES!!

WILL BE UPDATED AS I GET NEW INFO!!!

Update 4/7/2020:

• This Brene Brown podcast on Grief and Finding Meaning is FIRE

• Yet another awesome at home workout program fo free! Here

• Marie Forleo has a guest on her show that goes over EFT tapping and how it helps reduce stress - y’all, I’ve done this in the past for other stressful things and while I still don’t fully understand it, IT WORKS!! Check it out here

   

Meditation/de-stressing/re-centering:

Jay Shetty, a former monk, suggests doing 3 things every day to try to relax during isolation: 1. Do one thing a day that makes you happy. 2. Brighten up your space. 3. Meditate…

• One that I know I’ll be taking advantage of for sure is the free resources that the Calm App is putting out! Meditation and journaling are on my 2020 list of things to try and get more into anyways, as this is making it easier than ever! https://www.calm.com/blog/take-a-deep-breath

• Another great meditation resource is being put out by my friend, Mallory aka Dr. Foxy Fit! She has a lifestyle and wellness blog where she is going over tips for connecting while social distancing, but she also has tons of great past posts to check out! https://www.befoxyfit.com/lemonloves

• Deepak has a daily meditation FO FREE here: https://www.choprafoundation.org/other/start-your-day-with-daily-breath/

• Jay Shetty is doing 20 days of live meditation on IG/FB, but also uploading it to his YouTube here https://youtu.be/gxURcDSeRns

Mental health during isolation other than meditation:

• If you have followed me for a while, or really anytime at all, you know I'm a huge proponent of both getting outside and moving/exercise for mental health. Go take a walk, bike ride, hike a remote trail, etc. See below list for tons of exercise options at home.

• This blog by my friend Christina goes over some amazing tips ❤️

• Connect. FaceTime, zoom happy hours, etc are popping up everywhere.

• Write down 5 to 10 things you're grateful for in this moment every morning. May sound cheesy, but makes a difference

Especially if your gym shut down, or exercise wasn’t a big part of your life before and now you find yourself with ample time, check out any/all of these fantastic at home programs:

• Free 30 day at-home workout program (limited to no equpiment) https://thebarbellphysio.com/the-quarantine

• 2 weeks free: Hybrid Joe programming - at home workouts with no equipment needed. https://www.hanahrae.com/hjp/

• Peloton app is giving 90 days free with a reminder 3 days out from the end so you can cancel if you want to

• Do Yoga With Me has 2 months of free yoga videos https://www.doyogawithme.com/content/coronavirus-covid19-offer-2-months-free

• If you are part of a CrossFit gym, chances are they are putting out at-home versions of their WOD, so make sure to check with your gym

• My old gym (miss y'all!!), CrossFit PHX, is hosting a couple classes a day via zoom and opening it up for free to everyone, not just members! Check out www.instagram.com/crossfitphx for more

• Throwing this in here, though it’s ALWAYS a resource: the outdoors are NOT closed! Take time to get out and hike, bike, run, etc. If you haven't done much outside in the past, but you want to get started, feel free to message me for suggestions on how to including gear. Happens to be an area of my expertise! And many of the outdoor companies are offering huge discounts and free shipping right now!! *Update: please make sure to find a more remote hike. Hikes that were previously already popular are now crowded and definitely not a good place to practice social distancing.

• Have a nagging pain or injury and not sure what you should and shouldn't do with these home programs? Or want something more tailored to YOU to be able to improve performance while stuck at home? I'm offering a HUGE special with my telehealth sessions during this crisis. Discounted from $160 to $120 and includes a one hour video call with me as well as 2 full weeks of individualized programming!! (bonus for AZ residents: I do take HSA and FSA for y'all, and a lot of insurances are offering reimbursement for this currently.) Click here to schedule a session:

At home activities (with the kids. or not)

• Have little ones? Check out https://busytoddler.com/ for some awesome ideas to get you to the next nap time! They have a free list of 190 activity ideas

• Virtual Disney World?! Yes please!! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYyJUEtYv-ZW7BgjhP3UbTg

• Love art or have always wanted to try it? Grab supplies on amazon and try something new! Tons of free how-tos for every style/medium on Pinterest. I'm personally trying new styles of watercolors!

• Like the above idea, but want it to be absolutely fool-proof? My girl, Leila, is an AMAZING artist that is offering FREE instructions for pour art as well as a free suply list (or go the even easier route and buy the kit directly from her - includes everything you need for 2 people). DM her on insta with your email to get the list and instructions! (If you’re not sure what pour art is, she has a couple posts where you can see examples - look for the mutlicolored marble looking ones) https://www.instagram.com/leilaparnian/?hl=en

• FREE cooking, dancing, painting, photography, you-name-it classes from now until March 31 with code SELFCARE from Brit & Co here: https://learn.brit.co/

• Audible is offering free stories as long as school is out!! https://stories.audible.com/start-listen

• Check out Your favorite musician’s page. Chances are they're doing virtual concerts. John Legend and Coldplay are two that have done these already!

• Virtual game night?! I'm down!! Check out this blog on how to set it up: https://blog.usejournal.com/how-to-host-the-perfect-virtual-remote-game-night-33fce534bea9 There's also an app option that has a few games, including Heads Up, and can host up to 8 people: https://houseparty.com/

• There are currently over 500 free Ivy league classes being offered at https://www.classcentral.com/collection/ivy-league-moocs

  I know I personally am super stoked for the opportunity to take Yale's ever popular Happiness class: https://www.coursera.org/learn/the-science-of-well-being

Worried about how you're gonna pay those student loans while money is tight?

• https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/coronavirus

I’m sure there are TONS more amazing resources than these that I could grab in to last 2 days (had another blog ready to go, but that’ll get bumped back to next week). If you know of any others, PLEASE ADD THEM IN THE COMMENTS!!! Thank you and stay home and stay safe!

Next week, I’ll be going over sleeping position hacks for when you’re having shoulder pain that’s keeping you up or waking you up. Make sure to subscribe if you’re not already!

Much love y’all.

Dr. Megan

Oh, and if you just want someone to talk to or need support during this time, please feel free to reach out. Text 480-751-2137 or DM me on IG @moveonthedaley