Stress-Busting Tips for COVID + Wildfires

What a Summer: COVID + Wildfires!

Just when you didn’t think it could get any crazier, it did! We have all been dealing with the threat of COVID-19 since February and now we have added in lightning strikes reminiscent of the East Coast, but they are happening in Northern California, so the consequences are much more catastrophic. Life does go on and we are sharing some great stress-busting techniques specifically for summer to help you cope through these surreal times.

 

Summer Stress-Busting Techniques

This takes some ingenuity when you attempt to come up with stress-busting techniques that are great for summer, include social distancing, are fun, and keep you out of smoke-filled air. But I think we’ve done a pretty good job coming up with ideas that are healthy, can reduce stress, and maybe put a smile on your face!

 

Make 5-Minute Gelato!

Both Chris at Shared Appetite and Nona at Rossella’s Cooking with Nonna has some great ideas for quick gelato or ice cream made with olive oil without all the fuss and time investment that churned ice cream takes to prepare.

This recipe goes together so quickly and tastes so good. We also provide some variations we have tried from Chris’s recipe and also Nona’s recipe below:

Ingredients:

• 14 ounces of sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups heavy cream

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl whisk together the condensed milk, extra virgin olive oil, and vanilla extract until fluffy and fully mixed. Set aside. This is the time to add any other ingredients. Some suggestions for other ingredients we have used are: almond extract substituted for vanilla extract, Kaluha substituted for vanilla extract or any other flavorful liquor, shaved chocolate, any minced nuts such as macadamia, cashews, or peanuts. Your imagination is your only barrier to ingredients that can be added, they just need to be fully mixed into the mixture and be light enough that they distribute well and don’t sink to the bottom.
2. In another mixing bowl, we suggest a chilled metal bowl, beat the heavy cream with an electric mixer until it forms peaks.
3. Fold the whipped cream into the condensed milk mixture about 1/3 at a time. Pour into a loaf pan and cover with plastic wrap. Freeze overnight or for at least 6 hours.
4. Remove and scoop out the ice cream you want to serve a couple of minutes before so it gets to be the right consistency.

Additions you can make to this recipe when serving are only limited by your imagination. Here are some of our favorite serving additions:

• Chopped peanuts, flaky sea salt, and shaved chocolate
• Cold coffee, shaved chocolate, and whipped cream
• Sautéed strawberries with Triple Sec and whipped cream
• Sautéed chopped peaches, brown sugar and rum and then topped with whipped cream
• Peanut butter and flaky sea salt
• Most any chopped nuts you love, add a drizzle of olive oil and dust with flaky sea salt

 

Have A Picnic

If the air quality is good you can have your picnic outside and if not you can spread out a checkered tablecloth on the living room floor and have an impromptu picnic indoors! What great way to highlight your day than to take your lunch outdoors, breathe in the fresh air, and soak up the sunshine!

An alternative idea is to have a late-night picnic under the stars, air quality is usually better as temperatures cool and it’s a novel way to stargaze and have an evening dinner picnic! Studies suggest that vitamin D can help symptoms of depression, and picnics are a great alternative to eating indoors and most of us agree that food served outdoors just tastes better. You can social distance, eat great food, sip some wine, and try some of the 5-minute gelato that we shared above!

 

Exercise–Keep It Cool & Slow

To lower stress, it’s important to keep your exercise on the slow and cool side, both because of hot temperatures but also because you want to ground and slow yourself down so you practice being in the present moment. Worry takes you into the past and the future and takes a huge amount of energy. So yoga, taking a stroll in the evening when the air quality is better and temperatures are lower, is a great plan. Take an evening swim or a stroll along the beach, both are grounding and lets you stargaze at the same time.

Walking for just 30 minutes can relax your mind while boosting your mood. With every step you take, your body releases natural pain-killing endorphins that help reduce your stress level and brings you back into present moment and out of worry. Walking meditation is one of my favorite ways of being outdoors, slowing things down, meditating while getting some exercise–give it a try if you haven’t tried it before!

 

Get Your Hands Dirty

Get outdoors and work in the garden. Whether it’s planting some seeds, pruning, or weeding, the activity of digging in the dirt and getting your hand dirty is very grounding! Gardening is the perfect way to spend time in nature while enhancing your landscaping or reaping the benefits of homegrown vegetables.  This therapeutic activity can ease stress and improve your mood very quickly.

 

Try Meditation

Even if you have never meditated before, trying meditation even for 5 minutes during the day, lowers your heart rate, helps repair neural pathways, gives you a sense of calm, and helps you concentrate better after meditating. There are so many great apps these days for the beginner to the more experienced meditator, such as Calm, Insight Timer, Breathe, Meditate Me, Oak, gthx, and Chopra Center has 21 free meditations they make available also.

 

Try a Gratitude Journal

A gratitude list really helps you reflect on what is positive in your life. It is a great way of training your brain not to worry and to focus on what is good. A gratitude list also doubles as a journal and it’s interesting to go back and read previous gratitude lists or gratitude journals to see where your life was at in the past and to see how you have grown.

No matter what, please know that Crystal Clear Home is here for you. We will help you get your house back in order after the evacuation, do a deep clean to help get rid of smoke residue, and take one more thing off your plate so you can spend time doing what you love! Give us a call at 707-827-3316 or fill our contact form or free estimate form and one of cleaning team will be back in touch promptly to answer your questions or give you a free estimate.