Originally from British Columbia, Canada, Sara Schuman now calls Berlin home. After enrolling at The Institute For Integrative Nutrition in NYC and spending the next two years educating herself on health and wellness she is now a certified Health Coach and founder of Eleri Health. With Eleri Health it’s her focus to work personally with other women and help them to reach their health and wellness goals.

What does moving forward look like when in the past few months we have faced so much uncertainty & unforeseen challenges in the world around us? Our current and ever-changing circumstances are taking their toll on our mental health. We all have our good days and our bad days — this is perfectly human and normal.

Right now especially, it is so important not to be hard on ourselves and dwell on our shortcomings. We must push through these difficult times and learn to navigate our emotions with compassion. The reality is that we have to create meaningful practices to protect us from surprises that may lay ahead in order to protect us from ourselves when coping with adversity.

Here are four areas of one’s lifestyle I recommend you look deeper into when moving through these turbulent times.

1. Stress Management

Stress increases the hormone cortisol which in turn reduces serotonin, dopamine, and other neurotransmitters in the brain. These are our “feel good” hormones, and loss of any is a major risk factor for depression. Stress not only affects us emotionally but physically, too, causing all kinds of chronic illnesses over time. So it’s crucial to make stress management part of your daily routine, not just when it’s too late and you are facing burn out. Here are a few suggestions you can incorporate daily for long-lasting benefits.

• Journaling • Breath work • Acupressure • Essential oils • Low-impact exercise

• Meditation • Getting out into nature • Pausing to enjoy simple pleasures

2. Eat the Right Foods.

Our gut microbiome and brain are connected through chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. Many of these neurotransmitters are produced by the cells in our gut, which means that the food we eat directly affects our brain chemistry. More specifically, 95% of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which contributes to feelings of happiness, is created in our gut. The food you eat greatly impacts how your body will manufacture these neurotransmitters, so make sure to eat the right foods.

Omega 3 fatty acids: Omega-3 fatty acids are a group of essential fats that you must obtain through your diet because your body can’t produce them on its own. They are essential for healthy brain function. Fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and sardines are rich in two types of Omega 3s (DHA and EPA) which many studies have linked to lower levels of depression. You can also find omega 3 fats in walnuts, and seeds such as flax and chia.

Protein: Protein contains amino acids which your brain needs to regulate your thoughts and feelings. It also helps keep you feeling fuller for longer. Make sure you’re eating high quality meat, fish, eggs, and legumes.

Polyphenols: The plant nutrients that are particularly dense in dark leafy greens, polyphenols have been found to improve cognitive function, keeping our brain and memory sharp. Try to eat them every day to slow down the decline of brain function. Easy ways to add more greens is to use them in wraps, toss in smoothies, mix in sauces, add to sautés.

Probiotics: The production of neurotransmitters like serotonin is highly influenced by good bacteria that make up your intestinal microbiome. They also help to improve how well you absorb nutrients from your food, so getting probiotics into your system is highly beneficial. Opting for a quality probiotic supplement in times of stress, is also a great idea.

Magnesium: Magnesium and other trace minerals support stress and fatigue — these can be found in dark chocolate, which contains compounds that boost mood and feel-good brain chemicals. Savour a small piece and eat slowly for maximum benefits.

3. Shifting Our Mindset.

Change is inevitable. Accepting it, and learning to anticipate it, is not. Struggling with change can bring with it a lot of negative emotions and insecurities. But you can actually train your brain to get better at handling transitions and reduce negative self-talk through some simple mental exercises. It’s important to stand back and separate yourself from your mind. That negative inner voice is often a tough one to control.

To gain a little perspective and quiet down the mental chatter, ask yourself: what am I really afraid of? What am I avoiding? What is the worst that could happen? Will what I’m struggling with today matter tomorrow?

Practice gratitude: Creating space for gratitude is an immediate game-changer when learning how to shift your mindset. Take five minutes a day to write down three to five things you are grateful for. This is a great practice to include the family in — ask your partner to list his or hers at night while lying in bed, or start a conversation at the dinner table.

Reflection: With self-reflection we gain perspective that can help us tap into our emotions and understand them more deeply. This kind of mindfulness brings with it more awareness of the present and helps us to prioritize the best way to deal with a situation, take control, and find solutions.

Ask for help: If you’ve been falling down what seems like an endless rabbit hole, and your work and your relationships are spiraling, it may be time to seek professional help. There are plenty of wonderful programs you can look into; coaches, therapists, healers and psychologists are all available to you when you’re struggling. (And a lot of them are now online!) Just remember experiencing all these feelings is okay and they are a great opportunity to learn and grow.

4. Having a Routine.

We often read about the importance of having a daily routine, and there is a perfectly good reason for that. Routines promote health and wellness through structure and organization. Having a routine set in place can greatly improve your health. It helps us to cope with changes in our lives, provides an anchor of predictability, and helps us make time for what really matters to us, all of which can naturally reduce stress and help us be more productive.

To create a successful routine, choose one that works for you. A helpful tool is to keep a diary of all the things you do in a day, see what you can reduce, and then see if these are things you can do at a set time each day. Once you have a routine in place, give it some time and it will become second nature. Don’t be afraid to change something if it’s not working.

Individually, we may not have the power to prevent a global pandemic, but we do have the power to choose how best to deal with one. It’s about starting small and improving over time, step by step.

Compiled and edited by Katia Varfolomeeva - Head of Marketing and Content at BECYCLE.

Moving Forward: Making Healthy Steps Into a New Reality