Self Love in Isolation

Hello from my back room! I am currently hiding from G as he is on lots of work calls…

Well, where to begin? This is a genuinely strange and troubling time for us all. Panic is going up and, from what I can see, Self Love is going down. With this in mind I thought I would share what I have been up to in order to keep my Self Love game as strong as possible and not to succumb to a sloppy routine of not moving from my sofa. 🛋

My ‘Covid-19’ day to day routine;

• The first thing I do when I get out of bed (at my usual time by the way, not falling into that rabbit hole either) is to have a shower, brush my teeth, etc. as usual. No make up though – letting my skin breeeeathe. (See pic above for my fresh face! 💁🏼‍♀️)
  •  Not looking after my outsides is a fast way for me to ignore my insides.
•  On a weekday I have still been joining all the work calls, mandatory or not, and where possible I have been adding video to a daily teams call.
  •  Seeing and talking to colleagues has always been a huge part of my day to day life. I need that social aspect.
•  Cleaning – I have been binge watching @MrsHinchHome stories and highlights for cleaning tips and ideas to make productive use of day time down time. I’ve obviously then been using the tips on my own home to create a lovely environment for isolation.
  •  Top tip – so far, I’ve not been exercising at home because my body aches from all the Hinching and reorganising! 💪🏻
• 🌱 Watering my plants when they need it also helps – the greenery is a total lifesaver when our time outside is so very limited! 🌱
•  Evening entertainment – Graeme and I have been inadvertantly distancing from eachother during the day (24/7 in each others faces doesn’t work for us!) so in the evenings we draw the curtains, light the candles and settle down to watch a series or a movie.
•  Bedtime 🛏 – my bedtime has not changed. I need my routine!

This day to day routine probably has you wondering where is the self love? For me and my self love practice this is a big thing for me. It’s hard not to be defeatist and just lay in bed or on the sofa all day every day – not judging if this works for you by the way, it just certainly doesn’t do me any good! For me, the most important thing is to keep a routine.

Other tips to keep busy in this time that I have been/ will be doing are;

• YouTube yoga (following along, not filming!) Yoga With Adriene is probably my favourite but there is a whole range out there.
  •  FYI, there are lots of online exercises if Yoga isn’t your thing!
•  Reading 📚- I have a bookshelf full of books and a Kindle so I am lucky but if you don’t have the same set up then the Kindle App is free. I am subsribed to Kindle Unlimited so pay £7.99 a month for all the books in this package that I want to read. However, a Free Trial for a month is available if you are new to this. Audible is the same vibe.
•  Put on a sad movie/ song  (or maybe just the news..) and just cry! Yes, you read that right. Crying isn’t bad, it releases actual sadness toxins! For reals… Crying is still the most primal and  cathartic things I ever do. I do love a good cry! 😭
•  Don’t deny yourself food – yes, you may be more hungry out of stress, boredom, etc. but so what?! It’s okay to eat. Our bodies gain and release weight when it is right for them.
•  Bath time 🛀 – I am fortunate enough to have bath bombs, salts and bubble bath at home to make my baths luxurious but, if you aren’t in that position then there is nothing wrong with putting a little coconut oil in plain bath water or something. Be creative. Google ideas – Pinterest is a hero!
•  Phone/ text/ Skype/ Facetime your friends and family – most apps now allow for multiple people to join one conversation, take advantage of it and have ‘Social Distancing Parties’
• Dance! – Don’t be shy to dance around your home to your favourite music. Dancing is a great way for me to boost my mood quickly. Try to dance to your favourite upbeat music while being sad/ angry – it doesn’t work!
•  Couple time! If you are loved up like me then why not have some couple time? This doesn’t just mean doing the ‘bedroom rodeo’ but, hey, if you enjoy it then why not? But also cuddling, asking each other questions you haven’t asked before,  playing games together, etc. These things can be done on the phone too!

There is no real order to those tips, they came out as they wanted to. Haha. Have fun with it. Play.

Use this time to meditate, journal, clean out your ‘Monica cupboard!’

Just because we are at home it doesn’t mean that being bored and letting our Self Love and Self care go to crap is mandatory. We have a choice about how we approach this and who we are as people when we come out the other side of it.

PS!! 🚽 DON’T BULK BUY LOO ROLL! 🚽 – I know this is a scary time and we don’t all know how long things will be open/ produced but do you really need those 6 large cases of loo roll. I know men that I say ‘Poo for fun’ and they don’t even go through that much in a couple of months!

Leave some on the shelves so the people who haven’t bulk bought can get some and not have to venture out looking for some more regularly!