It can be overwhelming to work during a pandemic. You’re stuck at home and can’t attend any social events to help you unwind. If you’re not careful, you can spend most of your day hustling at work. You may feel productive and fulfilled, but at some point, it’ll be tiring and stressful, which can be detrimental to your health.
Taking a break to focus on self-care can help you work more effectively. When you relax and recharge your mind and body, you’ll be able to think clearly and be more inspired when you go back to work. Here are some ideas on how you can treat yourself after a long day of work from home:
1. Update your hairstyle
Before social distancing, you used to sit for hours in the salon to change up your hairstyle. Since we can’t go to salons, you can take the time and update your look on your own. There are many ways on how you can change up your hairstyle. You can play around with the volume by going curly or sleek.
You can also be bold by changing your hair color. Your options are limitless as you can choose from a wide range of hues, from natural colors to pastel shades. Before committing to a color, you can test the waters and do a virtual try-on to see which hue looks best on you.
2. Have a wine night
There are multiple ways on how you can enjoy a wine night. You can do it on your own by ordering some food in, binging on a show you’ve been putting off, and popping a bottle of wine open. On the other hand, you can spend it with some friends online through a virtual happy hour. Catch up with your buds over glasses of wine. You can even spice things up by playing an online drinking game!
Another unique way to unwind and spend time with yourself is to learn how to make your own wine. There are loads of recipes and tutorials online that are easy to follow if you have the right supplies and ingredients. You can try making mulled wine or sangria. If you’re feeling more creative, you can purchase a winemaking kit and be a sommelier at home.
3. Start a journal
Journaling has numerous benefits in easing stress, depression, and anxiety. It helps clear your mind at the end of the day. Your journal doesn’t have to be grammatically correct, pretty, or organized. It can be messy, long, or simple.
Remember that journaling is part of your “me time,” so you shouldn’t be doing it for anyone besides yourself. If you’d like to have a structured journal, a gratitude journal is a good place to start. You can allot 15 minutes a day to write five things you’re grateful for. Keep a pad or a notebook by your bed and pour your thoughts out.
4. Step away from your dedicated workspace
Having work zones draws the line between your work and home life. To improve working conditions at home, you need to have a separate work area that doesn’t intrude on your personal time. Sometimes, it’s not easy to do, especially when you live in a studio apartment, but once you separate your work area, your mindset shifts and goes into work mode whenever you step into the zone and rest mode when you step out.
5. Follow a wind-down routine
After you clock out from work, take some time to ease your way into bed. It doesn’t have to be elaborate; you can start by making sure you unplug from your devices. You’ve been facing your laptop, tablet, or phone all day. Take a break from alerts, emails, and social media. Having a wind-down routine reduces tension in your body, relieves stress, and helps you prepare for restful sleep.
Additional ways to help you transition to sleep are drinking lavender/chamomile tea, pampering yourself with a skincare routine, reading a lighthearted novel or a fascinating non-fiction book, and meditating. Create a routine that works for your needs and interests. As you consistently stick to it, your body will know that it’s time to sleep and relax, which helps keep your stress in check.
Reclaim Your Relaxation Time
It can be difficult to stick to self-care habits at first, especially if you’re a workaholic. Everyone is going through a hard time in this pandemic, so remember to take it easy on yourself and carve out some time in the day to relax. You can schedule your “me time” on your planner and treat it as a task you need to do, like with any work task.
Over time, you can improve your habits by adding an exercise routine, cooking your meals, or cutting back on your vices, and finally quitting smoking. Treating yourself improves your mental health (sometimes even physical health!). It makes you happier and more energized to face day-to-day life. Take a break. You deserve it.
Author: Lisa Garcia
Author Bio: Lisa is a content marketing specialist for L’Oreal Paris – an everyday, luxury beauty brand that empowers women to effortlessly be their most beautiful and confident selves through its beauty products in the Philippines. As an advocate for women’s rights and empowerment, she is passionate about beauty and fashion as a form of art and self-expression. Outside the beauty world, you can find Lisa jamming to her favorite tunes, going on an online shopping spree, or spending time with her friends.
