I am still 100% not going to a gym anytime soon and with the chill starting to really settle in here in the Midwest, I thought I'd share some of my fave at-home workouts. I'm also just looking for that extra *~ accountability ~* with sharing my workout plan for the week here. If you do any of the workouts, give me a follow and shout over on instagram @realstephaniegreene and we can cheer each other on.
I've done this workout before and ooooo my gosh, far harder than I expected. Great burn to kick off the week.
I love watching what I eat in a day videos on youtube from time to time to get meal ideas, so I thought I'd share my own. Check it out for some simple, healthy and realistic meal ideas.
It’s become evident that we are, once again, in the midst of a groundswell. Or maybe we’ve been in the midst of a groundswell for months, caught in its ebbs and flows. Seemingly every moment of every day, there is something significant happening, and our digital devices are right there to keep us clued in.
I’ve been contemplating writing this post for so long (I noted the idea in July), but wanted to give myself time to really gather my thoughts. More than one of my Black friends shared with me that they felt they were being “bad” Black people if they chose to look away from the media pertaining to police violence against Black people even though it was giving them anxiety or making them feel intensely hopeless. That bothered me so much because I want every Black person (and person, generally) to feel empowered and proud to take control of their mental health. Alas, here we are about two months later, and I’m sharing some of my favorite strategies for managing digital overwhelm.
My hope is that these tips help you better manage your relationship with your digital devices and the digital media you consume, or, at the very least, that they give you something to mull over.
As you read through the tips, maybe have your phone, laptop, pen, and paper nearby so you can work through them as you read.
1. Understand that you deserve happiness and joy. This is fundamental to all of the tips I share below. I believe that everyone deserves happiness and joy, in ways small and large, therefore I believe you deserve happiness and joy. Both are cornerstones of mental health and feeling like we have reason to wake and continue fighting the good fight for the causes we believe in. If you do not understand this, then you will forever be caught in the cycle of consuming media that makes you unhappy. I encourage you to remind yourself of this everyday; maybe write it on a post-it and stick it on your fridge, write it in your journal, speak it aloud, whatever works for you.
Activity: Write your own mantra to cultivate a sense a happiness and joy. (You can also feel free to borrow this one: I deserve happiness and joy.)
2. Let go of feeling like you need to know everything. The world is moving even though we don’t feel it. Release the notion that you must know every detail of every harrowing story (there are lots these days). Sometimes protecting your mental peace is most important.
Activity: Turn off all notifications on your phone and laptop for 24-hours. Consider doing this once a week, or 7 days a week.
3. Incorporate breathing exercises into your day. This is a little woo-woo, but I’m a little woo-woo. Breathing is one of our best coping mechanisms when it comes to managing stress. There are lots of free exercises out there; I even have one up on my YouTube channel here. Sometimes reveling in the beauty of a breath is the grounding we need.
Activity: Close your eyes and take 10 conscious breaths, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth.
4. Time box your engagement with media and respect those limits. Utilize the built-in tools within your technology to set limits on how much time you can spend consuming media, news media and social media. When you get the notification that you’ve reached your limit, adhere to it and turn your mind towards something else. Stick to these time limits even when you’re not feeling overwhelmed. Further, consider using the downtime function on your devices that locks all of your apps between certain hours of the day.
Activity: Take 10 minutes to set limits on your most-used apps and set downtime for your devices.
5. Decide on news sources you want to follow and the medium. There is a lot of noise on the internet, in print, and on television. Decide on your trusted sources and stick to those. Also, decide on the best way for you to consume the media, whether through print, podcast, newsletter, etc.
Activity: Take 15 minutes to survey and unsubscribe from any newsletters, podcasts, blogs, forums, etc. that are cluttering your inbox, subscription feed, etc.
6. Make Twitter lists. I *love* Twitter. Love it. One of the most underrated functionalities of the app, in my opinion, is the ability to make lists. Lists allow you to curate a feed from users you select. Consider making a list of your friends, one of your favorite journalists, activists, comedians, etc. This will allow you to have some control over what is popping up in your feed.
Activity: Take 5 minutes to make a Twitter list of people you know in real life who regularly make you smile.
7. Edit your Instagram (and other social media) feeds. Unfollow, mute, or unfriend those who post content that you don’t like. There are plenty of people who I enjoy in real life and do not enjoy online and that is fine. Simply make adjustments, as needed.
Activity: Take 5 minutes to unfollow, mute, or unfriend 5 people on your most-used social media site.
Activity: Take 2 minutes to designate an area where each of your digital devices can rest when not in use.
Take care, y'all <3
I seriously cannot believe that I have not written more about what I'm reading on this blog. That changes today! If you know me, like reallyyyy know me, then you know that I love reading. I read for fun every day, pretty much no matter what. Reading before bed has been a part of my night time routine since I was a wee little babe and has continued to be a highlight of my evening as I grow older. Now, let's get into what I've been reading. Oh! And support your local library!
From the Corner of the Oval by Beck Dorey-Stein: 5/5 Stars
Skincare has become a big hobby of mine while staying safe at home. I have also decided it’s the perfect time to try new skincare products because I do not have to see anyone if things go a little sideways.
Right before everything in the world went sideways, I had gone to see an esthetician at Spa Derma in West Loop (you can give my name for $50 off your first service - woo!). I was nearing the end of doing Drunk Elephant’s “clean break” regimen in which you only use DE products for 45 to 60 days to give your skin a break from harsh ingredients. Having made this big change in my skincare routine, I was looking to just put a cherry on top and get a professional opinion on the state of my skin. She did not tell me anything groundbreaking, but it was good to just talk about ingredients, routines, and skin concerns with her.
Speaking of skin concerns...my top skin concerns are surface dryness, texture, dark marks and hyperpigmentation. I knew the Sephora spring sale was coming up, so I wanted to get some products that would target my chief concerns and also re-up on some of my fave items. Everything I bought, plus a few extras, below.
Away, the luggage brand, partnered with Summer Fridays to create a little set in which you got the mini Away, full size R+R mask, full size Overtime mask, and travel size Jet Lag mask. All of the net proceeds went to GlobalGivings Coronavirus Relief fund. It was $75 total, which was a steal for all of those products, and I had a $20 store credit for Away, so I was able to get all of those masks for the low, low. I’ve been wanting to try this product for a while. It’s a brightening and smoothing mask thanks to vitamin C and rose flower powder.
2. Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream
This has been on my list for months! It’s a super thick, oil and ceramide rich night cream. This caught my eye because I figured it would help with some of my surface dryness. I’ve been using this for a couple of weeks now and, yes, it totally works. A little goes a long way.
I honestly haven’t heard that much about Indie Lee, but had heard enough to be curious about their line of products, so I landed on the Discovery Kit. It comes with a cleanser, CoQ-10 toner, and squalene face oil. I was looking for a gentle jelly cleanser to try and figured I might as well do the kit to get a taste for their other products, as well.
4. The Inkey List Glycolic Acid Toner
At the time of the Sephora sale, I thought I was going to get glycolic acid toner from The Ordinary, but it was sold out, so I pivoted to The Inkey List. This is my first time purchasing anything from the brand, but it has a similar vibe to The Ordinary, so I hope I like it. My only concern with this glycolic toner is that it is 5% witch hazel and I do not have oily skin, so I am hoping it won’t dry me out too much.
5. Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask
This is a holy grail product for me. It’s *amazing* and cannot recommend it enough. If I’m ever seeing any irritation from using products with active ingredients in it, I take a break and just use the Jet Lag Mask and maybe hyaluronic acid for a couple of days and the inflammation subsides. I usually get the travel size because it’s cheaper, but decided to get the full size because it’s still technically travel size and I know I love this product. It also came with a tube key which was unexpected and exciting, so I’ll be able to get every last bit of the product out.
Once again, I had planned to get The Ordinary’s niacinamide and zinc serum, but it was sold out, so I took a look at The Inkey List. This is the product that I am most excited to try as niacinamide is a do-it-all kind of ingredient and should help with my hyperpigmentation and texture concerns. This is formulation also has hyaluronic acid in it to help with hydration.
7. Fresh Rose & Hyaluronic Acid Deep Hydration Moisturizer
This was kind of a random addition to my cart, but I was on a big hydration kick while shopping the sale. I’ve only tried a couple other items from Fresh, but I know the rose line is fairly popular so I thought I’d give it a go with the mini size. I like to keep a face moisturizer with me whenever I’m out and about, so I thought this would be a good candidate.
8. Farmacy Honey Butter Beeswax Lip Balm
I just wanted to try this product. It reminded me of Burt’s Bees which I used obsessively for over a year, but I started having poor reactions to it eventually. So far, so good with this lip balm.
9. Summer Fridays Overtime Mask
This also came in the Away set. I’ve never tried it, but should be good for a gentle exfoliation. It does have almond oil in it just in case any of you have nut allergies like me; almonds happen to be the only nut I can tolerate, but I will still likely spot test this mask before putting it all over my face.
10. Drunk Elephant F-Balm Electrolyte Waterfacial Mask
I just started using this and it is bomb. I had about three dry patches that just were not getting better, but after one use, I saw improvement, and after 3 uses, the patches are nearly gone. Big fan of this for an extra boost of hydration. This also has niacinamide in it and Vitamin F, which helps maintain hydration and improve the strength of your acid mantle.