It's been quite a year for people all over the world. Covid 19 has changed our world. For many of us the hardships have been overwhelming. Some have been broken from the stress and strain, thankfully most have survived. But even survivors may not have come out of this mess whole and have been forever changed by this ugly virus.
Stories have been told that break our hearts. Some of us cry, others are angry. To manage this emotional stress we all must find a way to cope and move forward in a positive way.
I can only speak for myself, and I have been fortunate.
I think my geographic location has played a very important role in keeping us insolated from this pandemic. We live in a pretty isolated area in the mountains in Upstate NY.
My second wave of de-compressing is aromatherapy. It often starts with the clean fresh air. A walk around our #homestead seems to set me straight. The sounds and sights of #nature has such a calming affect on me.
Add some rosemary and sweet basil and my happy face appears. These two herbs added to your morning routine can really make a difference. No cooking involved. Just pinch a leaf or two, roll them in your hands and sniff.
Rosemary oil, from the plant has been know to reduce stress, by reducing cortisol, a harmful hormone.
What kind of smell does sweet basil have?
Sweet basil, has a high concentration of the chemical agent eugenol. This has a clove-like scent. Lime and lemon basils have high concentrations of limonene, that gives them a citrusy scent. Both eugenol and limonene have antioxidant properties.
.
Whatever is said by the scientists , I know first hand, these scents calm me and make me feel happy.
Rosemary and basil are the only two herbs I bring inside to extend their life after the usual growing season. I add enriched soil and grow lights, pluck them daily, which actually helps new growth, and sniff their aroma to uplift my spirit.
Observing nature.
My next line of defense, is just walking through the woods and taking a look around. The trees, in all their glory, stand tall and strong, swaying with wind as wildlife makes the forest their home. I love the wind, it's spooky and exhilarating at the same time.
Practicing yoga.
On and off for about 40 years, I have been attending yoga classes. I first started learning yoga when my second son was born. That was 1980. My mom would watch my two boys, while I went to a local yoga class that was held in MY church basement. The main reason I went was because I suffered from chronic back pain.
Yoga took away my pain, made me a better wife and mother, relieved my stress. I may not attend classes anymore, but those lessons have stuck with me for years, I still practice.
Thanks @plantstoplanks, when things were rough last year because of covid, and my starvation from not being able to see my family was kicking my arse, you inspired me to begin again. Within days of your comments to me, I was up and going at it again. I do a 1 hour video with a very mellow instructor, perfect for this ole gal.
THANK YOU
The last, but As the saying goes not the least.
For me it's numero 1.
Love the one you are with. If you have someone to love, that loves you in return, you hit the jackpot. Never forget that. The grass is not greener on the other side. Ask anyone that's been there.
Embrace, hug, hold. The human touch is so powerful, it can heal with just one stroke.
Life is what you make it, go for the gusto.
Excellent post. Sometimes starting again with a fresh new perspective is a good thing.
Hey @shaidon haven't chatted in a while. How ya doing?
We are well and trying our best to stay one step ahead of this covid stuff.
I hope you are well and happy.
So nice to hear from you.😊 To fresh outlooks!
Yes, it has been a while. I haven't been as active as I'd to be on here. We went into lockdown early and dealt with the initial outbreak of Covid.
I am doing well, just enjoying the Easter break for now.
Thank you for this great post in the ecoTrain community. Just the kind of thing we like to see!
Your post has been featured in our WhatsUp! Sustainable curation. Please do check the post out and say Hi, drop a comment and follow some new people that you resonate with. You might be surprised how many like minded folk we have in our community!
Much love and keep posting great content!
https://peakd.com/ecotrain/@ecotrain/whats-up-from-the-ecotrain-community-on-hive-sustainable-off-grid-living--more
Good evening or at least it's evening here. I am always so happy to hear from you, sorry it took so long to respond. My kids and grandkids were here for the better part of a week. Omg, what a wonderful reunion. I wish for everyone to have friends and family like I do. I am so blessed. That doesn't mean I don't get down sometimes. But their love for mom / grammy is like salve on my wounds. I had not seem them in several months. I missed them so much. So I was ready for those big hugs.
@eco-alex, I hope you and yours are well and happy.
Blessings to you all.
no appologies necessary at all!! i love what you bring and share.. and yes totally understand we have lives outside of hive.. and me tooo! much love!
Yes to all of this! While we aren't quite so nestled away, all of these things are gifts to me, as well. The past year I especially relied on time in nature to help keep me grounded. I think I walked more than ever just to get out and enjoy the fresh air!
Of course I'm so happy you got the yoga bug again to make that a part of your routine. There's a reason why I'm so passionate about fitness--in whatever form appeals to each of us, it is sooo important for overall health. Life on the farm provides a lot of activity I'm sure, but yoga provides a wonderful balance to help keep you doing all those daily chores even more easily.
This was a lovely read to start my Monday. And now I think I might go outside to the garden to get my own daily dose!
Hey @plantstoplanks, sorry it took so long to shout back. I just couldn't pull myself away from my sons , daughters and grands. Yep, I had a full house. Such a wonderful week.
Any way, thanks again for kicking me in my butt to get going again on yoga. I'm lovin' it.
Wishing you and your honey well with lots of happiness.
Thank you for this beautiful post! The response this week was... INCREDIBLE! Please do come and check out the tie up post which this week has all our points listed in bullet point style for quick and easy reading! Can you find your stress busting points in the list?! :)
SO please do drop by and leave a comment.. we always love to hear from you...
https://peakd.com/hive-123046/@ecotrain/ecotrain-question-of-the-week-season-6-2-tie-up-post-stress-busting
And finally.. i rarely ask but it would be wonderful if you could delegate anything to the ecoTrain account. Your delegation comes right back to you ten fold, and helps us to keep curating and sharing this amazing Hive abundance..
Much love and hope to see you for the next QOTW!
Hello there @ecotrain. I don't know how delegation works, to be honest. Ever since I voted for the wrong witnesses
during the hostile take over last year, I am wiry to do anything on that level. I know how to do donations if that would help.
I enjoy @ecotrain and last week's question was perfect during these trying times.
hey! yes i was thinking to explain how to delegate as many people are not sure about it.
Using www.peakd.com you can visit your wallet here:
https://peakd.com/@farm-mom/wallet
THen look where it says STAKES HIVE TOKENS. There is a button there labelled DELEGATE:
Just pop ecotrain and the amount of hive to delegate and its done.
When you want to remove it you can see it there if you click the little magnifying glass icon and just click the TRASH icon. After a few days it will return to you.
hope that helps.. and thank you! xx
I want to delegate X sp to @user
Where X is the amount of SP and @user is the steem user you want to delegate to. For example:
I want to delegate 100 sp to @farm-mom
@tipU will answer with a delegation link. Hope this helps!:)
This year made the strong stronger! So good to be able to live vicariously and get advice from our friends on the Blockchain!
The years to come could be the best yet if nothing more than our heightened appreciation of them! I bet you are glad to be semi se3cluded in upstate NY! Always looks awesome.
Hey buddy,@zekepickleman , ya know I think you are right. When the stuffing hits the fan, I tend to get braver and tougher. I think I take after my dad. He was tough, never gave up.
What a blessing our farm is right now more than ever. Our #2 son just asked us yesterday if he could build his own house up here on our property. Imagine that. This place is secluded.
We said sure, of course. Bring those little ones to grammy's house anytime.😊💖
As if this post wasn't sweet enough without that last message. What a beautiful place you live in.. and go herbs.. x
Good morning, I think sweet memories sustain us after we have lost loved ones. Having little knickknacks around
Yay! 🤗
Your post has been boosted with Ecency Points.
Continue earning Points just by using https://ecency.com, every action is rewarded (being online, posting, commenting, reblog, vote and more).
Support Ecency, check our proposal:
Ecency: https://ecency.com/proposals/141
Hivesigner: Vote for Proposal
Walk in nature always does me the world of good, your garden looks amazing being in a secluded area, I could really enjoy that!
Perfume from ever giving flowers and plants another stop off to enjoy at different times of the year.
Nice getting to know you @farm-mom learned of your maple syrup adventures through you hubby's posts, keep going strong!
Hello There @joanstewart, thanks for the comment.
For me there's nothing better than a walk in the woods to clear my head. The fresh air, the birds, the animals, mostly deer, and the streams . It's just so peaceful.
Making our own syrup is quite an adventure. Lots of fun, something we look forward every year.
Enjoy the upcoming weekend.
Using what nature offers is rewarded after all work is said and done, never easy.
End of day quiet walk, or early morning to clear ones head to greet local wildlife see who is coming and going changes daily, a tranquil life many yearn for.
!ENGAGE 20
ENGAGEtokens.