Over the past couple of months, the world has changed — and as such, so have many of our regular day-to-day routines. Adjusting to this “new normal” can seem like a daunting task and it’s easy to let yourself fall into a slump. However, maintaining your general health and well-being is possible. And with a daily beauty regimen checklist, you can create a healthy structure that you can stick to.
While your personal checklist will be uniquely yours, here are a few tips to help you get started.
1. Oral Health
Generally speaking, it’s not a good idea to skip your annual checkup. But since COVID-19 has caused many offices to close and patients wary about non-emergency appointments, general dental care needs to be performed at home. The good news is that this doesn’t need to be difficult. Start off your daily beauty regimen checklist by gently brushing and flossing twice each day. Toothbrushes should have soft bristles that are non-abrasive to tooth enamel. A plaque removal dental gel can be used to ensure thorough cleaning, while tooth whitening strips can be applied to help maintain your pearly whites. If possible, replace your old toothbrush if you haven’t within the past four months, or immediately if you’ve been sick.
In addition to brushing, flossing, and whitening, cutting out unnecessary sugar from your diet can help prevent cavities from forming. You can also help maintain your oral health by drinking ample amounts of water throughout your day. While this is necessary for general health overall, water can help keep your mouth hydrated and further prevent cavities and bacterial growth. If you’re not keen on stocking up on water bottles, consider investing in a water filtration system to ensure you always have clean and safe water to drink. Water filters can be attached directly to faucets, or they can be found in specialized pitchers. Faucet filters are great for larger families, while pitchers work well for one to two people.
2. Eye Care
Just as important as your oral health, eye health is something that should be maintained during this time. If you’re currently working from home and spending long periods of time in front of a computer, be aware of eye strain and dryness. If you’re struggling with dry eyes after working on your computer, consider adding an at-home dry eye treatment to your daily beauty regimen checklist. You should also take regular breaks to give your eyes a break and ensure they aren’t becoming too strained.
This also applies when watching television, as staring at any type of screen affects how frequently we blink. When blinking is interrupted, it prevents the eyes from moisturizing themselves, leading to dryness. Even if you’re not stationed at a computer all day, with more people spending time at home, it’s important to remember to take a break when bingeing that latest Netflix show.
Additionally, if you wear eyeglasses and are finding that you have a hard time wearing them with masks due to them fogging up, there is a solution. Before heading out with your mask on, wash your glasses with soapy water and gently dry them with a soft cloth. While this has to be repeated every few days, the soap should form a thin film over the lens preventing them from fogging up.
3. Skin Care
Even though you might not be wearing as much makeup while at home, you still need to be taking care of your skin. Moisturising is key and you should make a note on your daily beauty regimen checklist to moisturize your face, neck, and body at least once a day. This will prevent your skin from drying out or breaking down, while also helping promote elasticity.
Your hands, in particular, should be looked after carefully during this time. While handwashing is essential for staying healthy and preventing the spread of COVID-19, frequent washing can dry out your hands quickly. Dry hands can crack and split, leaving you even more vulnerable to infection. To prevent this, moisturize your hands after every wash and take care to watch for any signs of drying.
If you’re hands are prone to eczema breakouts, this is especially important, as they will be more susceptible to damage. In the event of a breakout, apply generous amounts of medicated lotion several times daily until the breakout subsides. You should also take care when touching things outside of your home, as a broken skin barrier can make an infection more likely.
4. Home Exercise
With gyms and fitness centers closed, staying active and exercising has become more difficult. However, it is possible to stay active at home, even if you don’t have much in the way of equipment. Consider adding some light yoga or aerobic workouts to your daily beauty regimen checklist. You can even find guided workouts online to help you get started. If you have kids, you can even get them involved by having them exercise alongside you.
Depending on where you live, you might even be able to find bicycle rentals in your area. Bicycle riding offers a great way to get out of the house while still keeping social distancing in mind. A quick ride around the block every day is a great way to stay active when you can’t hit the gym. If bike rentals aren’t an option where you live, even a quick walk every day can help keep you active, while also letting you get some fresh air and sunshine.
If you’re working at home, you should also keep in mind to take a break from sitting. After an hour, take five minutes to stand and stretch. Even something as simple as a quick walk around your house and grab another glass of water helps keep you active. This is also a great excuse to give your eyes a needed break as well!
5. Remote Work
Your daily beauty regimen checklist should more than just moisturizing and staying active. While taking a break from work is needed when your in front of a computer all day, while you’re working there are a couple of things you can do to make the process better for you. If you don’t already have one, investing in ergonomic chairs that have ample back support will prove to be a must. This can help prevent pain caused by sitting uncomfortably for too long. Similarly, if possible, try alternating between sitting and standing at regular intervals. If you have a desk that can be raised and lowered, try and spend part of the day standing, and the other half sitting. This will help prevent stain on your back and legs, while also helping to stimulate muscle activity.
Depending on your home and the weather, you may even consider taking your work outside on nice days. Even something as simple as moving your laptop out to the patio can help boost mood, and keep you from becoming too stagnant indoors.
6. Self-Care
No daily beauty regimen checklist would be complete without taking time for yourself. Even though the whole family confined at home and parenting support may not always be available, it’s important to take time out of the day for relaxation and self-care. In the past couple of months, mental health has been a rising topic of concern, especially with all of the stress and uncertainty going around. To help care for your wellbeing, consider setting aside time in the morning and evening just for yourself.
Morning routines can include relaxing with a cup of coffee or tea before starting the day. Focus on being mindful and try not to think about stressful topics during these times. Instead, focus on the peace of that moment. At night, you can consider setting aside 15 to 30 minutes to meditate and relax. This will help settle your mind and get you ready for a good night of sleep. Studies have shown that seven to eight hours of sleep every night is ideal. However, if you’re staying up due to stress, you maybe only getting five to six hours, possibly even less. Help break this harmful cycle by taking a time out at night to focus on unwinding from the chaos of the day.
7. Routines
Before the onset of this pandemic, most of us had a routine that we stuck with. However, all of that has since been thrown into upheaval. The goal of your daily beauty regimen checklist is, above all else, to help you set a new routine that you can stick to. Since normal day-to-day routines have been uprooted, it’s important to start creating new ones to help your body and mind adjust to the change. This can be especially important for children, but even adults can find having structure to be beneficial. Sit down with your family and work out a schedule for the week to ensure that everyone has something to do. Plan meals ahead of time, and keep an updated grocery list so that you can schedule only one shopping trip at a time.
You may also want to set a date to reach out to family members. Socialization can be difficult right now, but with video calling, staying connected is possible. Set aside a day or two every week to sit down and chat with friends and relatives. Without this frequent socialization, it can be easy to start to feel lonely or depressed. This, in turn, can even negatively impact our immune systems, something that could be detrimental today. Laughing and smiling can even help keep you looking younger, as studies have shown that smiling faces tend to look more youthful when compared to neutral or angry expressions!
8. Vitamin D
Getting out in the sun is one of the best ways to absorb vitamin D, an important booster of the immune system. With so many people confined to their homes, adding this to your daily beauty regimen checklist is a must. Whenever possible, take time to sit out in the sun (while wearing sunscreen). This can include walking or biking around the block, working outside, gardening, or just sitting and enjoying the weather. Being out in the sun can also help boost your mood. There’s a reason seasonal depression hits most people during the winter months, and it’s because most people are stuck indoors for long periods. For this reason, getting out is essential for helping to maintain both physical and mental health (as long as you protect your skin with sunscreen and wear a mask in public!)
If you have kids, use this time to get them outside with you. Depending on their ages you can set up games for them, hook up a sprinkler to play in, or even get them involved in gardening. All of these options help ensure that everyone gets enough fresh air and vitamin D to stay healthy and happy during this time.
Staying Happy, Healthy, and Beautiful
If you’ve been struggling with self-care and wellbeing these past few months, you’re not alone. With so much up in the air, it’s hard to know where to begin when it comes to restructuring your old routines. However, by creating a daily beauty regimen checklist, you can help create a bit more stability while also helping to keep yourself healthy and beautiful.
Self-care is more important than ever. Taking the time to care for yourself is one of the best ways to boost yourself both physically and mentally. Set time out every week for light exercise, socialization, and a little “you time.” If you work from home, remember to take frequent breaks and stay hydrated, both for your body, teeth, and eyes. If possible, create a routine that you can stick with to ensure that you’re meeting all of your personal needs, as well as the needs of those around you.
While your exact daily beauty regimen checklist will be uniquely your own, hopefully, these tips will help give you a solid foundation to build upon. Though it may seem tough right now, remember that we’re all in this together, and together we will prevail. Stay healthy, stay safe, and stay positive.
