I’m not gonna lie, it’s been a really strange time. To stay grounded, I’ve been practicing what I preach and to be present and serve as a reliable resource. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve probably seen me meditating and practicing yoga with my cats climbing on me and cooking up meals with a mix of fresh and shelf-stable essentials. Part of me was nervous about sharing pictures and videos because right now my home is nowhere near as clean as I’d like (had to make room for those emergency supplies to help reduce trips to the store), but I’d rather share the real deal rather than some curated quarantine highlight reel.On the plus side, my cats are very happy that both of their humans are home a lot more right now—I’ve been soaking in all the kitty snuggles.

I know that stress and anxiety levels around COVID-19 are really high, so this week on the blog, I wanted to collect together a bunch of the resources I’ve created and contributed to to help you stay well and feel calm. 

Immune System Support: 

A few weeks shared some tips for supporting the immune system and managing stress. You can check it out here.

I was also interviewed by Prevention magazine about what to feed your immune system. And in this Tasty Bytes magazine article, I’m sharing tips for dealing with stress eating.

Healthy Eating and Productivity When You’re Working From Home:

Being out of your routine and coping with the stress surrounding the pandemic can make it hard to focus on work—and that’s before you factor in things like school closings or disruptions to the support you rely on. It can also be tough on your mental, physical and emotional wellbeing. Even those who are accustomed to working remotely may find it more difficult to function with the added anxiety and uncertainty. It’s also completely normal to feel you’re struggling more than usual with things like stress eating, comfort food cravings, disrupted sleep and difficulty focusing on work. In this Forbes Women story I share my top tips for feeling more grounded and focused and managing stress.

As we do our part to flatten the curve by participating in social distancing and limiting trips to the grocery store, shelf-stable foods can help. Canned foods are a staple for a lot of us right now so Mindbodygreen is doing a series called “Nutritionists Open Up A Can…” (and yes, it’s SO hard for me not to add the “of whoop-ass!” part). I’m quoted in this one about chickpeas and tinned fish. Much more to come.

Stress Management:  

All the research I did for The Little Book Of Game Changers: 50 Healthy Habits For Managing Stress & Anxiety has certainly come in handy in recent weeks. You can snag your copy on Amazon if you want more. 

When Simple Habit reached out to me about creating a new meditation and contributing to an article about staying calm and well during the pandemic, I got right to work writing and recording. Both resources are available for free on their website and app right now: 

• Meditation: Overcome Your Fear Of Sickness
• 5 Tips To Ease Anxiety About The Coronavirus

When I sat down to record an interview with host Erik Fisher of the Beyond the To-Do List podcast in February, we had no idea how relevant our discussion about stress and anxiety management would become in just a few weeks. You can check it out here. 

Want To Cook Your Feelings? 

I was joking the other day about how I’ve totally been cooking my feelings, and it turns out that my feelings are really garlicky. Here are some of my favorite soups, and one of my favorite bean-based dishes. 

On the sweet side, I just made this gluten-free banana bread with the overripe bananas. 

Certain foods can also benefit our stress response and help us feel calmer. In this podcast episode I talk about the food-mood connection. 

Brand New: Break The Stress Eating Cycle Online Course 

I’ve been dropping hints for a while now, and while I wasn’t planning to launch until later this spring, I’ve gotten so many DMs and emails for people about struggling with stress eating, I decided to make this available sooner. I’m thrilled to announce that next week, I’m opening the doors to my online course, Break The Stress Eating Cycle.  It was originally going to be a 4-week course to launch later this year, but I have been getting so many messages struggling with stress eating, I decided to open doors now and make all of the content available at once for those who need support ASAP.

Through video lessons, guided meditations, and worksheets, you’ll learn to identify your unique stress eating patterns, formulate and fine-tune a plan, and set yourself up for long term success. You’ll also get access to a private Facebook group where you can get support and engage with others. Email [email protected] to get on the waitlist.