My Quarantine Self-Care Routine
Being in isolation has really changed what my self-care routine looks like. Before, when I was going to work everyday, I often found myself needing alone time, exhausted from interacting with people all day (I’m very much an introvert who gets really tired from too much socializing & recharge by being alone), but of course we’ve all been spending a lot of time alone lately, and because I’m not currently working, I’m finding myself having the opposite problem - I’m not necessarily wanting to be left alone, doing a whole lot of nothing as I once was. As the saying goes, we all want what we can’t have! Here are a few ways my self-care routine has changed while being in isolation.
Taking a Shower & Doing My Skincare Routine
Yeah, it may sound kind of gross, but forcing myself to take a shower has really helped me feel better mentally, because I’ve felt better physically. When I’m feeling down, I generally find myself skipping showers, and wanting to spend the entire day in bed, so when I actually force myself to get out of bed and take a shower, I feel a little bit more normal, and therefore trick my mind into thinking life is a bit more normal too. I haven’t been going as far as getting ready in the morning by doing my hair & putting make up on, but even something as simple as taking a shower, washing my hair & doing my skincare routine regularly helps me to feel like everything isn’t as completely off as it is.
Turning Off The News & Giving Myself a Break from Social Media
Like I had mentioned in a previous post, turning off/not listening or reading the news has been a huge factor in how good or not good I feel everyday. I’ve even noticed on days that I’ve listened to the news more, I start to not feel very well - the constant, overwhelming information of the news, as well as people on Twitter, who frankly, have no idea what they’re talking about and just say stuff to get retweets, or a reaction out of people, seriously take a toll on my mental health, so giving myself a break from these two things is sometimes exactly what I need to get back on track and feel more like myself again. Plus, let’s be honest here, getting off social media from time-to-time to disconnect is good when the world isn’t in quarantine, let alone while this mess is going on!
Playing Animal Crossing
You guessed it – I’m one of those people who bought a Nintendo Switch when the quarantine started – don’t hate me, I know they’re sold out like everywhere right now! I’m hoping that they’re back in stock soon so more people can enjoy playing games and getting their mind off the reality that is the world right now. I have Mario Kart 8, but the thing I’ve been playing the most is, *shocker*, Animal Crossing: New Horizons. This game just does an incredible job of getting you thinking about other things other than how scary it is to be living through this since you’re constantly having to build, track things down, make new things all the time, and you can even visit your friends islands, which I’m sure you know if you pay attention to the gaming world.
Cooking & Baking
This is not one I expected to happen for me, but I’ve been sooooo into cooking & baking lately, but particularly cooking! I never used to enjoy cooking because it was always so mentally exhausting having to go to work every day, and then come home and think of dinner ideas, but as of late, I’ve loved it. My family & I have also started taking the time to meal plan for the week so we don’t overbuy on groceries, and then there’s no guessing what we’re going to be having for dinner, we can just start making it. I’ve also been loving having the time to try new recipes from my favourite cookbook, Fraiche Food Full Hearts by Jillian Harris & Tori Wesszer (go buy it if you don’t already have it!), so it’s been fun making more delicious vegetarian & vegan recipes for my family to try, including the above pictured Butternut Squash Carbonara.
Facetiming Friends
Holy moly – I have never been much of a FaceTime person, but I cannot tell you how much that little app has seriously made my life so much better since this quarantine started. I’m by every definition of the word, a total introvert. I don’t like going out, I actually quite enjoy sitting in bed with a cup of tea, reading or watching a movie – in fact, I’d venture to say that 9 times out of 10, that’s my ideal way of spending any evening, including Fridays & Saturdays! But, I’ve gotta say I miss my friends & I miss my significant other a lot, and FaceTime has absolutely been filling that little void. If you haven’t already, you should make some time to have a virtual wine night over FaceTime, Zoom or whatever app you use to connect with people, and just talk about anything that has nothing to do with the current events of the world. I promise you’re going to feel so much better!
Like I had mentioned above, I think it’s safe to say my self-care routine has shifted quite a bit over the last three weeks. Before all of this happened, relaxing for me was spending time alone, taking a bubble bath – the rather stereotypical form of self-care was what I really thrived on, and now it’s definitely more about tuning out the wrong type of communication (the news & social media from time-to-time), and tuning into the right forms of communications, like spending time with family, and chatting on the phone or on video chat with friends. Has your self-care routine changed as well? Anything on this list hit home for you? Let me know in the comments! Xo.
