*The picture above is my vision board for 2020. Seems I really needed what I am getting – lots of time at home with my family.

Take. A. Deep. Breath. Whatever this last week looked like for you, breathe. You did it! Take a moment to sit with that. You made it through. Ours wasn’t pretty some of the time, but I am trying to give myself tons of grace and I hope you will too. We can do hard things.

I’ve been feeling a real internal battle on what to say and write around COVID-19. It’s quite literally taken over all of our lives in one week, leaving us with so many questions, not a ton of hope so far, and a whole lot of unanswered questions.

I was with a friend just last week who is a bartender and her husband is in real estate…and she was sharing how much financial abundance they finally felt was coming their way, after working SO hard for years. And today, their life looks a whole lot different. How can so much change in ONE WEEK?

I saw a funny meme yesterday (if you’re on IG, hopefully you’re seeing many funny ones!) that said: Remember last week when we were worried about daylight savings time, the full moon and Friday the 13th? Simpler times for sure, it’s all relative, right?

The last week I felt all consumed by what so many are facing right now. I shared this on my instagram stories:

THOUGHTS LATELY |

I’ve been having the hardest time figuring out my “place” here on social media (and here on my blog), since all of this went down. While we are trying to “make the most of it,” my heart is just so damn heavy for those that this is incredibly difficult for financially and in every other way.

I love all of the sharing about Getting outside! Make soup! Clean the closet! Slow down! (Ain’t happening around here) Read a book! But there are so. many. people. That those simple pleasures are not a reality. And it’s just awful.

And so I hope I find a place where everything I share doesn’t feel incredibly privileged, but I am not there yet.

For some reason being a positive light feels wrong when so many others are suffering. This is so not my norm (to not feel positive), so it’s quite strange for me.”

But the thing is, I find comfort in reading (what others I trust have to say), writing and sharing. This is what connects us all…which ultimately is what we need, just in this new way.

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This is going to affect everyone so differently, my situation completely different than my good friend who lives just on the other side of my home. With that said, I do believe there are common things we all can do in the coming days and weeks to remain grounded, healthy and as happy as we can.

Some things I am focusing on during this time:

1. Keeping a Routine: We’re at the beginning of all of this (schools closing having a dramatic effect on so many families across the country), but we know we all feel better when we stick with a little routine. (A routine for my is VERY different than a schedule) This can be anything from continuing to shower and get dressed in the morning, doing a skincare routine, take a bath at night, putting a little makeup on, making your coffee and listening to a podcast – whatever it is, try to stick with some of the regular parts of your day.

2. Getting outside! We won’t be going to public places, but we still need to get out of our homes and get fresh air…now more than ever! We’re lucky that we’re headed into spring, with temps in the 40s/50s in MA. Get out and sip that fresh air, at least once a day. I was just listening to a fascinating segment on NPR, focused on how this is an opportunity to connect with nature again – watching the clouds, listening to the birds, following the ants. With two little kids these simple things are going to save us.

3. How can we help? Supporting small local shops and restaurants by purchasing a gift certificate, just simply texting a friend to say “Hi, I am thinking of you, how are you holding up?” donating to a local food pantry if you have the means. These little things that we all can do really add up – its time to come together in a different way than we’re used to….something we all could stand to practice. I highly recommend banding your friends/family together and have everyone get the VOXER app. Its a free walkie talkie app, I use it all of the time with the women on my Beautycounter team and its seriously awesome! We need this connection, and hearing others voices, so desperately right now! Also, Zoom hangout sessions have been life saving this week too!

4. Staying Intentional with Social Media: More unscheduled time, more time with our kids, more stress that feels hard to face – all can lead to more and more scrolling. I think its a balance, and the intentionality is key – while there is community to be found on social media, along with so many great ideas being shared on how to keep a healthy immune system, home school, etc – being on social too much pulls us away from the present moment.

5. Sleep! One of the best things we can do for our immune systems, our sanity, our overall health – S L E E P! I know its so annoying to hear at this point, everyone is saying it so it feels irrelevant, but really! Aim for 8+ hour a night, but even 7 is good….more is better and I do believe, especially for women, that there are different times that we need more sleep than others. Listen to your body – this is SUCH a good time to start tapping in to that internal guidance that has always been there but we tend to ignore!

Stay well friends! Please, please stay home if you can. Wash your hands, drink lots of water, eat as well as you can. Find the helpers as Mr. Rogers would say…and better yet, be one of those helpers yourself!

In good health,

Sara