Guys, we’re officially in the coronavirus pandemic.
Depending on where you are in the world,
it could be mildly serious or incredibly serious.
Regardless, it can be really terrifying.
But instead of giving into the fear and panic,
do your best to stay calm and be safe.
Stay informed, practice social distancing, and wash your hands.
This is literally a time where staying home can save lives.
Since this is the best thing to do right now,
why not use this as an opportunity to go inward and explore yourself?
Use this as a chance for self care and self reflection.
You can take this time to relax.
Spend quality time with yourself.
Explore and learn more about yourself.
Nourish yourself.
Take care of whatever needs to be taken care of.
So here are 15 self care ideas you can do at home:
1. Disconnect from the noise
Whether it’s the news, social media, or emails,
stop consuming excessive content that adds to your fear, stress, and anxiety.
There’s a fine line between staying informed and giving into the ego that loves drama.
A part of us finds pleasure in all of this craziness,
like it’s a horror movie we don’t want to look away from,
so we keep on scrolling to try to find the next shocking piece of content.
But fear only fuels more fear.
So disconnect from the noise, put your phone away,
and create a calm and peaceful headspace
where you’re not pulled into the craze and panic.
2. Put on a cozy playlist.
Set the mood for your self care staycation
by putting on your favorite cozy music.
I personally love chill R&B or kpop,
like the playlist Dalkom Cafe on Spotify.
And sometimes I like to put on yoga and meditation music
for those soothing yoga studio or spa vibes.
Comment below with your favorite playlist
so we can all share our favorite music!
3. Journal
As you all may know, my favorite self care habit is journaling.
Journaling is an amazing tool for working through your thoughts and emotions,
which can be incredibly helpful during chaotic times like this.
Remember, all your feelings are valid, and it’s okay to express them.
Your journal is a safe space for you to do so,
to help you understand what you’re going through.
You can try a guided journal like my Artist of Life Workbook,
which has questions and exercises to help you dig deeper and get more specific.
I’ve also created an entire journaling series
with over 100 journaling prompts that you can do,
so I’ll add that link in the description down below.
Aside from journaling your thoughts and emotions,
journaling your gratitude everyday will help shift your mind
from fear to appreciation and love.
If you spend a few moments a day listing all the specific things you’re grateful for,
your mindset, and life will change for the better.
4. Take an online class
You can also use this time to learn something new through online classes or tutorials.
An amazing platform for online classes is Skillshare,
and I’d like to thank Skillshare for partnering with me on this video.
Skillshare is an online learning community that offers membership with meaning.
They have classes in design, business, photography, productivity and more.
With so much to explore, real projects to create,
and the support of fellow-creatives,
Skillshare empowers you to accomplish real growth.
Skillshare offers classes designed for real life.
You can learn and grow with short classes that fit your busy routine.
A fun class I found is:
Style Your Space: Creative Tips and Techniques for Interior Design by Emily Henderson
In this class, you can find your interior design style by taking an in-class quiz
and learn how to mix your favorite styles and design a space that you love,
which can be really fun when you're stuck at home.
Skillshare is also incredibly affordable—
especially when compared to pricey in-person classes and workshops.
An annual subscription is less than $10 a month.
If you’re interested, the first 500 of my subscribers to click the link below
will get a 2-month free trial of Premium Membership
so you can explore your creativity.
5. Clean & organize your space
When the world outside feels out of control,
focus on the things you can control.
And you can control how your space feels.
If your space feels tidy and fresh,
your mind will feel more calm as well.
If you don't feel like cleaning,
you can try setting a timer for 10 minutes to clean.
I’ve found that if I tell myself to clean only for 10 minutes,
it feels completely doable,
and then I almost always end up cleaning for much longer.
This is because once you get started,
you get the ball rolling and you have momentum.
This timer trick works for more than just cleaning by the way!
6. Meditate
The best thing you can do to calm your mind and anxiety is to meditate.
Even if the outside world is crazy,
you can work to stay grounded and peaceful in your inner world.
Start by simply closing your eyes and breathing for 5 minutes.
You could also try deep breathing techniques, guided meditations,
or playing calming music while you meditate.
Meditating can help you become aware of your repetitive thoughts,
so you can work to alleviate any irrational worries.
Tuning into yourself will bring you closer to your intuition,
your center, and your compass.
Meditation is one of those things that feels difficult at the beginning,
but with consistency and practice,
it will get easier and it will be more and more rewarding.
By the way, if you want to go deeper with inner work,
you can check out my recent Healing Workshop.
It comes with a free workbook you can download
to work through healing your emotional traumas and experiences.
7. Exercise at home
Since it’s not ideal to go to gyms,
find a new exercise routine at home that’s fun to do.
I personally love yoga,
and doing some yoga and stretching helps me relax both my mind and body.
You can find workout videos on YouTube.
I personally like Blogilates, Yoga with Adrienne, and Boho Beautiful.
I also discovered Down Dog recently,
which is an app with high quality yoga videos.
I really liked it and downloaded their other apps too for HIIT and Barre workouts.
8. Do some reading
Get lost in a good book.
It could be something practical or something entirely impractical.
It really doesn’t matter as long as you are enjoying it.
I love reading self help and business books,
but I also love reading webtoons and manga.
Reading is a way to “travel” to new worlds
or explore new ideas in the comfort of your own home.
If you’re feeling bored or stuck at home,
find something to read that you’re curious about.
It could lead you somewhere unexpected.
By the way, this includes audiobooks too!
With audiobooks, you can multitask:
You can listen to a book while cooking, cleaning, or doing chores.
9. Practice a hobby or creative activity
Is there a new hobby that you always wanted to pick up,
but didn’t have the time for?
Or an old hobby you want to rekindle?
You can dedicate some of your staycation to exploring a hobby at home,
whether it’s piano, watercolor, dance, sewing, or anything else.
What’s important is that it’s something that you find fun and interesting,
that makes you come alive.
Hobbies are usually things we push to the bottom of our priority list,
but they actually do so much for our happiness!
After all this, you might just be able to make time for this hobby in your weekly routine,
to make time for something that brings you joy.
10. Learn a language
I personally think it’s so fun to learn a new language,
but it’s usually hard for me to make time for it.
Well, now I have the chance to do so!
Lately, I’ve been making it a point to practice Chinese
with language learning apps for just 10 minutes a day.
And I usually practice in the evening before bed.
It might not seem like a lot,
but spending a little time a day on a language will add up to a lot over time.
11. Watch some feel good TV
Watch something that makes you laugh or feel good.
I love watching shows like Queer Eye, because it's so inspiring, or Kdramas.
I’m watching Crash Landing on You on Netflix,
and oh my goodness, I'm obsessed.
It's been so much fun.
Also, documentaries are really great too.
I loved the Taylor Swift documentary.
It's so relatable and meaningful.
It's about learning to shed the need for external validation,
and her story growing into a stronger woman,
standing up for herself, and using her voice.
12. Enjoy cooking at home
Cook something you love to eat,
or try experimenting with a new recipe.
Cooking is another form of creativity,
and it can be very therapeutic and rewarding,
especially if you also have people to cook for.
There’s this vodka rigatoni dish that Wilson and I love
from a restaurant called Carbone,
so we decided to try to replicate it!
After a couple tries I’ve created a version that’s really, really good,
so now we’re planning to stock up on those ingredients
so I can make more of that at home.
13. Take a bath
Relax in a luxurious bubble bath,
put on some good music, light a scented candle,
use a body scrub and just pamper yourself,
let everything else melt away.
and then after that, 14. Indulge in skincare
Give your skin some extra love by doing a face mask for deep hydration.
As you wash your face, imagine washing all the dirt and negativity away.
As you replenish your skin with hydration and vitamins,
think of how you’re giving back to yourself,
nourishing and loving yourself.
Skincare can be done intentionally.
With each step, you can add a positive thought or intention that elevates how you feel.
Lastly, 15. Follow your heart
You don’t need to feel obligated to make a list
or keep busy during your time at home.
What if you were to do nothing?
Simply do nothing, then listen to your heart, and see what it wants.
Leave it open and see what happens.
The point is to not feel forced or pressured to do anything.
This is your time to explore yourself,
so really, you can do whatever you want with it.
I’ve shared some ideas here, but your heart might lead you somewhere else.
Follow it.
Explore it.
The beauty of this journey is that you don’t know what’s next.
Please share this video if you liked it.
And make sure you subscribe for more videos on personal growth & lifestyle design.
Love you all so much.
Please, please, please stay safe and healthy.
I’ll be making more videos on how to deal with the fear and panic of this time.
Until next time, bye!