Contributed by Andrea Empey, Registered Acupuncturist, Registered Yoga Teacher

You may find yourself feeling very anxious about getting sick these days. There are so many things that feel out of control right now.

It can be helpful to focus on the things you can control, so we thought we’d share some immune boosting tips.

These are all things you can do now to help yourself and others.

Frequent handwashing with soap for at least 30 seconds

I know you’ve heard a lot about handwashing over the last couple of weeks and you’re likely tired of hearing about it.  Here are a couple of things that haven’t really been discussed.

  • Ideally, use liquid soap and clean the soap dispenser periodically.
  • If you only have bar soap, use that and avoid an unnecessary trip out at this point.
  • Make handwashing fun! Sing your fav song or dance a little.  There are a number of songs with a chorus that’s at least 30 seconds or if it’s shorter, sing it twice.  Perhaps a little Wham (Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go) or Tina Turner (What’s Love Got To Do With It)?  Maybe some Prince (Raspberry Beret)?
  • Change your hand towels more frequently – maybe even daily if you can
  • Here’s a great video showing how I was taught to wash my hands as an acupuncturist:

Probiotics every day!

  • Probiotics are great for boosting gut health, which in turn boosts our overall health
  • Fermented foods (kombucha, kimchi, tempeh, miso, sauerkraut, sour dough bread, kefir, etc.) are the best source of probiotics because different foods have slightly different stains
  • Even if you’re only getting once source, that’s better than nothing
  • Not a fan of fermented foods? A great probiotic supplement is a good alternative.  My personal fav is Genestra’s HMF supplement
  • Here’s the thing, if you’re new to probiotics or fermented foods, START SLOW!!! I can’t emphasize this enough.  Less is WAY more in cases like this.
  • If you were to start drinking kombucha, you only need ⅛ or ¼ of a cup per day.
  • You also may find you bloat a bit when you eat fermented foods – this is normal at the start. This is also why you start with less and build up.  For things like sauerkraut or kimchi, a teaspoon a day is plenty.  You can slowly build to a tablespoon.

Minimize stress

  • I know, easier said than done right now. Uncertainty and media aren’t helping.
  • First and most importantly, telling yourself to calm down or not to stress doesn’t work. Stressing is a nervous system response in your body.  It’s your sympathetic nervous system doing what it does best – protecting you!  It doesn’t know that the source of your stress is a virus rather than a bear chasing you.
  • Tapping into your physical body can help to reduce stress. Your breath is your most powerful tool – you’re never without it.  The easiest way to get out of your head and into your body is to notice your breath.  Notice where it is in your body.  Notice if it’s fast, slow, deep, shallow, something else…  You can also place one hand on your chest and one hand on your abdomen and simply breathe.  Notice your hands lifting with each breath.  Don’t worry about forcing your breath to go anywhere in the body, don’t worry if it’s fast or slow or something else.  Simply observe.
  • Tapping into the breath helps you to shift into your parasympathetic nervous system.
  • Our bodies are meant to shift back and forth kind of like using the gas and break when driving a car. This is normal and natural.  Problems start to arise when we’re chronically stuck in a state of stress and we aren’t shifting back and forth.
  • Meditation can also help. Studies have shown that meditation has a number of physiological and psychological benefits, including increased parasympathetic nervous system functioning, increased immunity and decreased inflammation.
  • Meditation can also help to improve sleep, decrease stress, as well as help to active the healing response through the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system.
  • Meditation can also help to create space between something happening (a stimulus) and our response to that stimulus allowing for action instead of reaction. Meditation does not have to be a long or uncomfortable process to be beneficial.
  • There are a number of apps that can help with meditation. Two of my favourites are Insight Timer (free for the basic version that has a large library of free guided meditations) or Buddhify (a purchased app).  Both of these apps offer guided meditations as well as a simple meditation timer should you wish to do a silent meditation.  Two additional apps are Headspace and Calm – I’ve not used either of these apps and don’t know if they cost money or not but I have heard good things about them.
  • See Tip 10 for more on beginning a meditation practice!

 

Play!

A happy brain is a relaxed brain and a relaxed brain communicates to the immune system that doesn’t need to be stressed, either.

  • Play is a great way to help bring some joy into your life, especially in times of uncertainty, which is very nourishing to the mind and body.
  • Play also helps to book our immune systems because it reduces stress.
  • Not sure what to do? Think back to childhood – what were you constantly bugging your parents for?  Was there something you loved to do?
  • A just few ideas:
    • Colour or create something
    • Play outside in your yard – skipping rope or swinging if you have a swing set or a game of hide and go seek
    • Jigsaw puzzles, board games
    • Dance party
    • Fly a kite or make paper airplanes
    • Play with bubbles

Eat the rainbow

  • Different coloured foods are rich in different vitamins and minerals.
  • Eating the rainbow can be as easy as eating fruits, veg, nuts, seeds, grains and other foods from each colour (red, orange, yellow, green, blue/purple, black and white/beige) each day.
  • While we need all of our nutrients, immune boosting vitamins and minerals are vitamin A, C, D, E and Zinc.
    • Vitamin A is found in orange and yellow foods.
    • Vitamin C is found in a variety of foods. Most people think of citrus fruit first, but red bell peppers actually have twice as much vitamin C as citrus fruit.  Broccoli is another great source of vitamin C.
    • Vitamin D is our sunshine vitamin. If you’re in Canada, you’re likely deficient in vitamin D unless you’ve been supplementing this winter.
    • My fav way to supplement for this is by using emulsified vitamin D. It comes in liquid form and it’s usually 1000 IU per drop.  1-2 days each day can have a remarkable effect on our mood, our immunity and our sleep (think about those summer days spent at the beach as a kid)
    • Not sure if you need vitamin D? Not problem!  You can get your blood tested at any convention lab for about $35.    I’d suggest calling the lab to ensure it’s safe to go in if you want to do this now; alternately, you can supplement with 1000 IU a day and then test later.
    • Vitamin E is found in nuts and seeds (especially almonds and sunflower seeds)
    • Zinc is found in foods like pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate (70-80%) – like I needed another reason to eat dark chocolate!
  • Vitamin A, C and E are also rich in antioxidants. This is important because stress creates free radicals which can disrupt processes in the body.  Antioxidants help negate the effects and counteract free radical damage!  Dark chocolate is also high in antioxidants (yet another reason to love chocolate!).
  • Vitamins A, D, E and K are all fat-soluble vitamins. This means that we need a source of fat to be able to absorb them properly.  This can be as easy as 15 almonds or having some butter (real butter) on your vegetables with your meal.  Avocados are also a great source of health fats + happen to also contain zinc and other great nutrients.
  • Adding more garlic, onions and ginger in can also help to boost your immune system and help reduce inflammation

 

Minimize social media exposure

That’s right, I’m suggesting you get off social media.  Seems counterintuitive right?  You might even be reading this on social media.

Here’s the thing: false news can spread quickly through spaces like social media.  Fear and anxiety can also start to spike when we see photos of empty shelves in the grocery stores and other stories like that.

This doesn’t help us, even though the mind thinks it will. It thinks knowing more will make you feel better, but actually it hurts us because it can have a negative effect on our stress levels that then take our immune systems offline. When I’m being chased by a bear, my body isn’t concerned about whether or not I’m going to catch a virus.  My body wants to get me away from the bear first and then deal with the virus second.  My body is solely concerned with the immediate threat and not the possible secondary threats.  When I’m stressed, my body has no idea why I’m stressed – my nervous systems react as though it’s a bear chasing me and not something I’m reading.

Consider this your permission slip to “snooze” anyone on your news feed on Facebook for 30 days (click on the three dots in the upper right corner of any post).

Consider this your permission slip to unfollow anyone who isn’t contributing to your health and well-being.

Consider this your permission slip to simply take a break from social media all together.

It’s also a good idea to moderate your exposure to traditional media as well. Maybe consider checking only twice a day, rather than whenever you feel the urge.

 

Hydrate!

This is a great time to try infused waters, teas and bone broth!  David’s tea is one of my favourite places to get loose leaf tea.  They used to have a $50 minimum purchase for free shipping.  For the time being, they’ve waived this so we can still get our tea without having to leave the house.  Win-win!

  • Throat Rescue – this is one of my personal favs and not for the reason you might think. I almost never drink this when I have a cold.  I drink it after meals to help boost my digestion!  This tea has a number of really great herbs (ginger, mint, licorice, fennel + more) that are all amazing digestive herbs.
  • Cinnamon Rooibos Chai – this is another fav because it’s caffeine free and cinnamon naturally helps to balance our blood sugar
  • Magic Potion – this is my husband’s fav tea; he loves it as “juice”. This tea kind of reminds me a little of kool-aid without all the sugar.
  • Tulsi Tranquility – this is a great tea anytime you’re feeling stressed. Tulsi (aka Holy Basil) is an adaptogen.  This means that it helps our bodies adapt to and process stress in a really healthy way.

 

Avoid touching your face + practice good respiratory etiquette.

  • If you’re coughing or sneezing, use your elbow or a tissue. Remember to wash your hands afterwards.
  • If you touch your face, eyes, nose or mouth please wash your hands after.
  • Katie Weststrate, ND, from Ahmisa Naturopathic said it best: viruses that have been shed through respiratory drops from others enter our system through contact with our eyes, nose and mouth.

Mild to moderate movement daily.

Did you know the being still for long periods of time can exacerbate anxiety? Yes, it can! That’s because freeze is a threat response, and if the body is immobile for too long, the brain starts to think the body is immobile due to a threat and it starts to think anxious thoughts.

Even a little bit of fun movement is good for your mental and physical health and by extension, your immune system.

Forget “working out” or exercising if that’s not your thing. Just move!

  • Getting outside for a walk (away from other people) is an option.
  • Playing outside in your back yard can be fun too.
  • Put on some fun music and dance around the house
  • If you don’t exercise regularly, be gentle with yourself and start slow!
  • If you aren’t feeling well, take that as a sign that your body needs rest.
  • Use your best judgement.
  • Don’t be afraid to try something new!
  • This is a great opportunity to check out different youtube channels for different yoga classes or try different online platforms (many offer free trials) for different yoga or fitness classes.

 

Begin a daily meditation practice

Studies have shown that meditation has a number of physiological and psychological benefits, including increased parasympathetic nervous system functioning, increased immunity and decreased inflammation.

Meditation can also help to improve sleep, decrease stress, as well as help to active the healing response through the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system.

In addition, it can help to create space between something happening (a stimulus) and our response to that stimulus allowing for action instead of reaction.  Meditation does not have to be a long or uncomfortable process to be beneficial.

There are however a few key things to remember:

  • If you’re feeling anxious or stressed, use guided meditation practices from well-known teachers, rather than attempting silent, seated meditation. Silent, seated meditation is actually among the most difficult of the many meditation practices. Dharma Seed and Insight Timer are two excellent free resources for guidance.

 

  • Our minds will wander in meditation. It is the nature of the mind to wander.  If your mind does wander, you aren’t doing meditation wrong.  The act of meditation happens in the moment that you become aware that your mind has wandered and you bring it back to whatever you are using as a focus.

 

  • Meditating for as little as three minutes a day can be incredibly beneficial. Meditation is most effective when it is consistently practised in short amounts rather than longer inconsistent practices.  Starting a daily practice of 3 minutes a day is a wonderful place to start.  When you feel ready, you can increase this time to 5 minutes a day and then to 7 minutes and so on.  Please feel free to continue to increase this any time you feel the desire to do so.  Even if you’ve increased your daily meditation time, know that it’s better to have a shorter 3-minute meditation session instead of skipping it all together on a day that you have less time.
  • If you forget a day or miss a day for any reason, try to be gentle with yourself. Just start again the next day or if you have a few moments when you realize you missed your practice, do it then.
  • Meditation doesn’t have to be done in a silent room on a mat in lotus pose. Meditation can come in many, many forms.  Here are a few suggestions:
    1. Guided meditations
    2. Walking meditations
    3. Breath awareness meditations
    4. Body scan meditations
    5. Moving meditations (example: dancing)
    6. And more!

Experiment with different types of meditations until you find a style that works for you.  You can even meditate while washing or drying the dishes or doing the laundry.  This type of meditation is done by learning to focus your attention on the task at hand rather than letting your mind wander.

There are a number of apps that can help with meditation. Two of my favourites are Insight Timer (free for the basic version that has a large library of free guided meditations) or Buddhify (a purchased app).  Both of these apps offer guided meditations as well as a simple meditation timer should you wish to do a silent meditation.  Two additional apps are Headspace and Calm – I’ve not used either of these apps and don’t know if they cost money or not but I have heard good things about them.

Seek Support

There is nothing like confiding in a safe and trusted person. Isolation is a social determinant of health and can have as much impact on your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Emotional support can come from family members, friends, clergy or a professional.

At Kemptville Stress Relief Centre, we are all available to support you with virtual sessions. You can find out about virtual sessions here. To learn more or to book an appointment, call 613-868-9642 or email us at info@compassionatesupport.ca