Hey everyone! I just wanted to write a lighthearted post to let you know that I’m thinking of you! I know that times are confusing and difficult right now for everyone, but just know that I’m here and we’re all in this together. I’m currently on my 26th day of self-isolation and was told that I’ll probably be in this situation for at least the next two months! I’m no longer working. It’s hard not being able to go out and see my friends and family. I don’t see my boyfriend that often because neither of us have a car and commuting to one another is a risk. It’s been getting kind of lonely but I’ve been distracting myself and staying positive! I know a ton of you are going through the same things. So on that note, I thought I’d also share with you some of the things I’ve been doing to keep myself busy!
Reading – You guys know I love to read. That’s old news. But if I wanna reach my goal of reading 30 books this year, this is the best time to do it! I might even be able to read more than 30! I highly recommend reading and getting lost in a book. It’s great for your brain and it’s a great distraction from all those things that are causing you anxiety right now. If you don’t know what to read, I always recommend a good classic! One of my favourites is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I’ve read it so many times and I always feel good after reading it! If you would like me to compile a reading list for you guys, please let me know in the comment section below! Right now I’m reading two book club books. I just finished “Queenie” by Candice Carey-Williams this morning and tomorrow I’ll probably start “Where The Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens. I also think I’m going to order a few books online, so let me know if you want me to share what books I pick out! A future “book haul” perhaps?
Painting – I know you guys probably think that this isn’t something you’d enjoy because a) you don’t have the talent or the skill, and b) because you don’t have said talent or skill, it will probably look like trash. Trust me, I thought the same thing. You have the time now, so just try it! What’s the worst that can happen? You can throw it out and try again the next day! It also doesn’t have to be anything intricate. Paint circles! Or just splatter the paint on the canvas! Use your fingers! I found painting to be really calming, and kind of therapeutic! I honestly think that if you try to paint, you’ll thank me later.
Misc. crafts – I’ve been finding that giving myself little craft assignments has been time consuming, and also quite rewarding! Aside from painting, I’ve made myself some beaded bracelets and I’m currently planning to make some jewelry out of clay. I read online that I can bake clay in the oven and turn it into earrings! I’m super excited about it! I also want to tie-dye some more because I haven’t touch my tie-dye kit since the summer. Honestly, crafts are great and I love how they test my creativity. If there are other craft ideas that you think I should try, please let me know!
Journaling – I did this for the entire month of March (even before the pandemic) and I’ve been loving it during this time more than ever. I can write my thoughts, my fears, and even the things I’m grateful for. When everything that bothers me is written on a page, I feel like that somehow takes the weight off of me. I feel much better after I’ve “talked” about it with my journal. It helps me realize that having another night in my apartment (a roof over my head), with the lights on (hydro/power), where I’m healthy and able to write is more than enough to be grateful for. Yes, things are a little tough financially right now (at least for me), but there are resources to help me with that and I have to be grateful for that as well. All I can say is that journaling has helped me keep a clear and positive mindset and I truly recommend it!
Exercising/yoga – There are so many free live streams now! Yoga and other forms of exercise are literally at our fingertips so you should take advantage of it! Yes we don’t have the fancy equipment that we’d have at the gym, but there are definitely ways of making it work at home. I’ve just been using my yoga mat and following workout videos on YouTube. My roommate and I have done a free yoga live stream every day as well. Follow @poweryogacanada and they have a schedule so that you can follow along either on Facebook or Instagram at certain times throughout the day! We usually do the one at noon.
Experimenting with makeup – Molly, my roommate, joined me one day in creating some bold makeup looks. We decided to go through our palettes and use those non-everyday/unwearable eyeshadow colours that we’ve never touched and it turned out be so much fun. Afterwards, we did a little photo shoot! We got pictures of both our looks and even captured a couple of polaroids! It was such a nice little activity to do and I definitely want to do it again. There are so many IG accounts and pictures on Pinterest of makeup looks that I would never have time to try that I can do now. It’s not that fun to wash off later but the process and the fun you’ll share is worth it!
Dressing up and taking pictures – If you’re someone that loves fashion as much as I do, you probably miss adorning yourself every day for work, etc. I know that I have! I haven’t let the fact that I have no where to go stop me! I’ve been getting ready and getting dressed even though I have nowhere to go. It makes me feel good and I now have a stash of cute outfits to wear once I can go back out into the world again!
Going for a 30-40min walk around the block – I know we’re supposed to be staying inside but it is also very healthy for us mentally and physically to go outside every once and a while. I think at least twice a week I’ve been going for walks outside. I literally just loop around my neighbourhood a bunch of times until I feel like it’s been enough. It really helps! I think it especially helps on my bad days. It really refreshes your brain (if that makes sense). I’m in no way promoting leaving your house btw! I still remain far away from other humans during those 30-40min. I just think that it’s super healthy to get some fresh air at least once a week!
Cooking/becoming a Master Chef – Let’s be real. The main two things that you can really do right now is eat and sleep. The way I look at it is that since it feels like I have all the time in the world, I might as well be eating well, right? I’ve been trying different recipes at my own pace. I’ve been eating super healthy (eating vegetables is a big deal for me). I can’t say that these meals are anything extravagant but I definitely think I’ve increased the number of dishes that I can actually cook lol. All I can say is that I feel like I could maybe cook my boyfriend dinner after all of this (like, without killing him).
Playing video games – Okay, this is definitely not for everybody. Well actually, I never thought I’d be into video games again. I thought I grew out of it but I stand corrected! Maybe you’ll be like me and become addicted all over again! Time FLIES when I’m playing video games. I got myself a Nintendo Switch Lite and I can’t put the stupid thing down. I’ll start and then 3 hours later, I’m still playing lol. I’m really into the games that are pretty to look at tbh. Right now I’ve been obsessed with “Child Of Light” and “Animal Crossing”. They’re SO ADDICTING. The worst is when I start playing before bed and I’ll catch myself STILL playing at like 2am. It’s baddddd.
Overall, I’ve been kind of planning my days with some sort of activity each day. It gives me something to look forward to and something to dedicate my time to. It makes me feel less lazy. I’m the kind of person that appreciates structure and being organized. So I still write in my agenda even though it only says “wake up, make breakfast, exercise, shower, paint, read, play videos games, write a journal entry, etc” lol. Time goes by much faster and I try to make sure that there’s something different for me to focus on each day. For example, I plan on writing more blog posts tomorrow! I also have lots of videos to edit! (Make sure you’ve subscribed to my YouTube channel, and follow my Instagram!)
I know it can be hard to look at the bright side but think this way: you have all this free time to do whatever it is you didn’t have time to do before, do you really want to look back and say you regret not doing whatever it is when you had the chance? You deserve to be happy and if creating that makeup look that you’ve been dying to try is what’s going to give you a bit of happiness, do it. If reading that really thick novel that you thought you’d never have the time to commit to is what’s going to make you happy and satisfied, do it.
Sometimes it really is just the little things, guys! Try it! And let me know what you think and how you feel.
Wishing you all the best during this time,
Tiny ❤
Tiny In Toronto 
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