Since Singapore is implementing a "circuit breaker" as our PM puts it, I thought I would come up with a list of things you can do if you're stuck at home with no where to go. These are things that I've already done myself ever since I quit my job last year (taking #funemployment way too seriously for way too long haha).
1. Start a blog
(Or start updating yours if you already have one). I've had this blog for many years. If I scroll back to when I posted my very first post, that was in 2007, which makes this blog at least 13 years ago, say what?
This blog has gone through many phases, from being a "Dear Diary" place, to a travelogue, to a skin care and makeup space. Right now, I think I'm just going to use it to post up whatever I want, even if it isn't necessarily about beauty, although do stay tune, I'm very sure beauty posts will come back!
2. Take better care of your skin
If you're a beauty junkie like me, I'm sure makeup is something that you'll apply almost every single time you head out. I also have pretty significant pigmentation on my face from all the hormonal acne I've had for almost 7 years. My skin takes ages to heal from a break out, coupled with the fact that I'll definitely get break outs every month, that leaves my cheeks and chin are covered in pigmentation. This makes me pretty self conscious which is why you will rarely catch me without makeup when I'm out and about.
But, we all know that wearing makeup all the time isn't good for your skin. Your skin needs to breathe and if you wear layers of full coverage foundation and concealer like I do, your skin may react by breaking out even more.
Since we are all pretty much stuck at home right now, why don't we just skip the makeup, let our skin breathe, and help it regenerate by adopting a good skin care routine to help improve that skin barrier. Take a look at all your neglected self-care products and make a pact with yourself to start investing in more pampering sessions with your sheet masks, wash off masks, body lotions and potions. I will do an updated skin care routine soon so check back for that.
3. Pick up a book and start reading
I've always been an avid reader, a lot more so when I was younger because I had "more time". Truth be told, it's all about prioritising and right now, I've been making it a priority to read more. I used to spend a whole day watching YouTube videos or stream movies and drama series online but now I feel a lot happier with a good book in my hand (or reading e-books using my iPad).
I started a reading challenge on the app Goodreads and my goal for the year 2020 is to read 3 books a month or 36 books in total. I've made a serious dent in my reading challenge and have been reading much more than just 3 books a month but it keeps me accountable. I wanted to read more, so by charting what I've been reading and how many books a month, it makes me more motivated to choose reading over watching videos.
If you're looking for apps to read books on using your mobile devices, I have been loving Overdrive and Libby.
4. Exercise
One of the biggest problems with staying at home is that we are now moving around a lot lesser than we used to, especially since we don't have to leave home to go to work. Gyms, and exercise studios have all been shut as well which severely restricts the ways we can exercise these days. As of right now, all these circuit breaker measures will end on 4 May, but that's a very long time to do nothing. You don't want to return out into the world as a ball because of how inactive you have been during this period of time!
Thankfully for me, I've always been a fan of yoga and body weight exercises so while it is definitely good to go for a walk/jog/run out in fresh air, I find that my exercises can be done on a yoga mat in the comfort of my room so my exercise routine isn't very affected by these stay home measures. Just because we are restricted in what we can do now, doesn't mean that you can't find other ways to motivate yourself in keeping yourself fit! There are so many videos online about exercises you can do at home.
I will admit, there are days when I'm just too lazy to exercise, and for me, if I stop exercising for a couple of days, I find it very hard to get back in the momentum so one trick that works for me is that I put on my exercise gear once I get out of bed instead of lounging around in home wear.
This motivates me to work out because I don't want to take off my exercise gear at the end of the day and put it into the laundry basket without working out and making use of it. I find that when I put on my exercise gear, it is a signal to my body that I'm going to work out later and it prepares me mentally of that challenge as well, even if I don't want or feel like doing so.
5. Rest
We work in a fast-pace society and we've surrounded ourselves with so many things to do that when we are forced to take a real break, most of us have no idea how to cope with the sudden reduction in things to do.
Some of us have the luxury of working from home, without any distractions from colleagues or bosses constantly hovering over our shoulders, so this allows us to potentially be more productive with our time right now to get our work done in a shorter period of time.
For some of us who have the privilege of staying at home with minimal or no actual work to do, why not rest up and de-stress your body? We all know the benefits of sleeping 8 hours a day but how often have we managed to actually do so? Now that we are forced to stay in a place and "do nothing", let's take this time to be more mindful about resting and staying still peacefully.
Last words
There are literally so many other things that you can do during this period of time, and while some of them may feel unnatural to you when you first start doing them, give yourself time to adapt and slow down. We were not born knowing how to run, it took us a long time between birth to learning how to crawl, walk then run so give yourself the patience to learn how to unwind again.
Don't let this period of time be a time of anxiousness, fear and negativity. Try to channel some of this nervous energy into bettering yourself, both physically, mentally and spiritually. I am certain that we will get through this trying period as better and stronger human beings.
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