How are you feeling these days?

How are you feeling these days? I mean how are you really feeling? 

Let”s admit it - since the pandemic took hold, life has been weird. I feel fortunate as neither myself nor my loved ones have been sick. And I still have food to eat and a roof over my head.

But despite my good fortune I have to admit to feeling a generalized type of anxiety that I have never felt before. Will the second wave get worse? Will my parents be ok? What’s going to happen to the economy? Layers of worry have been added to our lives.

These new feelings of anxiety were difficult for me at first. I realized I needed some concrete strategies to combat these new feelings of worry.  

So I structured my day with anxiety-reducing activities. For every draining set of Zoom meetings, I added one or two fun things to get me out of my head. A long walk around the neighborhood, with no destination in mind, just putting one foot in front of the other. I really saw the neighborhood, lovely spring gardens just beginning to bloom, people hanging out on their porches, encouraging signs in the windows thanking healthcare workers. I noticed things that I never took the time to see before.

Like many people, I also took full advantage of online yoga classes, exercise apps, and Pilates classes. My yoga mat is now a permanent fixture in my living room. 

And I have made a huge effort to eat better. More real food, less processed. (Not always successful with this one….)

And while I still haven’t had a real haircut (bang trim only), I leaned into my skincare routine and took the time for calming, feel good-rituals like warm baths, sheet masks, (with a glass of wine in hand!) facial massage, layering different serums and trying new toners and essences. I ordered products I hadn’t had time to try. 

And I realized how much pampering myself, just for a few more minutes in the morning and evening, really helped reduce the ennui I was feeling. 

Oh, and I started this company! Over these pandemic months, I realized I wanted to tap into my creativity and help people feel good about themselves and their skin. 

Carpe Deim, right? Seize the day.