I want to thank those who have reached out to see if I’m ok but I really want to express my gratitude for those who have POSTED and SHARED words of support on social media. It makes all of us Jews feel safe and supported to have allies like you. (For those who have not said a word and keep posting your food, wellness, family, trips, etc… we see that too and it makes it hard to trust you.

I’ve been crying, scared and feeling helpless. Maybe you are feeling some of these things too? I’m trying not to watch too much news or be on social media and it’s challenging. I’ve hardly posted or shared anything about nutrition, health, wellness or recipes since October 7th. I haven’t been able to and honestly, it’s still hard and feels super wrong. It shows what’s really important… and what’s not.

With that in mind, I wanted to share things that have helped me personally to calm my body, mind and spirit. 

I’ve been sharing them as individual reels on my IG too, so please check them out.
xo

There have been a few things that have helped me that might help you too. (besides the obvious: restricting social media/news consumption!)

1. Grounding.

The first is grounding. I’ve been doing this for years, but never has the effect been so profound or so obvious to me.

We recently were in LA for a Bat Mitzvah and were able to get to the beach every day. Walking on the beach, feet in the water, connecting with the earth is so powerful.

Some Benefits of Grounding include

• reducing stress
• managing anxiety
• improving emotional regulation
• improving sleep
• reducing inflammation
• decreasing pain

If you aren’t by a coast, no problem! Take off your shoes & socks and walk barefoot in your yard. Don’t have a yard? Go barefoot at a park. Live in the Lower East Side and the only parks are paved and/or sketchy? Get a grounding mat! I have one in my sauna that I love and use in the wintertime. 

Just trust me on this and give it a try! Let me know how it goes! Oh and it’s free!

2. Movement

Move your body! When we are in a state of fear (or horror, deep sadness, overwhelm, etc.), we are not in our body. Most any kind of exercise releases endorphins and boosts mood. Although a group workout or video is fine, my personal preference is a walk outside in nature. Nature walks have been shown to help patients with mental conditions like anxiety, depression and stress and also helps physical symptoms like obesity and heart disease.
I walk around my neighborhood every day and when time allows, I go to a local park or nature preserve area. Getting more oxygen, sunshine (Vitamin D!), fresh air and exercise is a winning combination. 

3. Breathwork.

I’m going to be honest here, my 20-60 minute meditation practice has gone out the window since having 3 children. I’m lucky if I get to sit on my meditation pillow for 5 minutes. But something I AM able to do is shorter breathwork sessions here and there. When I feel myself getting super upset or overwhelmed, I stop and do this:

• Inhale for a count of 4
• Hold for a count of 7
• Exhale for a count of 8
• Repeat 2-3 times

That’s it! You can do it anywhere. I’ve taught this sequence in workshops at Google and other corporate & group settings to great effect, and use it with my individual clients as well.  Give it a try. It really works to center and calm you quickly. 

4. Sauna

These days I’m upping my self care game and have increased my sauna sessions.

Regular infrared sauna use has been shown to:

• Boost mood (absolutely necessary, these days!)
• Fight chronic fatigue (anyone else dealing with this?!) 
• Decreases depression, anxiety and stress
• Reduce risk of dying from a heart attack by 27%
• Increase endurance by 32%
• Help protect against dementia
• Lead to better sleep
• Reduce pain
• Assist with weight loss 
• Improve skin tone 
• Boost circulation
• Flush out toxins 

I have a discount code for you too: abbyphon.com/therasage

5. Eat Right

Eat healthy, nourishing foods.

When we are grieving, depressed, down and sad, it’s common to not eat at all, or eat fast food or processed/junk food. But both will leave you feeling even worse! Stick with whole foods. Root veggies are particularly grounding, but anything with fiber in it (like leafy veggies) will help moderate blood sugar spikes which can exacerbate an emotional rollercoaster.

I have an Organifi green juice every day, so at least I’m getting something healthy into my body. It’s super easy, fast, and costs about $1 or 2 a serving versus $10 -$15 if I went to a juice bar and got one! They also gave me a discount for you. Use code ABBY.

6. Take Action

The last thing to combat a feeling of helplessness is to take action. I’ve donated directly to organizations and causes that are helping on the ground, and used my platform to share information and resources. I’ve also been relying much more on my Reiki practice.

For those not familiar with Reiki, it’s a form of energy healing through which the universal Life Force energy can be harnessed and channeled to promote healing and reduce stress. It’s often used in a one-on-one setting, but can have powerful benefits in a group setting as well.

To that end, I’d love to invite you all to a free group Reiki session focusing on healing emotions & stress surrounding the current situation in Israel and beyond.

I will announce it soon so follow me on IG @abbyphon for more details!