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Emerging from COVID-19 with Confidence

Have you ever watched a butterfly emerge from its cocoon? It struggles against the hardened shell of the chrysalis — pushing and relaxing and pushing again — until finally breaking open and freeing itself from the shell.

Does that sound like something you might be feeling as we emerge from the isolation of COVID-19? For some of us, it, too, is a struggle. Even positive change can provoke anxiety, which is often driven by uncertainty, so “adjusting to our new normal” may be challenging.

Robert Cappuccio, VRC’s Director of Coaching, Cultural Development and Behavior Change, helped us put things in perspective.

“Our environment dramatically affects our mental state and therefore our behaviors. And when our environment becomes highly unpredictable due to factors outside of our control, that threatens one of our primal universal needs, which is, security, safety… we all want to feel a sense of safety.”

Robert and other experts agree that the key to taming uncertainty is to take a good look at our values: what is it that’s really important to each of us?

“Think about a time in your life where things were amazing. What were the emotions you were feeling, what activities were you consistently engaged in, who was there, and what was going on in your environment. There are a lot of clues as to what you value.”

Friends, family, and community members whom you trust can help you clarify your values, and so can the VEBA Resource Center (VRC).

“The VRC and I strongly agree that when you exercise your values and you express them out in the world, they are expressed as your unique signature strengths. Another question is, ‘Can you remember a time where things were unpredictable, where you were afraid, where you did feel threatened, yet you persevered?’ Well, if you look at what you did to get through that, a lot of times you’ll see that those were signature strengths that you’ve utilized in almost every challenging circumstance throughout your life, and you’ll see a pattern there, and those strengths emerge from what you value.”

Robert cautions that successfully emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be boiled down to a general list of tips. The journey is different for each of us. However, the ideas shared below help provide a strong foundation.

  1. Set realistic expectations: We have enough going on right now without adding pressure to get this done immediately. Think about your values like a stew. Put in some ingredients and let it simmer.
  2. Exercise: This will get you out of your head.
  3. Eat Well: Fruits, vegetables, protein, and whole grains (cut back on refined sugars) help fuel your comeback. Find a new recipe to try here.
  4. Sleep: Put away your electronics at least one hour before heading to bed and aim for at least seven (7) hours of real sleep. Here are some tips on sleep from the VRC.
  5. Community: Reach out to friends, family, groups you enjoy. Reconnecting with each other will help us feel supported.

“Think of the VRC kind of like a carpenter: the tools in the toolbox are not houses and the houses have no value until somebody moves in and says, ‘This is where I’m going to raise my family (a values-driven statement).’ It all starts with how we use this combination of tools to build what we truly want. The VRC gives you the tools so you can build whatever result you want in your life, not just related to health and wellness, but you as a whole person.”

Emerging wholly — like the butterfly — feels even more possible when you have the support you need. Learn more here about the VRC’s Care Navigation program and schedule your one-on-one session with a Care Navigator today.

4 Tips for Improving the Quality and Quantity of Sleep

Sleep is an important part of your overall physical and mental health. Depending on how well you sleep can determine how you feel during the day. It helps your body to recover after a workout, sickness or surgery. It helps your brain reset and create new pathways which helps you learn, make decisions easier and retain information better. Sleep deficiency, on the other hand, has been linked to obesity, heart and kidney disease, diabetes and even stroke. 

In order to get a good night’s sleep every night, consider these four tips from VEBA Resource Center’s Director of Coaching, Robert Cappuccio, to improve the quality and quantity of your nightly ZZZ’s. 

Tip #1: Stage Your Sleep Environment

Where you sleep can make a huge difference in how you sleep. About an hour before you are ready for bed, shut off the TV and electronic devices — including your phone! Then, when you are ready to hit the sack, make sure you make your room as dark as possible. Pull the shades, close the blinds and maybe get a sleep mask. 

Another tip to make your sleep sound is to keep your room cool. According to Chris Winter, MD, president of Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine in Virginia, your room temperature should be set between 60 – 67 degrees Fahrenheit, with the ideal for improving sleep quality being 65 degrees. Helping your core temperature drop, which naturally happens during sleep, can help you fall asleep faster.

Tip #2: Stay Active

It may seem a little counter-intuitive — get active to sleep better. Daily movement, not too close to bedtime, helps promote better sleep. Just 30 minutes per day of moderate aerobic exercise can positively impact sleep quality, according to Charlene Gamaldo, M.D., medical director of Johns Hopkins Center for Sleep at Howard County General Hospital. Pick an exercise you like and try to do it every day for better sleep.

Tip #3: Get Outside

It’s also important to soak up the sun! A Finnish study published in the Journal of Neuroendocrinology found that when two groups of rats were exposed to the same amount of light, one group fluorescent, the other natural sunlight, after one week the group that was exposed to natural sunlight produced significantly more melatonin than the group exposed to artificial light. Melatonin is a hormone produced by the Pineal gland that among other things, helps to regulate sleep-wake cycles in the body. Try and get outside everyday to help your sleep journey.

Tip #4: Keep a Worry Journal

Do your worries or what you need to do the next day keep you awake at night? Before bedtime write down the most pressing worries of the day. Also, make a to-do list for the next day and prioritize the top 2-3 items. This way you can file your worries and priorities away for the next day, so they don’t take up any mental bandwidth in your mind at night.

As you embark on your health journey, be sure to include sleep as part of the equation. For more tips on a good night’s sleep, read How to Get Good, Quality Sleep or watch “How to Get Quality Sleep” to reinforce the importance of journaling before bed.

Adjust to Attain

Setting goals is a great way to create momentum for better performance, long-term vision and ultimately success. However, writing down a goal and actually following through to achievement are two different things. Instead of giving up on a goal, consider adjusting your approach so you are able to attain it. Here are some ways you can adjust your goals to make them happen.

Write down your goal. If you haven’t already, make sure you have written down your goal. Get specific. State the goal, spell out what achievement looks like and select a date by when you want to achieve it. Then, put it in a place where you can see it — tape it to your bathroom mirror, stick it in your journal, change your screensaver on your computer or phone. Seeing your goal every day will remind you of what you want to achieve.

Create a plan. After you write down your goal, think about how you are going to achieve it. Take some time to create a plan, and then take the first step toward your goal. Sometimes, even the best intentions can get thwarted. If you have a plan in place on how to achieve your goals, you can be prepared for situations that might take you off course. Each day, think about your plan and put it into action.

Set mini-goals. Be careful of an all-or-nothing approach when trying to reach your goals. Chances are as you set to reach your ultimate goal, you will need to try something new or swap out one habit for another. Create a list of milestones that will lead to achieving your ultimate goal and then set out to complete them. As you begin to check each of these mini-goals off your list, you will gain momentum, giving you a better chance of reaching your final destination.

Get your attitude in check. Sometimes the biggest obstacle in trying to achieve a goal is one’s self. If you are getting frustrated or feel like your goal is unattainable, it’s time to take a break, reassess and reset. Stay away from the negative phrases and focus on all of the positive elements of setting and achieving your goal.

For more tips and advice on achieving your goals this year, read these articles:

Using the GROW Model to Achieve Your Goals in the New Year

As seasons change, new opportunities, as well as challenges, may surface. The more clarity you have about where you are with your personal goals, ambitions and struggles, the better prepared you will be to move forward with confidence. As obstacles and unforeseen roadblocks arise, you can adjust and get back on track to move toward your desired destination. 

One way to help map out your personal journey is to use the GROW Model as explained by VEBA Resource Center’s Director of Coaching, Robert Cappuccio. Somewhat like a compass, the GROW Model will help you set your direction. Developed by Sir John Whitmore and Graham Alexander, this tool has been utilized by individuals and organizations across the world to identify what they want and to establish strategies to attain their goals.

GROW stands for:

  • Goal. Ask yourself what you want to achieve or experience over the next year. Do you want to read more books? Expand your skillset at work? Strengthen relationships with your friends or family? Once you are clear about what you want, examine the reality of that goal.
  • Reality. Consider your goal and ask yourself what in your life is preventing you from achieving it? Do you have any constraints, that if they didn’t exist, would pave the way for you to achieve your most important outcomes this year? Are there people standing in your way?
  • Options. Now that you have your goal in mind and have thought about your reality, brainstorm five strategies to help you overcome the constraints of success or jot down options you believe will help you achieve your desired outcome. Come up with your ideas quickly and without judgement — no idea is a bad idea!
  • Will. Take a specific and measurable action toward your goal. Ask yourself if any of the ideas resonated with you as a possible way forward. You aren’t obligated to use any of them —  you can come up with a different idea. It doesn’t have to be perfect. The momentum you gain from the lessons you learn from an imperfect idea offers far more value than a better, yet unexecuted, one.

Whatever idea you choose, make sure you are specific about what actions you’ll take, when you will take them and how you’ll measure success. 

For more from Robert Cappuccio on overcoming obstacles and creating better habits, check out his videos “You Got This” and “CORE Habits”.