Girls’ Night In – I Want To Take Care of Myself

1- Feel it all

“Let yourself feel your feelings! All the things you brush off or push down because you “don’t have time” to deal with them? Deal with them now. This is a shitty, but open, opportunity to come out of this on the other side with a clearer view of what kind of world you want to live in, and what kind of person you want to be in that world.” – Guest tip from: Ashley C. Ford, Writer

2- Cross a thing or two off of your list

“Have several items in the same category? Group them together and work on each group. I feel so much better not having a long list of things I want to get done hanging around! I had 5 sewing projects I wanted to make. Normally, I’d have maybe done one in a week. Not commuting two hours every day means I have way more time right now. I gave myself permission to leave out all my sewing stuff (cluttering my kitchen table) and managed to get 4 of the 5 sewing projects done in a week. It’s so nice to have crossed those off my list! And deciding to group my items together means I’m getting out and putting away everything less.” – Melissa R.

3- Reimagine your pantry essentials

“Subscribe to Farmer’s Market Femme – a food email thread that helps you turn pantry staples into full meals.” – Community Member

Subscribe now 👉

4- Make your bed every morning

“I make my bed every morning – a simple task that has had a huge, positive impact on my life. It gives me a sense of accomplishment to start the day and at the end of the day I get into a nicely made bed.” – Guest tip from: Jen Gotch, Founder/Chief Creative Officer of Ban.do and author of The Upside of Being Down

5- Read (or re-read) The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer

“I’m re-reading The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer. It’s an amazing book that helped me to overcome a large part of the anxiety I struggled with for most of my life. It is about your relationship with your thoughts and emotions. Essentially, it explains how to understand the voice in your head and why you react the way you do. It’s presented in an easily digestible way and a great point of entry if you are interested in taming a lot of the negative chatter in your mind.” – Guest tip from: Jen Gotch, Founder/Chief Creative Officer of Ban.do and author of The Upside of Being Down

Order the book 👉

6- Go for a run around your neighborhood

“Every morning when I get up, I eat a little breakfast and then I go for a run. I’ve found that if there is anything you get out of this, it is to run. It calms me in ways I didn’t think possible. The treadmill really isn’t the same as running outdoors and seeing nature and other humans (of course 6 feet apart)! I’m trying to stay in the most shape that I can and it feels nice to release my own energy and get out in the world. “- Claire

7- Greet yourself with love in the morning

“The “Good Morning, I Love You” practice is the perfect practice to teach GNI’s readers due to its simplicity and grounding effects. If we create a habit of greeting ourselves with love each morning, these first moments of cultivating an attitude of kindness and compassion — the “secret sauce” of mindfulness — can grow and strengthen the neural pathways of self-love. The “GMILY” practice includes the three, key elements of mindfulness: It aims our intention toward cultivating greater love for ourselves and others. It focuses our attention in the present moment. And it invites an attitude of kindness and curiosity toward whatever we experience.” – Wendy G.

Get mindful now 👉

8- Follow @WFHFits on Instagram

Feeling uninspired to change out of your pajamas each morning? This account will bring a smile to your face with *just* how creative some people’s outfits are getting as they work from home.

Peep their feed 👉

9- Take a meditation class with ROOTED Beings

As we move through these unknown times, there is a lot that is out of our control, but what we can harness is our response to each other and to the world. Join Rooted Beings for IG Lives, Zoom group meditations, Zoom private meditations, and 21-day meditation collectives.

Take a class 👉

10- Remind yourself you don’t have to “be in a groove” right now

If you’re barely functioning right now, you’re not alone. We’re all at different stages of acknowledging this thing, and this article does a great job of reminding us to be kind to ourselves in this truly unprecedented moment.

Read the article 👉

11- Wake up with meditation

“Replace your usual alarm with easy, audio-guided bedyoga and meditation. Think of it like a healthy way to start the day on a positive note. Right now we especially need to maintain some kind of routine and Yoga Wake Up was created just for that! Everything in the app is between 5-15 minutes long, so it’s easy to sneak into your day. ” -Lizzie B.

Replace your alarm 👉

12- Take a free virtual yoga class

Many studios, are offering free virtual yoga, meditation classes, REPLAYS and more to during this time. Roll out your mat and meet people around the globe.

Take a yoga class 👉

13- Take a free virtual yoga class

Many studios, are offering free virtual yoga, meditation classes, REPLAYS and more to during this time. Roll out your mat and meet people around the globe.

Take a yoga class 👉

14- Commit 100 days to creativity with this project

“Here’s a free, global art project that starts April 7th. The idea is simple: commit to 100 days of making (you can do anything at all!) and sharing your progress online.” – Lindsay Jean T.

Get artsy 👉

15- Have a (vinegar) shot and help a small business

“Try Other Mother Vinegar’s yummy and gut healthy vinegar shots that are flavored with all natural and good for you flavors like ginger, turmeric, and raspberry.” -Shelby

Shop for vinegar shots 👉

16- Try “zoning” out your space if you’re working from home

Now that all parts of our lives are happening in one place, it’s hard to set boundaries for ourselves. To help with this, try designating parts of your space into “work” and for “non-work” zones. Dining room table? Work. Bedroom? Non-work. And so on! 🤗

17- Maybe (just maybe!) consider adding “getting ready” for work back into your WFH routine

Test out if swapping sweats for jeans, doing your hair, or reincorporating some of the rituals you rely on when going into the office is a source of motivation in the morning. It may just give you a sense of normalcy and energy during your indoorsy work week!

18- Control your news intake with a routine on your smart-home device

If you have an Amazon Alexa or Google Home, you can use them to set up a routine or specific response when you ask a question. Set your speaker to share only the top 5 news headlines when you ask for today’s news, or include 1-2 stories in your “morning routine” wake up.

19- Keep your pets busy with a frozen treat while you’re on a call

Anyone else’s dog get super active just as you enter the dial-in? Keep them entertained by filling a Kong or other hollow treat toy with a mix of plain yogurt and peanut butter, peanut butter and banana, or plain pumpkin puree. Stick it in the freezer and pull it out when it’s Zoom time.

20- Switch up your at home scenery

It can feel really boring when you’ve been looking at the same 4 walls for a full week or more. Work at your make-shift desk in the morning, and relocate to the “conference room” in your kitchen after lunch. Move to the employee lounge (ahem – couch) to finish up your day.

21- Build “movement breaks” into your calendar while working from home

Whether you use Google Calendar or pen events into a planner, create a recurring event (or multiple events!) for yourself in the midst of your workdays to remind yourself to take a lap, have a stretch, or do a couple of jumping jacks!

22- Try Yoga With Adriene

Looking for a free yoga or meditation resource? Adriene is the best in the biz.

Watch her videos 👉

23- Keep a notepad by your bed

There’s a lot happening right now. If you’re having trouble getting to sleep because there’s a lot going on in your brain right now? Write it down! Try keeping a notepad by your bed to jot down anything that comes to mind while you’re trying fall asleep (and worry less as a result).

24- Try these at-home exercise resources

Looking for ways to stay active while staying inside? We’ve rounded up a list of fitness resources that you can utilize all while remaining indoors.

See the list 👉

25- Take time to meditate

Deeeep breath. 💗 You are here. We’ve compiled a list of meditation apps and any special programs or discounts they’re running for users right now.

See the list 👉

26- Try your hand at meditative coloring (and you might want to frame it when you’re done!)

“Coloring is therapeutic. Grab a blank sheet of paper and a black marker and draw a giant squiggle – the more loops and curves and twists, the better. Then color each of the sections with different colored crayons and markers. Not only is it meditative, it takes quite a bit of time to finish coloring the whole picture. If you’re looking to add some new art to your home, stick with monochromatic or similar shades for each piece and you’ll have your own modern art pieces to show off!” – Guest tip from: Hitha Palepu, Entrepreneur, author, and angel investor

watch a video 👉

27- Rediscover yoga with free CorePower Yoga classes

“After not doing yoga for several years, I’ve recently rediscovered how it can be both calming and energizing. CorePower Yoga has 8-10 classes you can stream for free online on demand, and they switch them out every few days. They have everything from an hour-long sweat sesh to 20 minutes of stretches that just make you feel good.” – Rachel

Take a class 👉

28- Watch 2 Lizards, a docu-diary about living under quarantine

“I want to recommend ‘2 lizards,’ by the artists Meriem Bennani and Orian Barki, an Instagram docu-diary about living under quarantine. It’s surrealist, it’s whimsical, it’s noir, it’s amusing, it’s deeply intelligent. It’s not a distraction from the pandemic — rather, it’s a way to help process the enormity of the moment, and watch people unfurl their grief, confusion, joy and collective spirit in real-time.”  – Guest tip from: Jenna Wortham, NYT culture writer and Co-Host of the Still Processing podcast

Dive into the pOSTS 👉

29- Practice Palm Inhalation

“Palm Inhalation is the simple yet sacred act of receiving scent from your hands. I think of scent as a tool for deepening your breath, reconnecting with the present, and slowing down. I’m biased but my go-to blend to ground is Earth by 3rd Ritual.”

Ground with 3rd Ritual’s Earth 👉

30- Try scheduling tomorrow today 💕

“I’ve been scheduling out each day the night before. It might sound like a lot, but I’m the kind of person who thrives off routine. I find when I don’t have a set list of things to do and when to do it, I sit around and worry about what might happen.” – Eileen R.

31- Listen to The Happier podcast

“THE HAPPIER PODCAST IS JUST THAT — IT HELPS YOU LIVE A HAPPIER LIFE! GRETCHEN GIVES TIPS ON THINGS LIKE HOW TO STAY ORGANIZED, HOW TO CREATE HABITS THAT LAST, AND ALSO EXPLORES DIFFERENT PERSONALITY TYPES AND TIPS ACCORDING TO YOUR SPECIFIC ONE. IT’S A GREAT LISTEN, AND GREAT MOTIVATION.” – MEGAN

LISTEN NOW 👉

32- Finally teach yourself how to play the piano

“The team at Skoove decided to make a bold move and offer a significant part of their premium content free for everyone. Teachers and educational institutions get Skoove Premium for free.” – Nico C.

Go get your premium content for free 👉

33- Build a quarantine time capsule

Wondering how you’ll explain this strange moment in time to future generations? This site makes it easy to build a capsule with snippets from your daily life — as it is — right now.

Learn how to build one 👉

34- Give yourself some grace with how “productive” you are at work right now

This is an unprecedented moment in time, so it’s okay if work looks a little different these days. We’re all just trying to adjust.

Share the tweet 👉

35- Create a care budget

Trying to figure out how to help everyone else and yourself right now? We love this actionable way to allocate your resources and create a “care budget” unique to this moment in time.

Read the article 👉

36- Audit this class on The Science of Well-Being

Trying to figure out how to help everyone else and yourself right now? We love this actionable way to allocate your resources and create a “care budget” unique to this moment in time.

Read the article 👉

37- Join the movement with Dance Church

“Dance Church is providing a 90 minute, live streamed, at home workout every Wednesday and Sunday. Dance Church is movement class that offers a fun and inclusive approach to dancing. Designed for people of all shapes and sizes, backgrounds and identities, Dance Church is a communal space for people who want to move their bodies.” – Rayanna S.

*Sign up for the free account and select the option to attend the sunday class for free
Dance it out 👉

38- Cultivate a practice of mindfulness in the midst of these scary times

“Want to address the undercurrent of fear running through your daily life? Mindfulness guru Tara Brach teaches practices to help you reduce stress and calm fear while cultivating inner resources of safety, strength and connection.” – Carolyn R.

Get the calming vibes now 👉

39- Swap Twitter out for this informative podcastess in the midst of these scary times

“I’ve been replacing looking at Twitter, justified with the intention of ‘being informed’ with listening to the daily podcast called What a Day. The editing, music, and hosts are the opposite of anxiety-inducing…and after 15 minutes I’m more informed than I ever would be stress-refreshing my feed.” – Jen M.

Listen now 👉

40- Create art inspired by daily prompts

“Author and artist Anna Brones started a Creative Fuel Challenge to help us get through this dark moment. It’s less a challenge and more a beautiful almost-daily email with a recommended creative activity. She turned her email newsletter into a series of creative prompts and projects to inspire art making over the coming weeks. It really feels like a breath of fresh air.” -Mary H

Join the challenge 👉

41- Work on your at-home fitness with Down Dog

This app called Down Dog has various fitness options (my fave is the Yoga version) and they periodically do special promotions where it’s completely free to use for up to a month at a time

Get the app 👉

42- Text Crisis Text Line

Text HOME to 741741 for free support 24/7.

Visit Crisis Text Line for more information 👉

43- Get up and get moving

WFH gives you the freedom to take a minute or two to yourself and shake it up a little bit. Get up once every hour and take a lap around your home. Do 5 jumping jacks after every conference call. Whenever you finish a project, get off your set and strike a power pose.

44- Set a lunch break on your calendar

Need a tip for maintaining your at home schedule? WFH can make the hours go by and the days blend into each other. Build in a lunch break and set in on your calendar to give your team a heads up and break up your day.

45- Set aside 30 mins a day of no screen time

Working at home to staying at home has got us glued to our screens. Try giving yourself 30 mins of screen-free time a day by trying a different activity. Spend 30 mins reading, tidying up your new desk space, working on a puzzle, cooking a meal, or stretching. Just leave all screens out!

46- Watch Lizzo lead a group meditation

Because we could all use lifted spirits and an opportunity to recenter right now.

Watch the clip 👉

47- Sound the alarms (for hydrating, stretching, and taking screen breaks)

Sitting in an endless stream of meetings? Haven’t left your couch all day because you’re working extra hours? Set an alarm on your phone or computer and remind your self to do the little things.

48- Stay hydrated while working from home

In times when Really Big Things™️ are happening in the world, we can forget to tend to the little, everyday things, AKA staying hydrated. Many of us have a workplace beverage routine, but adjusting habits for working from home can be tricky. Try the 1:1 ratio technique –> Drink one glass of water for every non-water beverage you consume during the work week.

49- Try this daily quarantine goal planner

I just started a personalized daily quarantine goal planner. 😍 Each word is associated with a goal like ‘breathe fresh air for 15 minutes’ or ‘sweat it out for 45 minutes,’ etc. My organized heart is so excited for some structure! – Olivia, GNI Team
See olivia’s planner 👉

50- Try this daily quarantine goal planner

I just started a personalized daily quarantine goal planner. 😍 Each word is associated with a goal like ‘breathe fresh air for 15 minutes’ or ‘sweat it out for 45 minutes,’ etc. My organized heart is so excited for some structure! – Olivia, GNI Team
See olivia’s planner 👉

50- Back to Stay Home Take Care Home

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