
lynneeveratt
Time to put on your mental sweat pants
The new normal is getting old. Fast. Even Vogue editor Anna Wintour is wearing sweat pants. “I think a lot of us are mentally exhausted,” says Vaile Wright of the American Psychological Association, acknowledging that the background noise of pandemic stress is continuously draining us with its drumbeat of dread mixed with the ongoing drone of uncertainty. Please don't beat yourself up if you find yourself lying in bed in the morning pondering everything that you would have accomplished by that hour in a previous life. As the realization sinks in that we're only a few steps into what will likely be a marathon journey, it's more important than ever to put on our mental sweat pants and be gentle with ourselves as we try, and sometimes fail, to choose habits, pastimes, and ways of thinking that support our good health. The 5-Minute Recharge is here to help you select the best mental sweat pants with evidence-based tips, encouragement, and wellness tools. Let's get started! ONE TREE-HUGGING QUOTE “When you hug [a tree], you feel it first in your toes and then up your legs and into your chest and then up into your head. It’s such a wonderful feeling of relaxation and then you’re ready for a new day and new challenges.”
― Þór Þorfinnsson, a forest ranger in Iceland, recommends the 5-minute tree charge. Þór also suggests that you close your eyes and press your cheek against the trunk
