The COVID-19 pandemic is a new situation for everyone, and we’re all learning how to deal with it together. For many people, this situation provokes stress and anxiety. We must fight this secondary threat that comes along with isolation to stay strong and healthy both physically and mentally.

What is the best way to manage stress and anxiety during these troubling times?  

Well, there is no singular answer to that question as we all cope in different ways, but the CDC gives some recommendations on how to manage and cope with stress and anxiety caused by the pandemic.

• Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories, including social media. Hearing about the pandemic repeatedly can be upsetting. 
• Take care of your body. Take deep breaths, stretch, or meditate. Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals, exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep, and avoid alcohol and drugs. 
• Make time to unwind. Try to do some other activities you enjoy. 

Sometimes, the best way to unwind is to spend some time outdoors.  With spring upon us, now is a great time to get out into the yard and start preparing for the warmer months to come. One priority is often checking on all things that are left out during the cold winter months. 

To start, take a walk around your property and take the time (since we have it) to simply review and make mental notes of your property.  This simple act can be overlooked when we get focused on completing specific lawn and garden tasks in our day to day life.  However, when the time is available, we highly recommend going for a nice walk and enjoying what your property has to offer.  A leisurely walk is great exercise and can be very relaxing.  Walking without an agenda also offers the opportunity to visualize new ideas and discover parts of your yard that you may have not noticed before.  

Check on your sprinkling system and Woodford Y34 to see if it is need of any repairs.  This may be a good time to consider installing a new spigot into a new area you want to develop.  Test your spigots, lawn mowers, tractors and other equipment to make sure they still run alright,.  If there are any repairs required, not might be a great time to learn how to repair your equipment on your own if you don’t already know how.  Even if all equipment is in good condition, run through a maintenance check to ensure you don’t run into issues later in the season when time is more scarce.  Activities like this are great ways to get your mind off things, reduce stress and take advantage of the extra time we have during early spring. 

 With the spread of the novel Coronavirus, we may have thought that we would not be able to do all our favorite activities. But in most cases, it is safe to spend time outdoors as long as social distancing guidelines of staying six feet away from others are followed.  There is nothing quite like a breath of fresh spring air.

Get outdoors, put down your phone, and focus on doing things you can control. Install that new spigot that you’ve been putting off all winter, check to make sure your equipment still works, hike around your property, spend time with your family and pets, do those renovations you haven’t had the time for, and enjoy the benefits of a fresh spring breeze.  

These are uncertain times, but focusing on things that we enjoy doing and know that we can control can be a great way to reduce the stress of that uncertainty. The Hydra-Secure team hopes that everyone stays safe and healthy during this time.  As lawn and garden enthusiasts, we understand the beneficial effects that fresh air can have, and we encourage everyone to find out for themselves!