I was surprised to see such a huge response of people wanting more tips and tricks to staying sane through all-things pandemic on one of my instagram polls recently, and instantly felt a sense of relatability because somedays I am STRUGGLING.

The last few months have been a challenge, to say the least. I (like a lot of people) completely switched up my living situation (and somehow felt like a failure because I was moving back home), realized holding on to people and things that no longer serve you is much harder than lettings go, but there’s a lesson to be learned from everything and these last few months have been full of life lessons and little reminders.

Somedays I find myself comparing to everything I see others doing, and feeling like I should be using this time to do more, like putting more effort into work, effort into myself and using this time to work out, eat healthy, be social(while being socially distant), be a good daughter, plan for my future, take time for myself and still make the most of my free time?!

It just all feels impossibly overwhelming at times, but its important to remember that we’re in the middle of a pandemic, something no one has really experienced before, and extra pressure on ourselves is probably not the best for our mental health right now. W’e’re all just as lost as each other.

Instead of focusing on all of things going on in the world that we have no control over, I’ve found its more motivating and healthier to focus on the things that I can control. And while I don’t think we need to pressure ourselves into endless self-development right now, I know focusing on making little changes that better our daily attitudes can only help our mental health during such a f*cked up year.

With that, I’m sharing ideas for self-improvement, some that I’m going to prioritize more, and some that I’m not, but thought you might be into them. Quick reminder, it’s okay to not relate to all of these. Feel free to pick and choose what works for you, because at the end of the day self-development is going to look different for all of us.

MENTAL

• Start Bullet Journaling/Journaling to keep track of your daily intentions, attitudes and what you’re thankful for

• Start Meditating

• Talk to a therapist (I like BetterHelp or Talkspace)

• Take one day a week off of social media and screens in general.

• Enroll in a course and teach yourself a skill to further your career.

• Learn a new language or at least a few words. Lingo from Love Island counts!

• Do a crossword puzzle on Sundays.

• Start Bullet Journaling/Journaling to keep track of your daily intentions, attitudes and what you’re thankful for

• Quit your job if you hate it and find a new career. Now is the perfect time to start freelancing with your passion or take the steps to build that dream business of yours.

• Write a long ass to-do list with everything lingering in your mind and then knock one thing off a day.

• Apologize or forgive someone.

• Read before bed.

• Find a no-BS morning routine that works for you.

• Tell yourself something you love about your body every morning.

• Be Extra Kind + Understanding. Remember that we’re all probably going through difficult times right now.

• Give yourself permission to rest.

• Create a vision board. Map out where you see yourself/hope to be physically, financially, emotionally, socially and professionally in 3 mos., 6mos. and a year. Its crazy how much you can actually manifest when you sit down and focus on your goals and where you hope to be.

PHYSICAL

• Clean out your closet or drawers.

• Revamp your space or at least re-organize it.

• Throw in one new workout a week to switch things up. I like doing Yoga on Youtube, Pilates, Rachael Good Eats and Melissa Wood Health.

• Start a smoothie-for-breakfast habit. 

• Go for an evening walk/bike ride with your family, or take some you time and go for a walk by yourself!

• Stretch! Need this personally.

• Schedule quality time with people who support you + believe in you.

• Treat yourself to an at home spa-day. Learn how to do a facial massage for increased circulation and less puffiness.

• Ditch one bad habit and replace it with a healthy one.

• Perfect a new hair or makeup look (it’s a skill!). Faux freckles, anyone?

• Make it a goal to get 8 hours of sleep a night. 

• Find a friend to hold you accountable for workouts 3x a week and FaceTime during if you have to.

• Limit sugar consumption to a couple of nights a week. Same for booze.

• Develop a personal ‘chill the f*ck out’ situation that helps you relax.

• Get some Sun. There’s nothing like some UV rays to help your mental state and boost your mood.

What’s on your list? What types of self-improvement have you guys been doing to stay sane + motivated during the Pandemic?