We have been quarantining and practicing social distancing now for well over a month. There is talk about finding a new normal, that social distancing might be a real thing we practice in our future. Our past ways will not continue, at least until a vaccine is completed and even then that’s a stretch; some Epidemiologists believe that there are more major viruses to come. In short, social distancing is here to stay.
I am completely unemployed since my main work as a film costumer is indefinitely postponed. I honestly welcomed the break. You want me to stay inside and keep myself AND others safe? Absolutely. I hadn’t had any time off in over a year, so I thought a couple of weeks would be nice to catch up on chores around the house and hobbies I’m interested in. The first few weeks went by pretty smoothly. We cooked, we cleaned, we made masks for my sister’s hospital…. And then I hit a wall.
The quarantine continues. There is no end date in sight. Some places are staggering their openings and trying to get “back to normal,” but right now as it stands, we don’t know when we will go back to work. If there is work to go back to.
My chores stopped getting completed and, with no deadline of quarantine in sight, things were beginning to pile up on my to do list. I was numb. I lounged on my computer, read loads of books, I watched rom-coms back to back to feel any bit of happiness that I was missing. Then it hit me:
If I wear pajamas all day, I won’t get anything accomplished.
Style is and has always been an important feel-good part of our day. We express ourselves with what we wear and it affects our mentality and our enthusiasm for life.
I realized I stopped getting ready for the day in the morning. I was letting my hair air dry in the evening instead of washing it in the morning and blow drying it & styling. I wasn’t doing my makeup anymore.
Then I remembered that I thought I never did my makeup for anyone else, I always did it for myself because I liked that ten minutes of self care. So why wasn’t I doing it now, for me when I need it the most? Do I only take the time and get ready for my day if I’m going out?
So I changed my attitude and I want to help you get and stay motivated with some tips that I have found that have helped me <3
Comment some of your own tips to help others get out of their funk!
Step 1
Open your blinds
We have heavy, wooded plantation blinds in our bedroom windows with dark grey and peacock blue painted walls. Needless to say, it’s so dark and cozy in there. If I didn’t have an alarm, I would sleep til 10, without a doubt. But we keep the blinds open now and I wake up naturally around 8 am, 7 if it’s a sunny day. No need for loud, abrupt, jarring alarms.
Let the sun wake you.
Step 2
Incorporate Intermittent Fasting into your day
Intermittent fasting is basically where you have an 8 hour window of eating and a 16 hour window where you stop eating. It’s probably what our hunter-gatherer ancestors did back in the day, when refrigerators and grocery stores did not exist.
I’ve been a fan of intermittent fasting and have been following for over a year. But during this quarantine, I kind of just stopped being committed to it. I easily fast for 12, 13 hours, usually stop eating/drinking by 8 pm, eat in the morning around 10 am (that’s 14 hours!) but I stopped aiming for a solid 16 hour. If you have an eating window from 11 am-7 pm, that gets you on track for better sleep, better energy, better metal clarity, and just gives you something to focus on. It also is helpful to help pull back on your quarantine alcohol consumption, which is another downer. It’s one aspect of your life that you can control in a healthy way!
Step 3
Go back to your pre-corona morning routine
This one is very important. My morning routine before this was: brush teeth, shower, pick out clothes, dry hair, put clothes on, put makeup on, make coffee, listen to a podcast while I drive to work. This was all done between 530 am-8 am work arrival. During my sad quarantine days, it was a feat if I put my contacts in. Just get out of your pj’s! Put on workout clothes or comfy jeans or a nice, casual day dress. It helps. I promise.
Step 4
Download a step tracker app
Normally, I would never like having a step tracker because I always walked so much at work from stage to stage at the studios and figured who cares how much I’m walking because I’m walking a lot! But during this quarantine, I haven’t been walking that much. Sure I go out and walk around the neighborhood but it doesn’t even compare to how much I was walking before.
So I downloaded a step counter and have set daily goals for myself! It motivates me to declutter from room to room (gotta get any extra steps I can!), go on walks while I chat on the phone with the outside world, and go out for a final lap in the evening to meet my daily step goal!
Step 5
Take time to meal plan
Once a week, I like to sit down and look up fun food recipes to cook each day for the rest of the week. We’ve found that a good brunch, a nice snack, and a good dinner is the only food we need each day. So we write down on a dry-erase board what each meal is going to be, and on Fridays we order take out from one of our favorite restaurants (this week will be Pizza from Savage Pizza! My mouth is already salivating) Here is a link to my Pinterest food board to help inspire you for some of the meals we’ve been having.
Step 6
Retail Therapy
This is a style blog, after all, and I wanted to share my favorite collection at the moment. Everlane has created a Lounge Shop with affordable, cute, ethically made clothes that would be perfect to wear right now at home. They’re cozy, comfortable, and will offer a refreshing change from your sweats. Sure, savings are important, but this is the ultimate motivator <3