Let's Talk: Quarantine Self Care

Hello, all!

I think we can all agree that times are completely bonkers right now. The world is crazy, stressful, scary and uncertain. We've all been forced to slow down and take a step away from our usual daily routines, and I think it's important more than ever now to check in with yourself and make sure your mental health doesn't suffer. I'm an extremely anxious person by nature and didn't leave my house much before, so being quarantined hasn't been too much of a change for me. However, I do have some days where I'm crawling out of my skin. When those days hit, I like to do some of the following, and hopefully they'll help some of you as well.

Also, quick shout out-- my roommate is an ER doctor and I can't even express how much I appreciate her and how much respect I have for her and everyone else who's on the front lines, be it in the medical field, postal workers, retail workers, delivery people, etc. Y'all are the real heroes.

1. Netflix binging: This is my ol' reliable. You can't go wrong with switching off for a while and getting fully consumed in a favorite show. Like most of the world, I recently finished up Tiger King (and what a ride that was), now I wanted something comforting so I started re-watching New Girl. I'm currently on the fifth season, and I'm still fully attracted to Nick Miller.

2. Face masks: I hate to admit this because I feel like by now I should, but I don't really have a "skin care routine." I would love one, but a. I'm lazy and b. I'm cheap. I usually just go for a face wash, toner, and then moisturizer, but every once in a while I bust out a face mask and feel so fancy. I have super sensitive skin, so I mostly stick with charcoal masks, but it's nice to just lay back and relax for a bit and have soft, smooth skin 10 minutes later. There's also carbonated masks which bubble up and make your face feel like a cloud and it's really fun.

3. Walking/Exercise: Since working from home, I've been spending some of my lunch hour walking around my neighborhood. I only do about 20 minutes or so, but it's a nice change of pace and I always feel better after being in the fresh air. Aside from walking, I've also found a few work out videos on YouTube that I like to do as well. Some of my favorites are from MadFIT and FitnessBlender.

4. Baking: I've always loved baking, but now I find it even more relaxing. I saw a meme online about how so many people are using this quarantine time to learn how to bake bread, and I'm one of those people. I had a full on Bake Off moment and made rosemary whole wheat and I was really gunning for that Paul Hollywood handshake. Turns out, I hate rosemary so the bread wasn't for me, but hey-- I made bread!

5.  Check in with your loved ones: Obvious one, right? Since we can't really see our friends and family, it's so nice to call/text them or FaceTime. My best friend's and I always talk pretty much all day every day, so it's a nice way to feel normal. You can all get together over group FaceTimes (I had my first one the other week and it was so strange but in a good way) or even Zoom.

Lemme know some of your tips and tricks to beating the quarantine blues. Sending you all lots of positive and healthy vibes!