How to 'Keep Up' during the pandemic

Palm Coast Observer
Opinion

When I was pregnant with my now 5-year-old daughter, I took a weekly prenatal class. I will never forget this one exercise that truly kept me sane during labor and during stressful situations ever since.

Sit down. Your legs can be however is most comfortable for you. I prefer cross-legged.

Stick your arms out to either side of your body. They should be parallel to the floor, so that your upper body is making a “T” or cross shape.

Breathe.

That’s it. Just hold out your arms.

Set a timer, and let me know how long you make it before you feel like you’re dying. I am in pretty good shape, and I can’t make it past the five minute mark without my arms beginning to shake.

In the class, Gillian never told us how long we were going to do Keep Up. Sometimes it was five minutes, sometimes eight, sometimes 10. She never said how much longer we had, only to keep going until she released us.

Why did this one silly exercise stick with me? Gillian’s words: “This will end.”

She was referring to labor in this moment, but it holds true for most stressful situations that life will throw at you. Everything has an end. At some point, the pain will cease. At some point, someone will wipe your brow, help you up.

And at the end, there will be a result. At the end of labor, you will have a baby to hold. At the end, you will be stronger, wiser, bolder, more fierce than you were before.

During quarantine, Megan Farrell and I had daily conversations over Zoom, live on Facebook, around lunchtime with some local working mamas. The common theme we heard? This is hard. This is all so very hard.

My friends and others around me often comment on how I handle stress so well, with grace. I always go back to Keep Up. I breathe through the tough moments. I hold my head up a little higher and push myself further.

We don’t know when things will normalize. We don't know if it'll get worse. We don't know if schools will open up or we'll be working from home while our littles attend virtual school. But there will be an end. So, hold strong. Look for the light. Lean on others. Push yourself. You’re stronger than you think.

Oh, and let me know how long you can Keep Up.