Create Personal Space During Quarantine

Anyone starting to feel a little stir crazy and irritated with the people in your home during the quarantine? Anyone?

I am sure it's not just me. Or my boys. Or my husband.

We've had lots of togetherness over the past few days, and now that our travel plans have been postponed, we have much more time planned in the near future.

In my house, it's really easy to start driving each other a little batty when we are all together for long periods of time. So, I've compiled a list of things we can all do to create space with one another as we are in for a long haul of togetherness.

1.) Plan for a quiet time each day. Something we have done regularly on weekends and days off is to plan for a quiet hour during the afternoons. Everyone has their own spot in the house to do a quiet activity. It's the perfect time to quietly read a book, take a nap or watch a show. We usually do this around 1 or 2pm in the afternoon.

2.) Plan for quiet time in the evening. Unless we are watching a movie together, we all find a way to indulge in our own activities. The boys have favorite shows and toys in their rooms, I tend to write in my journal or watch my own guilty pleasure TV.

3.) Create fun activities to do as a family or together. Usually, we do better with structured activities during the day that takes the pressure off of feeling bored. Hikes, nature walks, games (scrabble anyone?!) making muffins, cooking dinner, creating art...

4.) Escape with a book (if your household will let you). If you have little kids, this isn't as easy but if you can, this is a great way to create space.

5.) Go for walks in your neighborhood alone and if you have kiddos leave them home with your spouse (and then offer for your partner to take a walk on his/her own). Give yourself 15 to 30 minutes to breath in fresh air and connect in with your surroundings.

6.) Give yourself 10 minutes in the morning and evening for a grounding meditation. It will do wonders for your psyche.

Do you have any other ways you create space when there's a lot of togetherness going on? I'd love to hear your ideas in the comments!

P.S. If you want just a little more brightness and ideas as we navigate our new normal, come join the More Glow + More Love + More Magic Facebook Group. It's a free group and a high vibe space.

10 Ways to Handle Our Fear

The past week in Nashville, Tennessee and throughout the world has been filled with fearful moments, and I've had a lot of opportunity to grapple with my fear in a very overt way. Tornadoes, heavy storms, and a global virus scare can really get your mind going, ya know?

As I write, the boys haven't been in school since Thursday and Costco might still be out of toilet paper. I can't stop reading the news (which, if you know me, you know I don't read the news). Facebook has gotten too much for me. When I go out, I look at people suspiciously. "Did you wash your hands?".... "Did you wash your

hands?" .... "Please go wash your hand." These are my thoughts as we walk by strangers.

The threat of getting sick makes me stop. I have two autoimmune diseases, and while I think I would fair ok if I did get the virus, I stop to think about myself with underlying autoimmune conditions, and my parents, who both have heart conditions. I don't think I am being dramatic in my thoughts, or actions. I haven't joined the toilet paper panic (which by the way, no worries if you did... I have a thought on this below, and you can always use toilet paper).

Over the past week, two very real, uncontrollable threats have gotten me to think about fear in a new way. People all around me could get sick AND my house could get blown over. I have a feeling you are experiencing something similar in your world.

We have every right to fear the unknown. In fact, it's human nature. It's human nature to take something like the coronavirus and fear it immensely. I mean, the only way to protect ourselves is to not touch things and wash our hands, and freak out about it. This feels like very minimal protection. It makes sense that we would feel out of control.

Tornadoes do the same thing. We have no control over a giant storm blowing our homes over. Any natural disaster causes a reaction like this. We have no control. And, feeling out of control leads to fear. When we are afraid, we start to behave in whatever way we can to protect ourselves. Like, buy copious amounts of toilet paper.

(Thought on the toilet paper mass purchasing- When everyone around you is mass purchasing an everyday item with the threat of an uncontrollable thing coming... you start to think maybe you need copious amounts of the item too. You don't think about the fact that a two week supply might not be as much as you are actually purchasing. You just know you don't want to be without. And THAT makes it easy to jump on the bandwagon.)

But the problem with fear is that it leads to worry. Worry leads to stress. Stress leads to an internal physical reaction in our bodies. Stress leads to low immunity. And things keep going downhill from there.

What do we do with this fear? How do we ride the wave without falling? How do we know we over reacting or under reacting?

Here's 10 things I recommend, specifically regarding the Coronavirus:

1.) Set times during your day, preferably not just after you wake up and not an hour before bed to read or watch the news. Check the news three times a day if you can, and then let it go. If there is a mass announcement, you will find out somehow or another. The school system will call, or a family member will call.

2.) Be prepared, but don't get sucked into mass purchasing. Try to get yourself a stock of items to get you through a few weeks. I recommend vegetable broth, rice, beans and some frozen fruit and veggies. Frozen meat isn't a bad idea either. At this point our water, gas and electricity supply doesn't sound like it is going to be effected, so whatever water we use and the ways we cook our food- we are good. And, if you have Prime or Whole Foods Prime Now and they are still delivering, use them (as long as the prices seem fair).

3.) Set boundaries with social media if the memes and articles are getting to you. If you are finding that your feed is causing you to feel anxious, take a social media break completely or just check in a couple times of day.

4.) Set boundaries with people if you are over the conversation. Change the subject, or say something to the effect of: "Let's talk about something else, this conversation isn't good for my health."

5.) Tune back into you. Write in your journal, take candlelit baths (or showers), drink tea, listen to music, do some yoga at home, meditate, read a good book instead of getting on your phone or computer or the news stations.

6.) Do things for your body you can control. If you doctor recommends supplements- take them. Get good sleep. Cut back on coffee and sugar if you can. Set boundaries with the stuff that stresses you out. Settle your para-sympathetic system. Carry hand sanitizer if it is available. Do all the things the CDC is recommending.

7.) Give yourself a break. This stuff is real. And it's scary. It's easy to get trapped into fear.

8.) Make intuitive and educated decisions, specifically regarding crowds and being around people. We are people in movement these days. It's a big ask to halt all that you do unless the government says we have to. Make decisions based on what you know and also what you know about your own body.

9.) Recognize when you are experiencing fear and honor that feeling. I mean... it's scary times right now. Fear is a normal reaction.

10.) Find ways to not isolate yourself. Community is a good thing right now. Even if you have to be creative and meet your community online. Connection is needed in fearful times.

I am here with you in love and in community.

With love and abundance,

Katherine

Your Baseline, It Doesn't Have to Equal So-So

I've been doing my best work at 3AM over the past few days. That's when this gem popped up in my head: "Your Baseline Doesn't Have to Be Crap, or Even So-So, Your Baseline Can Be Fabulous."

Let me explain...

I'm in the middle of a sorta detox. Sorta because the REAL detox won't happen for a bit, but I've already started in small ways to get the process going. And, the sorta detox is causing me to have wicked weird dreams and insomnia.

This week, after about 9 months of encouragement from my functional medicine doctor to get the test done, I was diagnosed with mold toxicity. And not, like "Hey, you've got a little mold in your system," toxicity but "Holy moly, you are at the top amounts of mold in your system for each and every type of mold" toxicity.

To be honest, up until this week, I didn't want to know. I had been putting off the test for months because I didn't want to know. I used the excuse that the test was expensive (it was) and that it was too much work (peeing in a cup, freezing it and going to FedEx was beyond what I could accomplish. If you know me personally, you'll know going to mail something is the hardest for me... I don't know why. I ended up doing a blood test that cost a bit more, but I avoided FedEx!)

Over the past few years my baseline has ebbed and flowed, but in the past year or so, I've really struggled. I was consistently feeling like crap.

And, I had tried lots of things. Changed my diet, did therapy for my low lying depression and anxiety (which helped immensely because I had other stuff going on too), worked with a health coach (who was fabulous), changed my supplements, did IV therapy, and started spending time in a dry sauna.

All good things, by the way. But my baseline was still just so-so fairing to crap, and I really had no idea. You know when you are living life to the best of your ability but you just can't figure out what the heck is going on? You chalk it up to life... I have busy, energetic twins. My husband is gone at work for days at a time. I am launching 2 distinct businesses... the list goes on. It's just life.

The symptoms I've experienced, which change daily, have included asthma, weird rashes and yeast problems (which are caused by Candida- also something that is common with mold toxicity). I have also experienced joint and muscle pain, felt like I was 80 and not 42, had increased irritability, anxiety and depression and felt like my world was going to go completely gray. Brain fog has started to cloud my mind. By 7PM I have usually been knackered. I craved heavy carbs, sugar and wine, feel completely despondent and enjoyed pizza a little more than I needed to. Oh, and I gained like 25 pounds.

By the way, these are just my symptoms. During my 3AM bouts I have been reading about mold toxicity and it effects people differently.

Where did the mold come from? My bet is that I've been accumulating it for years. My boyfriend's apartment flooded in Texas while I was in college... who knows how much mold was in that place. I lived in a very old apartment building in Cambridge, Massachusetts and you could smell the mildew and mold in the basement laundry room. We had black mold in our house next to our windows in Alaska (condensation and blackout shades caused the issue) that I cleaned without a mask. I love coffee, mushrooms and blue cheese. And, because I have a compromised immune system, I probably wasn't processing all of that shit I was breathing in or inadvertently touching.

I've been trying to figure out these symptoms for years, and I am really glad that I am finally ready to make some changes. Now that I am ready, I have to have my current home tested for mold before diving into full treatment. The treatment won't work unless where I am living is mold free.

In the meantime, I've started some supplements and changed my diet enough that I am experiencing some detox symptoms. Hence the 3AM wake ups.

And here's the thing I've been really thinking about. It doesn't matter if you have the same thing going on as me. What matters is if your baseline is so-so fairing to crap too. My current baseline is related to my health, which is huge, but someone else's baseline could be related to their work life, or their home life or their romantic life. These are huge too. All of these things contribute to our lives, and if the baseline is not feeling good, where do we go from there? How are our lives effected by our current baselines? Mine is impacted in lots of different ways.

I strongly believe in rest, light exercise (in nature if possible), meditation, eating foods that nourish your body and seeking support. I'm on that quest to bring my baseline up- so that my life is happier and more connected. That has been my mode for years.

If you would like some support increasing your baseline- especially if your baseline is low regarding your work life, romantic life or home life, reach out to me at info@katherinephifer.com. We'll find a way to boost it.

Oh! And I absolutely love my Glow Mediation. It's one of my favorite things I've created. If you don't already have this, it will support you in a metaphysical way to boost that baseline too.