The past month and a half have really gone from zero to over one hundred very quickly. At first, like many others, I originally felt annoyed with being “stuck inside.” However, I realized the importance of staying at home and flattening the curve.
Although some of you may feel anxious during this uncertain time, I believe we can make the best of this unprecedented situation. If you’ve been keeping up with some of the positive news lately, you may have read that one of the results of everyone staying home is the environment becoming cleaner. There has been a multitude of articles highlighting all the ways the Earth has been healing—from dolphins being seen in Italy for the first time in years to the ozone healing. Just like the Earth, I feel like we can all take this time to focus on ourselves and heal.
There is a well-known fact that it takes around 21 days to form a habit, which is why now is the best time to start a new routine.
1. Start journaling
There are many great benefits to journaling, especially when staying at home every day. Journaling has been found to improve your memory and help you write better while organizing your thoughts in a more productive way. You can use journaling to keep your mental health in check by expressing how you’re feeling and reflect on it.
2. Start a vision board
A vision board is something I use to help keep my goals in mind and to remember the important things at the end of the day. I use a bulletin board and arrange my pictures/quotes in a way that resonates with me. The beauty of vision boards is how easy they are to make; if you have a printer you can tape the pictures/quotes to a wall or start a Pinterest board with your goals and print them once you can go out and get the materials. I have found that being able to see what I expect of myself every day is a great reminder and motivator to continue on the path to my goals. What’s great about vision boards is there is no “right” way to do it—you plan and execute it how you want.
3. Build your workouts routine
The most common excuse many people (myself included) use the majority of the time is that they don’t have the time to fit in a workout. The beauty of staying at home is that you have all the time in the world to have a workout yet it doesn’t have to be an excruciating, long workout. Start with 20 minutes a day just moving your body in some way. It’s easy to get in your head and feel sluggish while being stuck inside; by moving your body you can wake up not only your body but your mind as well. You don’t need any equipment to do HIIT training and home workouts are easy to find online. Once you start to get the hang of it, you can build up more time or get more creative with the workouts you do.
4. Give your skin a break
One thing I have noticed with my skin while being inside is that it feels and looks a lot better. It’s a mix between getting more sleep, drinking more water, and being makeup-free. Having more time has also given me the opportunity to be able to research the ingredients in the products I have and figure out how to make them work best with my face. Take some time for self-care and use a nice mask to boost your confidence.
5. Reflect on your lifestyle
One thing I’ve felt myself doing this entire experience is really focusing on how I’ve been living. It’s unfortunate that a lot of the time it takes a big, scary event like this pandemic for us to realize the things we can change in our lives. At the same time, I’m glad I’ve had the time to sit down and really reflect on my health—inside and out. Whether you realize you need to incorporate more fruits and vegetables, or that you’re not getting enough water, use what you notice to fuel a change that will have a lasting impact on your health.
With so much of the world in an anxious, unpredictable state right now, it’s easy to start to feel anxious yourself, and rightfully so—this is no joke. However, by doing your part and staying inside, you can use this opportunity to incorporate a little more positivity back into your life and reap the benefits of these changes long after the world is restored. Stay safe and stay healthy!