Living Well in the Midst of Pandemic

by Courtney Baechler

For those of you that don’t know me, let me introduce myself.  I’m Courtney Jordan Baechler, a preventive, integrative cardiologist, mom, sister, daughter, friend and MN enthusiast.  I served as assistant commissioner at the MN Department of Health up until the end of 2019 and currently work at the Minneapolis Heart Institute serving as medical director for the emerging science centers.  I have been a fan of Pathways since my early days serving as the vice president of the Penny George Institute for Health and Healing.  I feel truly honored that Tim asked me to give a few thoughts on COVID-19, coping, and perseverance through uncharted territory.

Let’s start with COVID-19.  If I had to be stuck somewhere with this pandemic, I can’t think of a better, safer place to be than MN.  Our department of health is one of the best in the country and I think you can see this in our current outcomes with COVID-19.  While there’s no perfect way to deal with this pandemic, our public health system has been incredible and as someone who practices in our current health care facilities, I want to emphasize, WE ARE READY!  Again, it won’t be easy, and we have all the needs that other states have, but comparatively our team (the broad team) has done a tremendous job of making sure our state is in a good place.

When it comes to coping and perseverance I have quite a bit of history with that.  Unfortunately, on October 11, 2015 my daughter Sophia unexpectedly died at the age of 7.  As the unease, anxiety, and fear continues to heighten, it’s been helpful to have figured out what works best for me during these times.  Recently, a dear friend asked me why I seemed so relaxed about everything related to this pandemic.  I told her after personally experiencing an unexpected tragedy, my reality and awareness about how little control we have forever changed.  I went on to say, if I chose to live my life in fear, it would have ended the day that my daughter died.  I vividly remember the 2 days after Sophia died, my son Will (5 years old at the time) ran across the street without looking to get the bus.  I panicked and quickly thought “what if he got hit by a car and died?”  I remember thinking this was a critical branch point for me…was I going to live the rest of my life in fear or, was I going to choose to go on and live each day in the best way I know how?  You can guess the way I chose.

These days, my life is a lot different than it was 3 weeks ago.  I spend my time doing virtual visits over the phone with my cardiology patients, being a teacher to my 9 year-old son, and trying to think of innovative ways to do research with things on “pause” for non-essential healthcare.  What I have found are a few things critical to my well-being and ability to continue forward.  Sleep is hands down the most important for me.  That means I ensure that I get 8 hours of sleep a night and that I minimize my social media interaction and news for at least 1 hour prior to bed.  I sleep completely different if I do something calming before I go to bed (aromatherapy, stretching, reading a calming book, meditation, etc).  Exercise is the next most critical for me and I have found that these days it needs to be outside pretty much no matter what.  I have found myself walking in the rain or snow, just to get outside.  I find peace and calm outside when I have the sense that I’m a part of something bigger than me.  I have found that I don’t want headphones during this time to enjoy the sounds of nature, the spring birds, capturing the budding trees, and hearing running water.  My third pick would be nutrition.  I am a huge fan of the anti-inflammatory diet (Andrew Weil has some great resources on-line), most importantly are all the antioxidants in fruits and vegetables.  I tend to eat most of my veggies warm right now as I find that extra soothing during these times.  The recipe above is hugely helpful to me in navigating these times.  Above all, I find myself trying to make the best of these days.  My brain is one that tends to spend time worrying about the future.  However, if my past has taught me anything about the future it’s that you just never know.  While I share the fears that everyone else does, I try not to give them power over me and control the few things I can…to whom I reach out, whom I spend time with, and how I nurture myself and others around me.   Below is a picture of a message my son had…”Take a deep breath!  We got this MN!”