A Get Your 💩 Together and Quarantine Guide!

I know, I know. Not another post about the pandemic that must not be named — but as virtually everyone I know is being impacted by this situation, I thought I would wrangle a few licensed professionals to help you hunker down, take care of yourselves, and hopefully get this thing knocked out faster than you can say “social distancing.”

---

What if I’m kind of freaking out?

The function of fear is to tell us to practice and prepare, and we can’t really do either of those things when we are in a panic.  So, limit your news intake to once or twice a day and try to prepare as much as you reasonably can in the meantime (keeping things clean, stocking up on supplies if you haven’t already). Perhaps most importantly, try to remember to take deep breaths and stay calm. 

— Andy Smith, LMFT

You can see more from him at Hope Ridge Counseling

can I do anything to boost my immunity?

QUARANTINERS, MAKE IT WORK!

This is a dual-purpose tip regarding food and it’s all about making. it. work.

But first, let’s have some real-talk on the subject of food. Food is a luxury right now. Resource hoarding is not helpful and it is selfish, so please take only what you need (or extra IF you’re sharing it with someone else in need). For those of us who are not wondering where our (or our kids’) next meals will come from, let’s take a moment to pause in gratitude and then reach out to help someone in need.

Now the first side of this coin is that with limited grocery runs and limited grocery items, try to choose foods that won’t just feed you, but HELP you. When you’re choosing what groceries to buy, go for items that will support your immune system. Aromatics like ginger and garlic add amazing flavor to whatever you’re eating while blasting your body with their anti-microbial properties. Speaking of making your food work for you, take two slices of that same ginger root, cover it with boiling water and sip on it at the end of the night. Another dual-purpose win! Bone broth is easy and inexpensive to make at home or you can grab it from the freezer section or self-stable aisle at your local grocery store. Sipping this on an empty stomach is amazing for your immune system or you can use it as a base for soup (add leafy greens to said soup for vital nutrients). Speaking of vitamins, amp up your vitamin C  by grabbing raw bell peppers for snack time, or an orange, kiwi or strawberries if you have a sweeter tooth.

Onto our second point: make your time work for you!

Let’s say you’ve never felt competent in the kitchen or have held off on trying “meal prep” because you never had the time. Listen up, you will probably NEVER find a better time than this. You’re not choosing between going out with friends or learning how to be proficient at meal-prepping…and you’re not even choosing between re-watching that episode of New Girl, because honey it’ll still be there once you’re a star home-chef. So stop waiting and make the most of this time! If you’ve been wanting to master poached eggs or homemade pasta (VERY inexpensive, by the way), you have nothing fighting for your attention…plus we all know you need to put Instagram down for the first time today, Marsha.

— Courtney Whitsett, Certified Natural Chef

You can see more from her @courtney.whitsett

What if my hair is kind of a hot mess?

Hi everyone, Happy Quarantine…

At the moment, most everyone is freaked out. You’ve been to the grocery store, seen the inexplicably empty toilet paper shelves, binge watched “Scandal” for the last two days and now you are starting to look in the mirror and see those terrible roots. You are an every 4, 6, or 8 week sort of gal and it’s been 3, 5, or 7. Your salon is closed and THAT is certainly not going to help matters. 

Here’s what NOT to do: Stay away from the hair color aisle at the local Kroger. There is nothing there for you. NOTHING. Don’t even think about it unless you have a special savings account marked “color correction,” and trust me — it’s going to get drained if you fall victim to the box. Your hairdresser will thank you and possibly me later for this piece of advice. I doubt you are going to be seeking your own counsel in changing the oil in your car, so let’s leave those technical things to the professionals. You shouldn’t be going anywhere anyway, and if you do, pop a baseball cap on those roots and your favorite pair of leggings and go look for toilet paper at the Home Depot. It’s a hidden secret. 

Second, I know that you have watched eleventy billion YouTube tutorials and cutting your own bangs, layers, or length seems easy enough but PUT.THE.ORANGE.KITCHEN.SHEARS.DOWN. You’re welcome. I have just saved you from a years worth of grow out because it’s NOT going to go well. 

Lastly, don’t stray. Don’t find the closest open salon that seems nice and make an appointment there. Your stylist has made the decision to protect themselves, you, and every one of the other clients that frequent your favorite place and you don’t know that open place. You don’t know the sanitation, you don’t know their work or skill, and your favorite hairdresser — who you are dying to find out the end of the last saga you were talking about — is counting on you when this thing subsides. 

Here is what you can do, if you want to do something. Book online with your favorite stylist. Call the salon and prebook your next two appointments. What will that do? Well, just like the butterfly effect, it will do a lot. First, it will give you a goal. You know that on April 1st at 12, Tiffany is going to knock those roots out and cut your layers and it’s all going to be back to beautiful. You will hear the end of the latest story you were dying to know and Tiffany is going to be back to earning income. While you are working from home and still collecting your salary, chances are your hairdresser is not. She is laying at home, mulling over the intense amount of anxiety that two, three, maybe more weeks of no income is going to cause. Thats not something that a lot of people realize — when we don’t work, we have no money coming in and American Express is going to ask for their money at the same time they always do. The rent, the cars, the insurance, all keep asking and without working a lot of people are dipping into savings, 401k funds, and any other creative way they can to make ends meet. 

We are all in this thing together, and we are counting on each other to get through the next few weeks. So, mask, condition, take your hair out of a ponytail and let those locks free, but no matter what, keep the boxes on the shelf and the scissors in the drawer. Call and make an appointment, and although it’s not sexy advice, its real. Keep calm and embrace your natural color, at least for a couple of weeks. 

— Britt Carter, Director of Color and Education at Osgood O’Neil

You can see more from him @brittslifeincolor

I don’t know what to do with myself???

First, you DON’T need to get your shit together. You need to survive and be kind to yourself. It’s a trying time. So!

1- Take lots of social media scrolling breaks. All of the bad news can really stress you out. Read an informative news headline and that’s it. Dogs and funny memes the rest of the day.

2. Stress eating is normal and if snacking makes you feel nice, do it. Anyone telling you to not eat carbs right now can kiss your and my ass. If there was ever a time for pasta, the time is now. 

And 3. Do lots of FaceTime dates with family and friends to get your social connection. It is important.

— Erin Tyler, Holistic Health Coach

You can see more from her @whatsupwellness

I feel like I should be working out, but…

Even if your gym is closed, there are so many ways to remain active. Take a hike! Do a yoga video on YouTube! Or scoot on over to our friend Korey’s instagram page! He’s a Barry’s Bootcamp instructor who’s posting FREE workouts on his IGTV to help us keep our bodies moving and shaking during this weird and stressful time. Click here to get your sweat on and get those endorphins pumping! Also, as someone who’s had a strained relationship with health and fitness for most of her life, once I framed it as a positive way to manage stress, it really made all the difference. If you find yourself really feeling the effects of what’s going on in the world around you to the point you feel like you can’t do anything (I get it, it’s ok!), just try moving your body for 5 minutes and see what happens. Put on your favorite song and have a kitchen dance party. You’ll be better for it. Promise!

— Natalie, Editor in Chief @ www.NatalieSaidSo.com 😉

do I start a new skincare routine?

Yes! Take time to use things that maybe normally wouldn’t. Use the glycolic, use the lactic acid, maybe start a new retinol regime you’ve been wanting to try.

You have the downtime, so take this time to “trick” your skin. Build more collagen, soften fine lines and wrinkles. Your skin may take time to acclimate, but no one will see that! By the time we are all out being social again, everyone will notice your new glow! 

Also, buy yourself an affordable at home face massager like this or this. These are great for exercising your face and benign blood to the surface. They also lift, tone and help tighten the skin. And they are great when used properly for lymphatic drainage which helps rid toxins from our bodies! 

If this all seems a little overwhelming, contact me and I can do a consult for you over the phone!

— Annelise Carey, Licensed Esthetician and Makeup Artist

You can see more from her @annelisemua

---

Hope you’ve gotten some good insight and feel a little more comfortable tackling whatever else 2020 throws our way! We can do this, fam! (I think??)

Do you have any helpful tips to surviving this madness?

Let me know in the comments!