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Covid 19 is here, let's take care of each other...

Coronavirus Special: How To Manage Anxiety In The Face Of A Global Pandemic
with Dr Judson Brewerby Dr. Rangan Chatterjee   
 March 22, 2020​
CAUTION ADVISED: this podcast contains swearing.
As the world goes into lockdown to help manage the global pandemic of Coronavirus, many people are feeling anxious. This is a bonus conversation that I have recorded to help people deal with the anxiety that they are currently experiencing. Many people feel scared and helpless, which is completely understandable. In this episode, I speak to the behavioural neuroscientist and psychiatrist, Judson Brewer, who will help you understand how to keep your cool in these stressful times. We discuss what exactly fear and anxiety is, what happens in the brain when you start to feel anxious and, importantly, how you can break the anxiety cycle with some simple, practical exercises. We discuss breathing, physical activity, creative pursuits and much more, as well as how calmness is a skill that you can get better at, if you take the time to practice it. I think you will find this an incredibly useful podcast to help navigate the crazy world we are living in at the moment.
Disclaimer: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.*
Peter McGuire of The Irish Times has written this superb article to help everyone attempting to educate their children at home
Links and Resources to public information, Revenue.ie and other important resources for individuals and businesses
In what is uncharted territory for Irish industry, the below resources are valuable tools to help your business planning

Many businesses are built on Relationships - keep the communication lines open with your suppliers and customers to find workable solutions to supply, credit and cashflow challenges.

We recommend the following resources for any employers or business owners looking for information and guidance during the ongoing Coronavirus - COVID-19 Outbreak.
Working From Home - Top Tips
With so many of us working from home, here are some Top Tips form experts on how to optimise your time:
1 - Time Management
Set a schedule, and stick to it. The dishwasher will still need to be emptied, do it on your assigned lunch break if you feel it's urgent.
2 -  Break Times
Designate yourself tea breaks / lunch, and stick to it. Yes, you may be 8 steps away from your fridge, but don't go there unless you're on your break
3 - Have a "10 @ 10"
Can you video call with your co-workers to ensure nothing is falling through the cracks. Even if they are not directly involved with your workload, touching base with your co-workers will help you to feel less isolated, more motivated and help ensure a continuous workflow for the business
4 - Tomorrow's Another Day
Finish on time, as if you've to catch your train from Pearse St. Prep for tomorrow's "10 @ 10", even if it's only for yourself. Check off your tasks accomplished and prioritise tomorrow's workload
Kids Home from School - Let's Get Crafty
With Schools closed, the weather miserable and only so much Paw Patrol you can handle,  the temptation for playdates and Play Centres is luring you to pick up that phone. According to learnings from Italy, this is the last thing we should do and would defeat the purpose of the school closures. While children are rarely visibly sick, they are often carrying the contagion, and can pass it on to more vulnerable family members like grandparents. Here are some fun ideas to not just pass the days but to enjoy this extra time together:
Why Bake at home?
  • Younger children need to work on fine motor skills, cookie cutters are great for this
  • Ginger, brazil nuts, live yoghurt, citrus fruits - think of all the immune boosting, vitamin providing, healthy foods that you can bake with. Tasty AND exactly what we need right now.
  • Kids learn best by doing, and hand washing, counter top cleaning and not sharing a lick of the same spoon are all life lessons, especially now!
  • Food waste has never been so important, this time in the kitchen together is the perfect chance to explain that although food grows on trees, getting in and out of the supermarket at the moment is highly unpleasant! We need to be mindful not to cook what we won't eat, not to buy what we don't need only to let it go off in our cupboards
Get Crafty
  • No need to buy expensive kits - get the kids to forage in the garden, on the beach or rummage through that drawer in your kitchen you keep meaning to Marie Kondo, let them gather buttons, shells old nail varnish and twigs. Give them an old cardboard sheet or paper and see what they come up with
  • Cut out a big egg shape, and let them decorate it. Once it's finished cut the crack through the middle. Make your best chick, penguin, lizard, dragon, fish and any other egg creature. Play a Guess the Baby game, hiding the animal in the egg and let the kids guess who's inside. 
  • A spool of wool, beads, pasta shapes, bic pen lids, anything can be used to make a necklace they'll be proud to give Nana!
  • Mix 1 cup salt, 1 cup flour and a teeny bit of water to make your own hand & foot print molds. Or roll out the dough and use your cookie cutters to make early Easter decorations, or really early Christmas decorations! Paint and glitter to taste!  ​
Sweat It Out
Yes, it's been a while since you watched all episodes of Luther. However, regular exercise has been proven to improve your immune system, reduce anxiety, reduce stress, increase serotonin (our happy hormone) aid sleep and a lot more!
Here's some easy tips to get you going:
If you are under time pressure between working from home / kids, take 10 minutes a day, 3 times a day.  Simply set your alarm for every 2 hours, so you don't put it on the long finger.
10 minute work out:
  • Front plant for 30s, side plank for 30s each side x 2
  • Press ups - lean against a wall for beginners, regular floor for others, as many as you can for 1 minute.
  • Crunches - with a mat or on carpet to protect your spine, as many as you can for 1 minute
  • Take a breath, you're half way
  • 1 minute Straight squats - check out any youtube video on proper back positioning 
  • 30s Adductor Squats + 30s Abductor Squats (toes, point outwards / inwards)
  • 1 minute knee to opposing elbow lifts, as many as you can
  • 2 minutes of stretching. Include upper & lower back, hamstrings, calfs. Breathe deeply.
Take a note of how many you can do to track your progress!
Effective Help for Respiratory Ailments - Thanks Fiann Ó Nualláin!
The essential on steam inhalations for respiratory ailments
Posted on March 13, 2020by The Holistic GardenerThere is a knack to it and more on that later but utilizing steam therapy (inhaling steam) to relieve respiratory complaints has been around a long time – back to edo period Japan, back to the ancient Rome and the ancient Egyptian physicians. It moves in and out of favour and there are some sceptics but if you have ever tried it for yourself then there is no doubt that it moves more than mucus. The practice has been employed to easy the symptoms of cold, flu, cough, sinusitis, bronchitis, asthma, copd and other restrictive breathing complaints.
How it works. Steam inhalation involves the careful introduction of warm, moist air into our airways, through the nose and mouth. That steam-enriched air can moisten the respiratory tract easing discomfort and by allowing the gentle heat to dilate blood vessels and open the airways further, eases breathing difficulties. The heat also thins mucus thus breaking up any congestion and further allowing a better air flow. The warmth also improves blood circulation which apart from helping to oxygenate lungs more efficiently actually triggers an immune system response and delivers that slightly elevated white blood cell production to where it needs to go – to tackle that bacterial cough or to that viral upper respiratory tract infection.
How to do it. The naysayers on steam therapy always cite scalding yourself or how steam is not natural. Well having a shower you breathe in steam and you don’t cook your lungs or strip seven layers of skin off. So when it comes to a steam inhalation from a bowel or basin – don’t have it scalding, think comfortable shower temperature. Boil the kettle let it sit a minute or so and then add the hot water to your receptacle that you have placed on a sturdy counter or table top. Again let it rest a minute or so before availing of. I know you will take every precaution not to scald yourself but the purpose of this is that within the safe range of standard shower temperatures there is no irritation of lung lining so we are slowly getting to that place with the two rests. Also those who boil the kettle and dive straight in are not able to tolerate the heat for long and so get minimal benefit, it is not a sweat lodge or sauna, its simply some moistened warm air. Too hot and you may trigger wheezing or exacerbations.
Fetch a towel that is of sufficient size to drape over your head and shoulders and which will when you lean over the receptacle enable you to make a tent that traps the steam in your breathing zone. There is no optimum distance, you don’t have to have your nose touching the water (in fact don’t), 20cm or more away from the water is ample to let the steam rise toward your face. You can breathe normally through nose and mouth and the moisten and warmed air will be naturally inhaled. No need to go yogic breathing, just as you are. A few deeper breaths every now and then is no harm. 3 minutes under the tent will yield rewards but most regular users of this approach remain for 5-10minutes.
How to boost it with essential oils. You can boost the effectiveness of the bronchodilation, expectorant and antimicrobial effects of the steam inhalation by utilizing essential oils with more of those actions in their repertoire. You could start off with as little as 5drops but generally 10-20 drops to a basin will infuse in the steam and via the nasal passages and inhalation also deliver the active volatile oils to the lungs.
Here are eight essentials that are antibacterial and antiviral and offer bronchodilation too
• Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus)
• Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens)
• Lemonbalm aka Melissa (Melissa officinalis)
• Neroli (Citrus aurantium)
• Oregano (Origanum vulgare)
• Sage (Salvia officinalis)
• Tee tree (Melaleuca alternifolia)
• Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)
Resources for Getting your Kids Moving & Motivated
We all know it can be tough at the best of times to get kids motivated, but here are some fantastic resources kindly put together for us by children's expert & primary school teacher Dearbhla O'Donnellan -thank you for your time and resources Dearbhla!

​Ideas for Helping your Kids to Continue Schoolwork at Home:
  1. Designate a clear, comfortable space for them to do their work
  2. Continue with bedtime and morning routines
  3. You could prepare snacks/lunches the night before that can be accessed easily and quickly (especially if parents are trying to work at home too! 😊)
  4. Allow for regular movement breaks between activities/lessons
  5. Encourage outdoor play (like yard time)
  6. Continue to promote reading
  7. Create reward systems e.g. sticker chart to maintain motivation
  8. Positively reinforce their efforts 😊
Educational activity suggestions and resources:
www.librariesireland.ie www.storylineonline.net www.cula4.com
www.duolingo.com  www.topmarks.co.uk www.gonoodle.com
https://rtejr.rte.ie/10at10/ www.twinkl.ie www.seomraranga.com
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