A Day in the Life of a (Quarantined) Naturopath
Dr. Jenna Rayachoti is a ray of sunshine in Seattle. The day I first met her we sat with cups of coffee - one healer meeting another - and I could sense immediately that I was sitting by a grounded, curious, creative woman. Knowing her expertise as a naturopathic doctor (ND), I wanted to hear from her how she was holistically caring for her body, mind and heart, and to share with us ideas for staying grounded. You can read more from her at her website, Dr. Jenna Rayachoti, or if you want a more tailored plan go see her in person! - Rachel Lund, Self Space Founder & Therapist
The quarantine has been well…..hard. I, like many others have experienced anger, sadness, hopelessness and had a deep sense of feeling quite lost. I’ve also had moments of uncontrollable laughter, gratitude and hope. I’m trying to allow myself to just be and to just feel for right now, as I navigate what it means to move forward into the uncertainty and hopefully into a new beginning for us all.
One thing that has helped me get through these last couple of months is developing a new routine, or at least some pieces of a new routine. Routines are not for everyone. For me, they help me stay focused so I can continue to work and take care of myself and be available to my family. So here’s some pieces of my new routine:
Movement
I’m focusing on doing daily movement that I love and not thinking about it as “exercise.” I get up and try to do a few sun salutations to get the blood flowing, to feel into my body a bit. I also have an old back injury, so this little bit of movement helps me when my regular massage therapy sessions and other self care routines are unavailable.
I also try to take a walk in the afternoon by myself or with my family. I’ve really been enjoying taking it slow and soaking up the full spring blooms. I’ve never had so much time to watch and experience each of the new flowers and trees that bloom each day, the new smells (lilacs right now!), and even the new sidewalk art of our little neighborhood artists. I’m thankful.
And some days, I really need a good sweat, so I’ll do a circuit or one of the many free classes online. When I think of movement that I love - it’s dancing. My recent favorite free class is Sweatfest with Ryan Heffington. It’s so much fun and he makes me laugh a lot. I feel so alive after dancing.
“That’s the goal right now - to allow the movement to make me feel alive.”
Fueling my body
I’m a naturopathic doctor, so naturally I lean towards putting nutritious foods in my body and staying hydrated when I feel lost, angry, hopeless. And it works for me. Lately, I’ve been trying to drink a full glass of water in the morning before my coffee, so I do that while my coffee brews and as I make my breakfast. I then sit down and drink my coffee and eat my breakfast.
“This is one of my keys to success - I eat breakfast. Usually with plenty of protein and fat. Food for my brain, and my “feel good” neurotransmitters and hormones.”
I also make sure to eat lunch. When I was in the office seeing patients for a full day, things would get really busy and I would often skip lunch or eat it way too late. And this was terrible for my focus and energy. But since being home, it’s quite easy to go into the kitchen and make myself lunch everyday. I’m big on food prep, so on Sundays I usually cut up a bunch of veggies that are ready to go to put on top of a bowl of greens and load it up with a homemade dressing and some fermented veggies (my favorite right now is Salsa Viva by Firefly Kitchens).
I also eat chocolate. Part of my afternoon routine has been to make myself a strong cup of mint or ginger tea and sit down with some dark chocolate. Food for my soul.
Inspiration & Reflection
I used to journal a lot when I was a girl. I used to pick up my diary and write in it for hours. I haven’t done that for years. But I decided that I wanted to start journaling and write down some of these thoughts, emotions, feelings that bubble up throughout the day and sometimes become overwhelming.
So last week was day 1 and I sat down and I just couldn’t write. I had so much to say and write down, but I couldn’t write a single word. I was eventually able to write down one sentence and then that helped to open up the floodgates. I told my therapist friend this and she said it’s really brave to write things down. I guess it is. So I’m continuing to be brave and write down what’s in front of me. Some days I write a lot and other days I don’t. Some days I cry a lot, followed by relief. I’m just going with it. It feels good to have this be a piece of my routine.
I’m also developing and growing an aspect of my business, so part of my weekly routine has been to brain dump on Sunday nights. I’m a list person so I write down and make a list of all the things that are on my mind or that I want to do in the next week. I most certainly don’t fit in all those things, but it helps me to plan, prioritize, and map out my week.
Do all of my days look like this? No. I need really messy days once in awhile, too - days that have no routine and no rules. But I’m also noticing that the days that I feel most productive and peaceful are the days that I incorporate the majority of my routine.
So I, just like many others, am learning about myself and the world around me everyday of this quarantine. I’m allowing myself to feel and experience the whole range of my emotions and learning to be OK with the unknown and uncertainty. And holding onto what makes me truly happy and what makes me feel truly at ease and comforted. And at the end of this quarantine, I hope to carry these insights into the new beginning.