If the retreat back to our homes with Phase 2 (HA) work-from-home measures still stir up feelings of dread and malaise, you’re not alone. With everything that’s happening in the world now, it can feel exhausting to keep happy and productive while in isolation. One way to take control of what’s happening however, is to create your own shelter from the storm. Whether it be starting a new hobby or finding small ways to re-edit your life and surrounds, creating your own cocoon of peace will help you survive and thrive through these uncertain times. Here are the nice-to-have tools that will help keep you calm and productive as you live, work, and play from home till lockdown measures lift.
De-stress your skin, scalp and gut
Anxiety and stress does more than wreak havoc on our mental health: it manifests in our skin, scalp, skeletal and digestive systems too.
“Stress can trigger a widespread impact on the body. It impacts the vagus nerve which modulates the brain-gut axis, affecting mood, sleep, digestion, heart rate and immune response,” says The Nutrition Clinic‘s Pooja Vig. “This cascading impact on our body, if not managed, creates inflammation which may manifest as migraines, fatigue, skin inflammation and gut issues—so these are the common conditions that we are seeing more of, just to name a few. A funny thing we’ve been observing at the clinic is that the wives are stressed that husbands are home, and husbands are stressed that kids are at home! So everyone tends of eat too much, bicker with each other and at the end of the day and parents crash on the couch after the kids are asleep and have a drink or eat way too much sugar. We are seeking short term wins and rewards, which unfortunately builds to long-term effects.”
Unique Time Probiotic 10
The Nutrition Clinic Ultimate Energy Supplements
Create micro-rituals each day
If you’ve ever questioned if an app can change your life, then meet Fabulous, your daily self-care coach on iPhone. The behavioural science app is the brainchild of Duke University’s Behavioral Economics Lab and helps you build healthy rituals that successful entrepreneurs and all-star athletes use to rise to the top. Consider this your chance to reset systems once again.
Experts advise that the easiest way to start a new habit and stick to it, is ‘stacking’ your new habit onto an action you’re already nailing. So if you’re spending 20 minutes on a yoga flow, why not take another five to sit quietly with yourself after and mindfully meditate?
Scent up your space
You may have hit pause on wearing fragrances in this time, but that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying scent in other forms. Instead of saving that precious candle or fancy hand cream for a special occasion, find delight in the moment with these scented treats.
Le Labo Enscens Candle
Diptyque Fleur de Peau Hand Cream
Get moving
Any form of movement in this time as we remain indoors is vital. As we live and work on overdrive, it’s important to consciously step away from the desk and phone, giving our bodies the mobility and movement it so desperately craves. Chase the Heightened Alert blues away with everything from virtual exercise classes to challenging to your bestie to a home-based workout, closing your fitness rings on Apple Watch‘s app.
Best workout apps to use on your Apple Watch: Seven for quick HIIT-at-home workouts; Nike Training Club for free yoga, cardio and bodyweight workouts that call for minimal equipment; CARROT Fit for fitness with a little bit of sass (because if you’re going to workout, you may as well get a giggle too)e; and Pocket Yoga, to help you practice at your own pace.
There are also a slew of free workouts on YouTube and Instagram to check-out to help you get your blood pumping.
Apple Watch with Pride Edition Band
Upgrade your work-meets-play systems
Hear us out: No, a brand new TV, sound system or computer are not going to magically lift lockdown ennui. However, if you’ve found yourself hunching over a small laptop with ears to neck or continue to fight for control of the TV, perhaps it’s time to consider a multi-tasking device that seamlessly takes you from work to play.
One nice-to-have device that perfectly suits the needs of all members of the family is the Apple iMac, which effortlessly exists as both a workhorse of a computer and high-quality entertainment system. Its slim-fit design (we’re talking 11.5 millimeres thin, which is just smaller than an Apple Watch) means that it’s modular and slips in to even the cosiest of spaces. Powered by the M1 chip, apps previously seen on your phone can be opened on the iMac, giving you the chance to multi-task: managing stress with Headspace while simultaneously logging on to your favourite yoga app such as Down Dog or Glo.
Whether you’re designing, hosting meetings, creating reports, editing videos, surfing for recipes or shoes, gaming, listening to music or watching Apple TV, iMac’s expansive 24-inch 4.5k Retina displays over a billion colours, delivering a brilliant, vivid imagery every time. But the immersive experience doesn’t end there, as the iMac houses a six-speaker sound system in Dolby Atmos. It also boasts studio quality mics and the best camera and audio ever in a Mac, meaning higher quality FaceTiming and conference calls. Trust us: with its rich, expansive display and snappy, multi-tasking capabilities, the next hurdle is ensuring that nobody Bogarts the iMac.
Apple iMac
Love yourself
Yes, orgasms definitely count as self-care. “More now than ever, in this period where we are increasingly disconnected from social interaction, personal touch is important for us to keep grounded and to lovingly soothe our nervous system,” says certified love and intimacy coach, Andrea Tan. “Using toys with the intention of pleasure and/or play, are great ways to allow us to relax and to even connect with our own pleasure as a way to navigate the frustration and fatigue that comes with an uncertain pandemic situation.”
Tan encourages us to “see this time intentionally, whether it’s a simple intention to reconnect with your thoughts, emotions or your pleasure. Set time aside for yourself—what doesn’t get scheduled doesn’t happen. And be compassionate with yourself, we’re not here to climb Mount Everest but are to reconnect with parts of ourselves that we haven’t had time to do so. Be curious and remember not to take yourself so seriously: What is one new toy you can explore? How can you use some of your toys differently? How can you set up the space where you spend time with yourself differently?”
Whether you’re cozy-ing up to your partner or shopping around for a new sex toy for self-pleasure, making time for intimacy helps to relieve stress and could be just the thing to combatting a low mood. Vogue’s pick this season is the Womanizer Premium Eco, a contactless vibrator for gradual and gentle stimulation. If you’re looking for a toy that serves up on the sustainability front, this might be one to consider. Manufactured from Biolene material, this eco-friendly gadget is biodegradable and recyclable. For those who prefer gentle stimulation, its Pleasure Air Technology massages the area around the clitoris without direct contact. Topped off with an extra stimulation head, 12 intensity levels, and an ultra-quiet “smart silence” setting, the Womanizer Premium Eco is low-maintenance in all ways.
