Our Ultimate Lockdown Self-Care Guide

It wouldn't be an understatement to say what we're going through feels like some sort of thriller or even in the worst cases a horror movie. These are very uncertain times and I know for many people is filled with a lot of fear and anxiety. Self-isolation and social distancing has now become the new norm in order for us to get through this, but at the same time its important for us to take care of our mental state and general well-being in order to get through this in the most positive way as possible.

In these times its important to listen to your mind and body and give it what it needs guilt free. Self-care is often about disconnecting with the world (more importantly the scaremongering media) and putting your needs first, however making sure you're still informed.

I have put together an ultimate self-care guide with tips to help get through this, as we work together to eventually say goodbye to this Corona problem.

1. Keep moving by trying to commit to a daily workout

Exercise has a number of physical and mental benefits for your health. You can experience these benefits from anything as little as a 30 minute jog or walk, doing this as well as short and intense workouts can be enough to get your endorphins running and give you a sense of achievement.

Even if you don't have a lot equipment, at-home bodyweight workouts are great and still allow you to have a good fitness routine. You can use bodyweight exercises to work on nearly every muscle in your body, from your quads (squats) to your bum (glute bridges) to your chest (you may have to try some push-ups!) to your core (get ready for the plank variations!). These will help you get in shape and also boost your positivity.

2. Binge on your favourite shows and movies

With the additional time we have, now that we're all in stuck at home, you now have the

opportunity to binge on all those shows and movies you just never had the chance to watch. With streaming platforms like Netflix, Now TV, Disney+, Hayu and Amazon Prime theres plenty for you to choose from. A friend of mine put together a list of recommended TV shows which have been ordered by category making it easier for you to choose from:

Dark Mystery/Thrillers

• Mind Hunter - Netflix

• Dexter - Now TV

• The Society - Netflix

• Hannibal - Netflix

• The Outsider - Now TV

• The Alientist - Netflix

• Dirty John - Netflix

Crime/Dramas

• Ozark - Netflix

• Narcos - Netflix

• Seven Seconds - Netflix

• Elite - Netflix

• How to get away with murder - Netflix

• 13 Reasons Why - Netflix

• You - Netflix

• Money Heist - Netflix

• Power - Netflix

• Self-Made: Inspired by the life of madam C.J. Walker

Fantasy

• The Mist - Netflix

• The Boys - Amazon Prime

• The Punisher - Netflix

• Stranger Things - Netflix

• The Vampire Diaries - Netflix

• The Originals - Netflix

• Locke and Key - Netflix

• Riverdale - Netflix

Classics

• Prison Break - Netflix

• The Sopranos - Now TV

• Greys Anatomy - Amazon Prime

• Orange is the new black - Netflix

• The Wire - Now TV

• Gilmore Girls - Netflix

• Gossip Girl - Netflix

• Friends - Netflix

Animated

• F is for Family - Netflix

• Big Mouth - Netflix

• Rick & Morty - Netflix

• Bojack Horseman - Netflix

• Paradise PD - Netflix

• Archer - Netflix

• Trailer Park boys animated series - Netflix

• South Park - Amazon Prime

• Recess - Disney+

Fun/ Easy Watches

• Good Girls - Netflix

• Atypical - Netflix

• Workin' Moms - Netflix

• Sex Education - Netflix

• Grace and Frankie - Netflix

• On my Block - Netflix

• I am not okay with this - Netflix

• Insatiable - Netflix

• Dead to me - Netflix

British Television

• Peaky Blinders - Netflix

• Top Boy - Netflix

• End of the F'ing world - 4OD/Netflix

• Doctor Foster - Netflix

• The Crown - Netflix

Docuseries

• Living Undocumented - Netflix

• Tiger King: Murder Mayhem and Madness - Netflix

• Don't F**k with Cats - Netflix

• 100 Humans: Life's Questions Answered - Netflix

Reality

• Love is Blind - Netflix

• Keeping Up with the Kardashians - Hayu

3. Start a new hobby, learn a new skill or work on that business idea you kept putting off

Trying to figure out what to do during these days at home can be a bit difficult. However having a hobby during this time can be more fulfilling than you think, it can morph into a passion that gets you excited and can help to get your mind working. They can help boost your quality of life, thats why they are so important.

You may be thinking, 'but i'm not particularly passionate about anything? Where do I start? Well first of all everyone has a passion, you just haven't found yours yet, maybe. But don't worry there are a lot of ways to try and discover what you could be passionate about. You can try taking things back to your childhood - rediscovering things you really loved doing when you had all the time in the world. You could explore learning how to do your makeup, learning how to bake, sew, paint, dance (Tik Tok is a really popular app now). You can try out a number of things and see which one you find the most fun and fulfilling. Definitely choose something that will make you forget about all your stresses and worries.

However, some people might have a hard time doing idle work that serves no purpose other than being fun. If you're someone whose used to always being on the move and thinking of your next opportunity to hit a goal or better yourself, make your hobby fit that criteria. Pick one up that will help you change for the better. This could be your next business idea, this is the time to do as much research as possible, write up a business plan and maybe even start up the business depending on what it is.

There are also a number of free or very inexpensive hobbies you can try out such as creating content for social media, you could upload makeup tutorials (like how to apply your lashes), advice videos, creating funny videos and interacting with your friends and followers online. Now is the time to also learn the skills you would otherwise pay for like how to give yourself a salon style Mani Pedi, or how to create a professional makeup look.

4. Try Creating an at Home Spa

While a lot of self-care practices focus on your inner state and mentality, pairing them with some indulgent pampering of your outer self is also important for overall well-being. Whilst all your favourite spa's and beauty specialists are unable to offer you your regular treatments at this time, perhaps creating the perfect atmosphere to do it yourself may be the best option for getting this done. This is also something you can do with a anyone you lives with you.

Here are some things you can try to do at home:

• Set Up Your Home Spa - Start by setting the mood with some relaxing music; Set yourself up in a nice clean area and dress the part with a nice bath robe, slippers and head wrap, then have a nice drink on the side maybe a glass of wine or a nice homemade cocktail.

• Soak in a Luxurious Bath - If you don't have any bath bombs, Epsom salts will also do the trick - epsom salts also promote blood circulation and helps alleviate muscle tension and inflammation. After your bath massage any body oil or moisturiser in your skin to lock in the moisture, you can use moisturisers rich in key ingredients such as Shea butter, coconut oil and vitamin E.

• Give Yourself a Facial - Healthy skin is the foundation for every good makeup look. However whilst you may not be wearing as much makeup during this lockdown period, great looking skin may help to make your feel as much like your everyday self during this time. There are ways to achieve spa-quality results at home. Try steaming your face - it is a good way to cleanse your pores, you can add essential oils like tea tree oil for acne prone skin, lavender oil for oily skin or rose absolute oil for dry skin. You can follow a steam treatment with a purifying clay mask or simply some toner and moisturiser, helping to promote clear and glowing skin. You can also try mixing up papaya, pineapple, yogurt and honey and applying it as face mask this helps to brighten up dull skin. For puffy eyes try placing cool chamomile tea bags and cucumber over your eyes for 10 minutes.

• Refreshing Pedicure - Start by prepping your nails, remove any old nail polish. Then soak your feet in warm water, don't forget to add in your Epsom salts to give you that true salon feeling. You want to be extra boujie you can also add in coconut oil and peppermint oil to give you that additional moisturising finish. Then give your feet a pat down, trim and shape your nails and then use a foot scraper to remove any dead skin. Rinse off your feet, then using a good moisturiser massage your feet. Finish off by painting your toe nails.

5. Practice your Faith or Mindfulness Meditation

Practicing your faith during difficult times can bring your nearer to God and helps to alleviate stress and improve quality of life. It can bring you a sense of peace which you may not have achieved otherwise. It gives people a sense of purpose and allows people to connect to something greater than themselves, making you feel like you are not alone and enables us to release control. Praying and joining religious support groups can be great during this time whatever your religion is. Solo prayer gives you a chance to express all your fears or stresses and release their burden to God, with the faith that he is in control. Engaging in group prayer with similar minded people can help strengthen your faith, the feeling of belonging, as well as reinforcing feelings of support and understanding, and ialleviates stress.

The popularity of meditation is increasing as more people discover its benefits. There are thousands of studies that have shown mindfulness meditation can positively impact mental and physical health. Whether it’s by reducing stress, improving sleep, increasing focus, or making you feel positive and changing your outlook on things, research shows mindfulness works. You can try a number of different types of meditation to help you through this period, most will involve using breathing techniques and recentering your thoughts.

6. Emotional Freedom Techniques

Emotional freedom technique (EFT) is an alternative treatment for physical pain and emotional distress and a form of mediation. It’s also referred to as tapping or psychological acupressure. People who use this technique believe tapping the body can create a balance in your energy system and treat pain. According to its developer, Gary Craig, a disruption in energy is the cause of all negative emotions and pain.

EFT tapping can be divided into five steps:

Step 1: Identify the issue - You must first establish the fear or anxiety you have for example in this case it could be the anxiety or fear associated with Coronavirus.

Step 2: Test the initial intensity - Rate how intense this feeling is from 0 - 10, 10 being the most intense. This will help you measure the effectiveness of this technique as you go through the sequence.

Step 3: The set up - Before you start tapping you must come up with a phrase that best explains what you are trying to address. Focusing on two main goals; (a) acknowledge the issue, (b) Accepting yourself despite the problem. The common setup phrase is: “Even though I have this [fear or problem], I deeply and completely accept myself.” You can change this phrase slightly so it fits your problem, but it can't address someone else's. You have to focus on how the problem makes you feel in order to relive the distress it causes.

Step 4: The Sequence - The EFT tapping sequence involves tapping on 9 points each corresponding to an internal organ. Begin by tapping the karate chop point while simultaneously reciting your setup phrase three times. Then, tap each following point seven times, moving down the body in this order:

• Eyebrow

• Side of the eye

• Under the eye

• Under the nose

• Chin

• Beginning of the collarbone

• Under the arm

After tapping the underarm point, finish the sequence at the top of the head point.

While tapping in the correct order, recite a reminder phrase to maintain focus on your problem area. If your setup phrase is, “Even though I’m anxious about everything thats going on right now, I deeply and completely accept myself,” your reminder phrase can be, “My anxiety is because of everything that is going on in the world right now.” Recite this phrase at each tapping point. Repeat this sequence two or three times.

Step 5: Test the final intensity - At the end of your sequence, rate your intensity level on a scale from 0 to 10. Compare your results with your initial intensity level. If you haven’t reached 0, repeat this process until you do.

7. Video call friends and family/ spread the love

This is a fairly easy one, in times like this its important to maintain relationships with our loved ones. We're all going through the same thing and we each have the same common enemy. So its important to share how you're feeling with other people, however making sure you limit conversations that could be seen as negative such as the devastating effect of this virus - these conversations are good as it lets the other person know they are not alone. It's also very important to spread the love and positivity especially with anyone who you know may be having a particularly rough time and who may be living alone during this time. Try to maintain as much normalcy as possible whilst we're all staying inside during this time.

It's also nice to create a group to share some of the activities you are doing such as a yoga/mediation/prayer group (my friends and I have done this lool), you can also create a fitness group to do workouts or a group for cooking, the possibilities are endless. This can all be done through group video calling platforms such as FaceTime and House party (with the latter just note others can join the group calls, so if you don't want that make sure you lock the call), however now is the best time to socialise with as many people as possible to get your mind off things.

8. Good Diet and Eating habits

As with all elements of self care, your diet is about balance. Good nutrition is an important part of leading a healthy lifestyle. Combined with physical activity, your diet can help you to reach and maintain a healthy weight, reduce your risk of chronic diseases (like heart disease and cancer), and promote your overall health. It may be tempting to binge on junk food and drinking however those are part of the culture of instant gratification, which is nice from time to time, but overall it wont benefit your body in the long run. Its important to stay in tune with your body and understand what it needs to be nurtured.

It is important to eat immune system boosting foods such as citrus fruits which are high in Vitamin C, as well as garlic which helps to lower blood pressure and helps to fight infections and ginger which helps to decrease inflammation and reduce a sore throat and other inflammatory illnesses. Spinach is also rich in vitamin C, note it is healthiest when it’s cooked as little as possible so that it retains its nutrients. However, light cooking enhances its vitamin A and allows other nutrients to be released from oxalic acid. These foods as well as taking vitamin supplements are particularly beneficial during this time as it will help to fight off any illnesses.

9. Create a routine and try your best to stick to it

During the time we're all going to spending at home it is important to create a routine that is as similar to your normal everyday life as possible and try to stick to it. Trying to 'wing' your day just won't cut it at this time, as this can leave you feeling stressed, anxious, overwhelmed and like you're falling short of your goals and true potential, especially if you work has been affected due to the pandemic.

However creating a realistic routine that works best for you can help you become more productive, it puts you in control, saves time, reduces procrastination and stress, and helps us to achieve our goals, keeping you on track for success. Putting these measures in place will hopefully make this isolation period less agonising and realign your sense of purpose.

This is a very difficult time for us all, and in no way are we trying to take away from the seriousness of this situation, however we hope this post has equipped you with some tools to make this time much easier and positive. Stay healthy and safe x

JC Beauty does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended to be taken as professional advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a professional. These are just tips we would like to share with our readers.

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