These are scary times, that’s for sure. It seems there’s a new development or major legislative decision made every hour of each day. I used to check my phone consistently, every few hours, just to hear if there were any new updates or news. It grew so unhealthy that I had to remind myself to set my phone down and take a breather.

I want to offer a little bit of positivity, a small distraction, or even a sense of normalcy. I am fortunate enough to be able to safely quarantine. In order to keep myself busy and not lose myself in this chaos, I try to practice a daily routine. Without further ado, here is my self-quarantine routine:

Each morning, I wake up sometime between 7-8 am. I try to get up sooner, but alas, some days are a bit harder than others. I’m definitely an early bird and feel the most productive when I get up early in the morning, but I’m trying to remind myself that it’s okay to sleep in a little.

Workout

I begin by prepping for my daily workouts. Before, I would go to the gym for 4-5 days a week and focus my workout on either my arms, legs, or abs. I normally would start with ~20 minutes of running, but with no gym equipment I’ve decided to forgo cardio. This isn’t my ideal choice (running on the treadmill at the gym is my FAVORITE thing to do), but I’ve tried running outdoors and it was a disaster. Allergies, cars, people, weather. It wasn’t a pleasant experience.

For my exercises, I have been training with Pamela Reif. She has a lot of different workouts for each level—beginner, intermediate, and intense— but let me tell ya, boy does she work you. Even the easiest, beginner, 10-minute workout video will have you sweating and gasping for breath half-way through. At first, all her videos left me shaky-legged and barely able to do more than a few reps. Now, after maybe 5 weeks of training with her videos, I find myself stronger and with more endurance. I can see progress! Amazing! I’m still beading sweat down my face and onto my mat, though.

Then, I take a shower and after stepping out, I begin my skincare routine.

7-Step Skincare Routine— WHAT?!

Utilizing all my products, my skincare routine consists of seven steps. Yes, seven. I’m still a newbie at skincare and am definitely open for tips and tricks, but sticking to a routine has helped me so much.

While visiting a beauty store one day, I was successfully convinced by an employee to purchase a box set of Fresh skincare products. After leaving the store, I felt guilty that I had spent so much on products I wasn’t even sure I would like. Boy, was I wrong. This is an investment. On yourself. I highly highly highly recommend investing in quality skincare products that work well with your skin and you will stick to daily. They will help you feel clean, fresh, and like you have your life in order. Plus, the skincare benefits are enough reason alone to find a routine that works for you.

Fresh 2 Death

I start with Fresh’s Soy Face Cleanser, which removes all the dirt, gunk, and makeup from my face. It is so gentle and not-so-subtly smells of roses. I then move to the Rose Deep Hydration Facial Toner. It also smells great, and works towards minimizing the appearance of pores and moisturizing your skin. I don’t really think I need this product, but it can’t hurt. Then, I use a face mask. This can be any sheet face mask you have on hand, but I switch between a sheet mask and Fresh’s Rose Face Mask. I leave this product on for 10 minutes, then gently wash it off. I then use The Ordinary’s Hyaluronic Acid (2%). I quickly then use my jade facial roller and roll the serum on my skin for a few minutes. I say quickly because the acid (which isn’t like a toxic acid if that’s what you’re thinking, it’s a serum with a thick consistency but dries on the face really fast). Here’s an example of a jade facial roller, but I’m pretty sure I bought mine at Marshalls for much less. The roller has a fabulous de-puffing effect that is actually pretty noticeable immediately after rolling my face. Plus, it ensures the serum and products are successfully absorbed into my face. After this step, I apply Fresh’s Rose Deep Hydration Moisturizer. Wow, this product name does not lie. The hyaluronic acid does make my skin a bit tight, so this moisturizer is the perfect compliment to it, deeply moisturizing while making my skin feel light and fresh (perfect brand name award) while looking perfectly dewy. To end, I use facial moisturizer with SPF. I use CeraVe’s SPF 30 moisturizer.

This whole ordeal takes between 10-20 minutes. And I don’t use a face mask every day— Wednesday are face mask day.

In reality, I don’t use all these products every day. Sometimes I don’t use my jade facial roller, other days I don’t use my SPF 30 if I know I’m not leaving the house. I’m still new to this whole skincare routine thing and have to remind myself that I’m not perfect.

Serving Looks and Breakfast

Since I just finished a workout, I need to fill my body with nutrients. I try to keep my plate balanced with carbohydrates (It’s what your brain eats! You need carbs!), protein, and healthy fats! Usually, my breakfast consists of eggs, fruit, and bread. I also enjoy fruit smoothies and protein milkshakes. It’s fun to be in the kitchen and come up with new combinations of foods to make.

School’s In

As motivated and excited I am to continue my graduate studies, I have to admit… it’s so incredibly hard this quarter. I don’t know if it’s the result of being in quarantine, the virus, changes in my life, or some combination of these. I’m finding myself less… motivated? disciplined? to complete my studies. But nonetheless, I complete my work and I complete it well. I just give myself a little extra push, an extra snack, or extra time to work on a particular assignment.

Even on my most motivated of days, I can work 8-10 hours a day and still not finish all of my schoolwork. What used to take me a day to complete now takes me 3-4 days. This change was sooooo hard to adjust to at first, but now I’m a bit more used to it. I know that each day requires hours and hours of hard work, but it will be worth it in the end.

Dinner and a Movie?

There’s a question mark at the end of the sub-title because I don’t always get to this point! I get so focused and into my school work that I forget I have the rest of the week to complete my tasks. If I luckily finish my work on time or find the ability to swallow my pride and leave the work unfinished for the day, I am able to enjoy my evening and watch a movie or a TV show.

TV shows I’ve seen are: Next in Fashion, American Horror Story, The Office, Nailed It, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. These are just shows I’ve always wanted to watch and now finally have the chance to. I highly recommend Next in Fashion on Netflix! It’s the most wholesome fashion competition show you’ll ever see!

Movies I have seen are: Avengers: Endgame, Snowpiercer, Parasite, The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, Cadet Kelly, Princess Diaries (1 & 2!). I love teen drama movies! They’re so much fun. Drama is fun when it doesn’t involve you :)

Each day is different and comes with its unique challenges. Some days are really very hard and others I can breeze through. I’m finding I need to lay off social media more and more, find healthier outlets, and chunk up my school work so I am not working for 10 hours each session.

Having a routine helps me feel like I have at least a little control in my life and can control the outcome of some of my actions. I don’t have to be productive each day, but I do have to make sure I am patient and kind to myself always.

I encourage y’all to find a routine that works for you and stick to it. Even if it’s imperfect, even if you slip up a day or two (or three or four). We’re going through a traumatic pandemic. Always take care of yourself and take care of others when you can. Please stay safe and make wise choices ❤️ See y’all at the end of this.