While the globe is going through a huge shift in terms of how things are supposed to work, maybe it is that time for us to view things from a different perspective too. Rather looking at things externally, it could be a time for us to turn our attention inward!
The bad news is that we are experiencing isolation and social distancing but the good news is that we are experiencing isolation and social distancing, what could be a better opportunity for self-development, self-care and getting to know yourself even more than you do ?
Here are some tips that can be useful to practice quarantine to achieve optimistic outcomes :
During our over embellish lives we often forget to get in touch with ourselves being occupied with the stimulations around us. The journey to deep dive within ourselves could start with including a simple fifteen minutes meditation to our everyday routine. The simplest form of meditation could be done using below technique :
Pick a time of your day with no distractions
Pick a calm spot in your house
If possible light some candles (they always work their magic)
If the mind allows, put a soothing music in the background
Sit or lay down comfortably
Close your eyes
Focus on your breathing
Notice how the breath feels, is it shorter, shallower, deeper or heavier ?
Imagine your breath traveling from the top of your head all the way down to your navel as a white weightless light
Make your exhales longer than your inhales
Imagine letting go of all the stress or any uncomfortable feelings with your exhales and breathing in positivity and calmness with your inhales
The idea here with this exercise is to imagine your mind as a box filled with different papers and with meditation we are emptying out this box and letting go of all the papers until there are no papers left in our box.
A healthy body always leads to a healthy mind and soul. What could be better than having to pick a time of your own convenience to practice some yoga in your home. If you already have the routine, it is amazing! if not then start with a thirty minutes session every day or every alternate day. There are about a million videos available on YouTube that are free of cost for almost every type of yoga (Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Hatha, Yin etc.) pick the flow that works best for your body and you enjoy the most.
You could try a few different styles and different teachers initially to discover your muse!
Call me an old school, but cooking in itself is a therapy. If you want to dig a little deeper into your creativity and are not afraid to get your hands dirty this aesthetic experience could bring you a lot of joy. Accordingly, If you do not have a mental health issue, you can use cooking therapy to relieve stress. Counselors intimate that the cooking courses soothe stress, reduce negative thinking and build confidence. When you cook, you focus on following recipes and have no time for negative thoughts.
If you are not familiar with the cucina and it’s rules, don’t hesitate to make that video call to your parents or friends who are always positing some food pictures on Instagram and discover the recipe that you are in the mood for. Alternatively a thousand of food recipe blogs for example (https://www.allrecipes.com/), and YouTube channels for example (https://www.youtube.com/user/JamieOliver) are available online for free coast.
This has to be my single most favorite to do, but see where it fits for you ? So self care is not just for the ladies but it’s undeniably important for the gents too. It could mean different for different people. The ladies could make sometime to pamper themselves at home since the salons are not accessible and even if they were it is not safe to go outside for a Spa day. So how about a nice hair and face mask (DIY with natural ingredients is always a plus), a good scrub, bubble bath with candles and a glass of your favorite chardonnay ? reading your favorite book or just catching up with a girlfriend could serve a lot. The gentlemen can practice their anchors such as exercise, playing a music instrument, playing with a pet, picking up an old hobby that you didn’t have time to follow before quarantine, Netflix.
This is the first time that our generation is experiencing a setting where we all are in this together at the same time. The choice is very clear if you would want this time to bring you down or to grow from here and use this time which could bring out the best in you. “The choices we make determine what we are made of”. When in doubt always, choose to live, but the choice is yours!