Self-Isolation Survival: Things to Do When Stuck at Home

Wow! What a week it’s been. We are definitely living in unsettling times, and it’s definitely unlike anything we’ve seen in our lifetime…or even our parents’ lifetimes. When I sit down and really think of the situation, it’s a hard thing for me to really wrap my head around what we are facing globally.

I’m currently on day 7 of self-quarantine. How about you?

The optomist in me is always searching for a silver lining. Although this global pandemic has (and will continue) to effect so many families, I try to think about the positive impact this lockdown will have on the environment. With us all staying home comes less travel which means less gas and emissions polluting the air. Therefore we are all lowering our carbon footprint.

I don’t know…I’m just trying to find a light at the end of what seems like a never ending tunnel.

Everyone is loosing their minds over self-isolating for 14 days. Personally, I’ve been self-isolating for the past week, but really I’ve been mastering this for the past 11 weeks. Since breaking my ankle I’ve had nearly 3 months to work on my list of things to do while self quarantining!

So take it from someone who has a little experience in this, here are some tips for survival:

DON’T FALL OUT OF YOUR ROUTINE

Just because you’re stuck at home doesn’t mean you should forgo your routine. Wake up early! These days I typically wake up between 7 and 8 a.m. and try to workout or at least stretch first thing.

Before breaking my ankle, I would wake up and go straight to F45 for a class at 6 a.m. The commitment of signing up would keep me from hitting snooze, and I always felt most productive on days I started with a morning sweat.

My routine is get up, wash my face, brush my teeth, and drink 1 litre of water before eating or drinking anything else. Make sure to keep your morning routine to stay productive.

This is my favourite water bottle, I’m actually obsessed with it because it holds me accountable to my goal of drinking 2 litres a day! Best purchase I’ve ever made!

GET READY EACH DAY

Just because we are all working from home doesn’t mean we still can’t get ready, whether that means getting dressed, putting on a little makeup or doing your hair. Whatever you do, get up and get out of your pajamas.

Most days, if I’m not shooting, I’m either too lazy or just don’t care to have a full face of makeup. You can usually find me in lululemon leggings, a sports bra and sweater at home.

Even if you change into other sweats (like I’ve done everyday), just change your clothes. Personally I know I feel most productive when I toss on some makeup and get dressed. It’s just energizes me and sets me up to take on the day. Plus it makes a huge difference in my mental state.

I linked below some of my fave pieces I’ve been living in these days as well as some other great deals:

STAY ACTIVE

Keep it movin’ people! I know all the gyms are closed right now, but I’ve been doing a ton of home workouts. Working out clears my head and releases so many important endorphins. My family has been holding each other accountable to daily workouts together which has been so much fun! Have you guys tuned in on my stories?

With gyms being forced to close, everyone seems to be taking to social media offering free IG Live workouts with their audience. It’s an amazing movement! Some of my favorites are Pamela Reif and Whitney Simmons on YouTube as well as the BBG app. I’ve also heard great things about the Sweat app!

SELF-CARE

We all need a little TLC. Now that we’ve all got the time, let’s make it a priority! My skincare routine has become my favorite part of my day!

But self care doesn’t just mean skincare, it can be a good book, a glass of wine, journaling, face mask or even painting your nails! Whatever it is that makes you feel good. Do you boo!

Below I’ve linked my favourite products from my night time skincare routine:

TIME TO TRY SOMETHING NEW

Learn a new language, pick up painting…Now’s the perfect time to perfect your editing skills! I just launched some of my favorite presets that I’ve been working on for over a year! I’m so proud of how simple these presets make editing your photos!

Don’t miss the sale! 15% of all purchases will be going towards supporting the Montreal Food Bank.

For me, I’m working on my Italian! Did you know I actually spoke Italian before I spoke English? Since then I’ve lost a lot of it, and it’s always been my goal to be fluent. I’ve been practicing everyday with the Duolingo app.

READ, WATCH, LISTEN

On Instagram stories I asked you guys to send me your personal recommendations for new reads and binge worthy shows. These were some of the most popular recommendations:

YOUR READING LIST RECOMMENDATIONS

YOUR BINGE WORTHY SHOW RECOMMENDATIONS

FUEL YOUR BODY

Create a healthy relationship with food. In times like these, it’s easy to fall into poor eating habits. But I’ve found the easiest way for me to get the most out of my day is proper nourishment.

MEAL PREP IS YOUR BEST FRIEND!

When you work from home cooking 3 meals really starts to eat into your day. I’ve found the best way for me to get the most of my day is cooking a simple breakfast, snacking throughout the day, having a light lunch and then cooking a healthy dinner.

Being quarantined can be a challenge, especially if you aren’t being as active as you are in your regular routine. Over the past 11 weeks, I haven’t been eating as much because I’m not burning as much energy so I’ve really had to focus on getting enough protein in my daily diet.

Here are 14 recipes to get you through your quarantine. These are all recipes that are in my weekly rotation. I tried picking specific recipes that don’t require many ingredients or that have many of the same ingredients to limit your trips to the grocery store.

MY CURRENT PLAYLIST

And when you get bored, because there is only so much TV we can watch, here’s my Quarantine & Chill playlist. I’ve had this on repeat for the past few days! I love putting it on in the background when I’m working.

I hope you like it.

I hope this is helpful. Just remember, we are in this together! And it goes without saying but…STAY HOME! I really believe we have the power to help stop the spread and flatten the curve if we all commit to this together!

As always, if you need to talk, feel free to leave a comment here, drop me a DM or tune into my IG stories to see how I’m keeping busy.

Lots of love xx

Looking for some hacks to being more productive? Check out my morning hacks to increase productivity!

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