I am not an alarmist and I am not sick. But I am trying to be as responsible as I can and do my part during this pandemic. And because of my geographical location and the fact that I work from home this is fairly painless. Frankly, I was born to thrive in social distancing; I was built for this. But even an extroverted introvert like me who rejoices in alone time can go a little crazy during a time like this. Here’s my plan for the next few weeks.
Work
Over the past three years, I have created a life where working from home is the standard. Did you know I started my own company where I design websites, develop brands and help small businesses with their social media prescence? Right now I’m still working full days and adding in a little more self care than normal.
If you find yourself teleworking over the next few weeks make sure you check out my tips for working from home.
Detox
I’m detoxing – my body, my mind and my space. The foods I chose to have in the house are healthy ones although now that I’m considering there are no Twizzlers in my immediate space I might have a problem.
I cleaned my home from top to bottom. We’re talking disinfecting surfaces, washing linens, vacuuming and swiffering every inch of this place. If this really going to be a place I’m loosely confined to (there’s always the outdoors) for the next few weeks it’s going to bring me joy and be impeccably clean.
I saged until there was no corner left unsaged. This has the potential to be a mentally challenging time and I believe in clean and refreshed space more easily makes way for a more clear and refreshed mind. I get my sage from this NYC based small business and also have a few of her crystals and candles. They’re so good.
Limiting my social media intake
Oof, maloy, this is a tough one. My businesses run on social. Literally. But it’s these same platforms that sent me into a panicked spiral on Saturday night. If you’re like me and you must be publishing content during this time, schedule it. Whether that’s through a third party platform or you’re making note of it in your calendar, schedule it. Yes, it’s important to engage with your audience, yes, it’s important to be sharing other small businesses’ posts during this time. But make sure you’re not jeopardizing your own mental health by scrolling through potential conspiracy theories for hours every day. Conscious or not, there’s a lot of information out there right now. Protect your mind.
Check In with Friends
FaceTime has been my saving grace. This weekend, a friend and I FaceTimed together while we watched the same movies at our respective homes. How cute are we!? It was creative and fun and we didn’t have to leave home!
Organizing my life
This is a great time to organize your laptop. Yes, I’m looking at you. I’m a decently organized person but I’m guilty of this as well. I’ll also be organizing the 638 unread emails a friend called me out on the other day. I’ve got a system and it kind of works but now is the time to do this kind of stuff. Organize your physical space, your online space and your mental space. This is also a great opportunity to get into meditation if you’ve been considering it.
Reading
My 2020 goal is to read one new book per month. Right now, I’m shockingly enough on track but since I work from home my modus operandi is to work until I sleep which is a terrible habit I’m trying to break. So I’ve been scheduling my nighttime routine into my calendar which includes reading an hour before bed.
I’ll be posting my 2020 reading list later this week but if you’re looking to start now head over to my Goodreads page.
Cooking
Truth be told, I don’t spend a lot of time cooking but it’s always something I’ve wanted to get better at. Over the next few weeks I plan to dive into a few of my favorite cookbooks to whip up some new creations and test my skills.
Self Care
I’m the kind of creature that finds comfort in structure, habit and self care. This includes but is not limited to a decently strict daily schedule, daily workouts, time for reflection and pampering myself. Right now, professional facials and massages are out of the question so I’m focusing on what I can do at home to make typical routines more luxurious. I’m taking a little more time each morning to focus on skincare, making baths a more common occurrence and using facial masks every other night.
Already have this corner of luxury covered? Try these other self care tips.
Shop my self care essentials:
Blogging
Hi, my name is Meaghan and I have not been the best blogger.
I created this platform back in 2012 and it has been such an amazing place because of you, the readers who have found it, come back daily and engage. Truly, it’s one of my favorite things and it’s something I don’t dedicate nearly enough time to. These days you can typically find me on Instagram stories but I have to get better at publishing original content. Particularly the content that you’ve been asking for for a very long time. I hear you. And posts like The Best Stores to Shop for Work Wear, How to Get My Beach Waves (with a curling iron and a flat iron), The Benefits of Celery Juice, My Workout Routine.. they’re all coming over the next few weeks.
Netflix and Actually Chill
At the end of the day, you might just want to check out and binge watch tv. I get it. So I made a list of my favorite binge-worthy movies and series on Netflix and Hulu.
