As this week marks three months in quarantine for me, I decided I’d reflect on some of my bigger wins when it comes to being in tune with what is benefitting my mental health these days. As someone who suffers from anxiety, listening to what my body + mind need and crave during this time has been key to survival during a period of such uncertainty. I hope today’s post sparks an idea for you on benefitting your own wellness as we continue to take this time day by day.

CBD. The #1 thing I’ve done for my mental health has been to start a daily CBD regimen. Last month when I felt like I couldn’t get rid of the chest tightness I was feeling as a result of my anxiety, I switched up my CBD routine I use for anxiety and began taking CBD daily softgels. To say they have made a difference would be an understatement. They’re intended for all-day balance as they are a slow-release product that give long-lasting effects (vs. using CBD more episodically). 

I truly couldn’t believe how much better I felt day to day after a week of taking them. Now I keep them on my nightstand and take one when I wake up. On the days I do so I am less anxious, less agitated and overall have a noticeable sense of calm that had previously been hard to come by. If I need an extra boost on particularly hard days, I’ll do a half dropper of the Equilibria Daily Drops but I am using those less often with my Daily Softgels routine nowadays.

I’ve also been relying heavily on the CBD Relief Cream to soothe sore muscles (my shoulders are in desperate need after hauling groceries home 15 minutes by foot) and also for when my headaches get worse. The relief cream is also great if you suffer from any jaw pain.

So many of my girlfriends have started a Equilibria CBD regimen during this time and shared with me how happy they are with the experience. If you are feeling more anxious these days know you are not alone. A CBD regimen can be a great thing to try to seek more balance and calm in your life.  Equilibria is different because they’ll set you up with a dosage consultant who can tell you the best regimen for you.  Use code witwhimsy for 15% off your first order and I recommend starting with the Brilliance Box.

Naps. I don’t think I’ve ever taken so many naps in my life. While my sleep continues to be rather disjointed (despite my best efforts), I find myself hitting a wall majorly mid-afternoon a lot of days. I used to take an occasional nap on a slow weekend but now I give myself permission to take one whenever I feel like my mental health would benefit from some closed-eyes, no-screen time.

Meditation. I’ve spoken a lot about how meditation has helped me with my anxiety but nowadays it is also one of the best daily practices for my mental health. The 10-13 minutes of daily meditation I try to work in ends up giving me a sense of peace and some much needed time not looking at a screen. I swear by the Inscape app.

No alarms. The only times I’ve set my alarm during all of quarantine has been to do my laundry as it is in a shared space in my building’s basement and in order to avoid others being down there I wake up extra early to get it done. Otherwise I let myself wake when my body tells me to and I’ve been trying to find a bit of joy in the fact that I no longer have to rush out the door in the morning.

Fresh flowers. The little things matter more than ever these days and having fresh flowers in my apartment has given me many a smile and made my home feel more warm and comforting. A little piece of the outside world inside is truly a gift.

Silent mode and time away from my phone. I’ve been putting my phone on silent mode at times to help give myself some breaks from the constant news alerts and other notifications. One of the best tips I’ve heard in quarantine is if you need a break from your cell phone to treat it like a landline. Plug it in away from where you’re spending your time and if you need it, you’ll have to go to it. It ensures less mindless scrolling and I’ve loved employing this tip the past few weeks. I also deleted Instagram off my phone this past weekend and stepped away from the addiction and gave myself the space to consumer content in other ways. It was one of the best decisions I’ve made lately.

No schedule. I am by nature a very scheduled, driven person. Not having a busy schedule has been one of the biggest adjustments for me. At first I thought I’d benefit from sticking to a morning routine or trying to build some sort of schedule I could stick to but when I finally stopped fighting that notion I realized that having no schedule these days is good for my health. I get to things when I get to them and no longer stress about not doing something when I thought I initially would. It gives myself a bit of grace each day.

Daily walks. As much as I can, I try to get outdoors and do a 40-60 minute walk. I share them on Instagram as a means of transporting others virtually to the streets of New York and the fresh air and Vitamin D always do me good. I highly recommend making getting out into your neighborhood (with a mask on) a part of your daily routine.

Baking. Stress baking is something I’ve leaned into and I’ve found baking to be such a nice distraction. I share the steps on my Instagram stories and to date I’ve made so many delicious things including banana pudding, banana cookies, strawberry rhubarb crisp, brownies, banana bread, graham cracker brownies and more I’m probably forgetting. The sweet (literally) reward after the baking always makes me feel good.

Keeping a tidy space. I have been employing my 10 minute tidy rule a lot lately so that my space stays neat and doesn’t cause added stress when things manage to get into piles or out of place. I’ve also set aside time most Fridays to do a proper tidy of my entire space so that it is in a good place for the entire weekend ahead.

Baths. Newly nicknamed Sanity Baths, this is a time I’ve come to treasure even more than I already did. I put on a Soundscaping meditation (soothing sounds play for a set period of time) and bring a book to the bath and stay blissfully off my phone for 20 minutes – sometimes more – sometimes less. I’ve found this is also one of the best times for me to start a new book as it provides me uninterrupted time to truly get into it. I highly recommend you put your phone on silent during this time, too!

Standing calls with friends. I’ll take any time I can with friends on Facetime but the couple of standing calls I have on my calendar for every week are so good for my mental health as they are the few things a week to look forward to without fail.

Five Minute Journal. This has been a big one for me during quarantine. I use this gratitude journal daily and find that stopping each day to acknowledge the good things that have happened to me that day and writing down things I’m grateful for is an immediate mood booster and also a great way to shift your perspective on days that feel particularly tough. I wrote all about how it has positive affected my life here.

FRIENDS Re-Runs. There’s something so nice about being able to be comforted by your favorite TV show on demand. And because most other TV programming can’t capture my attention these days, I decided to buy my favorite seasons of FRIENDS via Amazon Prime. I play an episode before bed to keep me company as I fall asleep.

Workouts. I didn’t realize how much my mental health was missing actually getting in a good sweat until I started BBG again. The sweaty workouts feel like an emotional cleanse and I always, always feel more confident, more energized and in better spirits after I finish a BBG workout.

Doing nothing sometimes. The other Saturday I had all sorts of things I thought I might do (I create to do lists for weekends, too these days to ensure I have things to take up time) but it was the first hot day of the year and it made me so sleepy and sluggish. I gave myself permission to do next to nothing for the day and it felt great. While I find keeping busy is my best distraction these days, it also felt pretty glorious to just be.

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Do you have things that have been best for your mental health these days? I’d love to hear about them.

p.s. easy ways to upgrade your daily life and new things you can try now at home.

This post is in collaboration with Equilibria. Thank you so much for supporting the brands I love to work with!