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Covid-20

Written by Gina Rydin

Covid-20 May be a new epidemic.  This year of 2020 has seen more isolation, social distancing, stress, anxiety, loneliness and economic pressure than previously experienced world wide.

The news daily giving daunting details of an illness most do not understand.  The dangers that affect all countries, people, and ethnic backgrounds.  This virus is bringing about such dread and fear that people are experiencing a stress.  Comfort sought sometimes in unhealthy ways.

Some people are gaining weight due to stress and isolation.  Being home is new for many, the stress is compounded by boredom.  Due to the need for comfort some are eating more, unaware of grazing-like activities.  They nervously grab a handful of cereal, some candy, some chips.  Never quite satisfied wanting more, eating more.  Continually, greedily, stressfully looking for more to eat. Feeling so stressed searching for something as the hand meets the mouth with longed for comfort that eludes… .
The Covid-20 may not be everyone’s reality.  Yet, it will affect many, only time will reveal how mankind has been affected by this epidemic.
Gaining weight is unhealthy for most. It should be noted once the habits that contribute to weight gain go on blindly practiced it just compounds an already unhealthy situation.
Good News!  I am aware of many that are still mindful of making healthy food choices.  People whom are still taking walks or going for bike rides.  Are these people the same ones whom have maintained healthy diet and exercise routines for years?  I am not sure, yet, there are many I know that do not want to gain weight whom do strive to eat a healthful diet and they make an effort to exercise most days.

With many children and young people  being restricted from normal activities they may be potential candidates for weight gain.  As parents we have the responsibility to find ways to get our children out in the fresh air and to get exercise.  For growth, brain health and immunity children need sunshine, fresh air, exercise, and stimulating challenges.  This also helps maintain a healthy esteem despite all the world’s present dangers and circumstances.
Parents, Adults and caregivers with responsibilities are under an inhumane amount of duress.  There is very little time to care for personal needs.  Their situation merits much compassion.  Small choices add up to big dividends. Making good food choices for self, healthy portion sizes and making time for exercize may help maintain a degree of sanity.  As many depend on you a parent or caregiver your not expendable.  Involve others in your exercise and healthy eating.
One trick that helps me in two ways is when I am almost done with my meal I set the timer on my phone for 2 hours and 25 minutes.

1.  This helps me to finish my meal w satisfaction and know that I am done eating. Yes, done eating.

2.  The second way it helps is that my sugar is not apt to go too low by then.  Therefore I can have a healthy snack and reset the timer for 2 hours and 25 minutes.

Breakfast 2:25 min a snack 2:25 min lunch 2:25 min afternoon snack 2:25 min supper and if you choose another 2:25 min a light snack in evening.  Amazingly this trick let’s me know I will not starve to death.  No nervous grazing like a cow.  No nibbling out of boredom, I have things I need to do.  Food should not be an obsession or a compulsion.  This timer method I use helps me not think of food.  It is very freeing.  By the way, I am losing weight and I have a lot of weight to lose.
Remember:  There was a time when hobbies,…clean hands keep the puzzles clean while we could be putting Them together.  Clean hands keep our knitting, crochet, or sewing projects respectfully clean.  Go ahead, make a rug or a quilt or do a woodworking project.
Children thrive with projects to work on why not make some time to get them busy.  Remember coloring books, word find books and crossword puzzles?  The workbooks of a child’s grade curriculum are great to have them do a couple pages each morning. It keeps their mind sharp and ready for school. I would get these workbooks at a bookstore and sometimes at wal mart.  Every summer my sons had these workbooks to do.
We live in historic times, let us not respond like victims. We can be survivors by making healthful choices.
Previously people did not have time to pursue hobbies.  During these uncertain times make time for hobbies.  They can keep our minds and bodies healthy.
A few things I am exploring is of course developing spiritual interests as Mathew 5:3 says Happy are those aware of their spiritual needs.  I read the Bible and look at the jw.org website which is always encouraging.  Another thing I am trying is a new Domestic routine.  Looking at small maintenance things that need done while I try to spring clean a room each month.  I want to make a dress and finish a few small projects. My challenge is always health, energy and stamina.  We all have challenges of sorts. That is why it is imperative that we have interests and goals we strive to practice and achieve.  All this is stimulating and satisfying.  Why not see what you can accomplish with joy!

Disclaimer:  Some people will succumb to Covid 19 and this is a very sad loss.  I am not a physician or healthcare practitioner.
Please consider your own situation because only you know your situation and I hesitate to advise.  Please talk to your physician or other responsible person before you change your situation.  This article is meant for healthful consideration. May you and yours be safe and healthy.
I, Gina Rydin decided to title the article  Covid 20 as we are living in 2020 and 20 may be an unhealthful weightgain for most.  It may be a reality for some.  Let’s work together to be healthful with good choices.

How do you keep your mind positive to deal with life’s realities?

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Life continues in a routine then something happens…the other shoe you anticipate in the back of your mind. You never know what and you strive not to be a pessimist.  Whom wants to be in expectation of gloom?.

Can we be in expectation of good?  How can we be recipients of good?

Imagine if you did not plant your garden because you believe a hurricane might come this year and wipe out your hard work. Denying ourselves the joy of gardening is a crime isn’t it.  I believe Jehovah told Adam to tend the garden.

Not only would you miss out on the joy of planning your garden, the joy of working it, and the joy of the harvest Through out the season.  Pessimism is the weed like effect in your garden of life.

We must root out the pessimism in our life.  There may be reasons we base our pessimism as if it were fact.

Disappointments, hardships, and life’s realities could cause us to feel we are protecting our heart and mind by not having false hopes.

When we have belief systems in place because of prior experience or propoganda. This is an infringement that does not leave us open.  For instance:  I was born blond and have always been blond.  However, I noticed those with deeper darker hair colors had others respect or confidence almost immediately.  I dyed my hair a deep brown.  Not only did I feel more confident, I noticed I was treated differently by the same people.  Suddenly, competent!  I am at my own hair color and happy about it.  Yet, I learned a lot about people’s preconcieved notions.

Another attitude is about overweight people. Having experienced the stress of my own obesity after prolonged medical problems and medications, I understand all overweight people are not that way because of excessive food or lack of exercise.  Some people are heavy because of medical problems and medications.  Some people are heavy because of overeating and a lack of exercize.  Do we really lose all our good qualities just because of a few extra pounds?.

If we believe “I will never be loved.”  We are telling ourselves a lie.  Maybe those whom were responsible to love an protect us have emotional damage themselves and they were not capable of love and approval.  We could not be more loveable if the person does not know how to love.  I felt unwanted and not loved as a child.  It does not mean I was not loved.  I have enjoyed loving and being loved.  Jehovah has taught me how.

“I am unorganized” is another belief.  Maybe you are unorganized!  I am also unorganized.  Good News!  We can be more organized by practicing principles of time management and of personal habits.  I am working this month to have an industrious morning routine.  The fact is, I am cluttered, unorganized, and still completely optimistic of all I ever intend to do.

We watched the movie “Pollyanna”, Haley Mills, what a love, you feel she must be a fun lovable person in real life.  I liked when she an orphan of a minister, was talking to the preacher, played by Karl Mauldin. She quoted from Abraham Lincoln, “if you always look for the bad in others, you will find it!”

I thought about this bad habit, if our habit is to look at ourself or a family member always seeing the bad, we will never see the good.

People are so bias, people like whom they like and will always recognize the good in them.  And when a person does not like you, they will always see everything you say and do in a negative light.  People are blind.

According to Jehovah all of us rank the same,  we are all equally flawed with sin.  If we want Jehovah to see the good in us, we need to see it in others.  If our dislike for another blinds us, we need to ask Jehovah to open our eyes and help us to recognize what he sees in them, so we can be free to love them too.  This includes, seeing ourselves more clearly.  If we view only the good we are blind, if we view only the bad we are blind and crippled.

It is frustrating, sometimes, we want to change all at once, it is quite a hopeless helpless state.  I have to beg Jehovah to help me see more accurately at times.

The end of this article is here, in conclusion, each day we are privileged to live, realistic expectations of ourselves and others makes for a joyful existence.  It is time to plant the seeds entrusted to us as we hope for a most beautiful bounty.

This article is Dedicated to all my Dear friends whom continue to encourage me.  And all whom read the articles, may your life be blessed with Joy and Optimism.

Focusing on what we think others see makes us blind to reality.

A number of us were at a friends playing cards and two times during the game she referred to her color at what I thought was unusual timing.  I did not like that aspect of playing a game with her, I felt it was almost manipulative and insulting to hear her statements, “Because I am _____….”  She was putting prejudices up before us that we did not notice or feel, but I felt she was prejudice.  I viewed her as a very intelligent attractive woman whom was good at cards.

I notice I do the same thing, when it comes to my weight.  I mention it all the time.  Just as this persons race seems to be on her own mind all the time, My view of myself as FAT is always on my mind.  This is unfair to those whom love us, it makes people uncomfortable to have such things referred to continually.  When we are around thin or fit people, is there a chance it wears them out to always have it referred to.  It is almost better to just tell them, Your very fit and you look good, is there a certain routine or program you do to keep yourself that way?  One woman at my cardiovascular surgeons office says she runs, and loves free weights.

Aren’t we so much more than our color, weight, or beauty?  It is whom we are, how we conduct our life, and the integrity we demonstrate in our daily dealings.  The front of a popular Running magazine had a heavier woman on it running, and people everywhere discussed it.  I feel she is the perfect role model for the fatfitanfab.com site.  She is demonstrating fitness by being out there doing it.  If you see an obese person out for a walk, give them the thumbs up!  It is not possible for a person to go from fat to thin in a day, but it is the habit of exercising and diet that makes a person fit.  If a person is overweight and walking a few days a week doesn’t that deserve commendation. If we know someone whom is obese, offer to go on a walk or bike ride with them.

Being overweight is not always because of unhealthy food choices or lack of activity.  I have a friend whom is quite overweight just because of her birth control.  Another person I know has problems with her thyroid, and for me, it is the combination of medications, injuries, operations, antibiotics, IV treatments, and topical steroids with antibiotic treatments.  Assuming another is heavy for discrediting reasons feeds them with some very discouraging notions, and it can effect their esteem.  Encouragement and interaction is the best way to help.

When my husband an I were out celebrating our anniversary, I was taken by surprise when a young man came up and said how beautiful I am.  Later he said it again, that he really meant it that I looked great in that dress and over all was very beautiful.  Before we left the house I felt like the big blonde in the blue dress.  It elated me to realize how wrong I was, it felt so good to hear something delightful and I decided to believe it.  My husband was there and later he said, “You really do look beautiful tonight and that dress looks great on you.”  The gift of positive words, we need to accept them graciously and feel good about them for a while. Why are we so ready to believe negative and reject the positive.  That is not fabulous living.

Blind people seem to see others best of all because they do not have the physical appearance serving up to be a barrier.  If we could make an effort to enjoy others of differing looks and backgrounds we may truly start seeing people.  Believing that all others see is our weight or color is an insult to them, and we sell ourselves short.  It not only demeans us, but them.  We must quit being blinded by shallow things.  If we can remember that others are more than what we see, and we are more than what they see, we will discover a substance worth knowing.