Hey, everyone! This is my third week working from home, and I’ve been doing a lot of creative cooking to avoid shopping. I’ve also spent a lot of time walking around talking to my plants, but I’m sure I’m not the only one! The best part is that the last week has been pretty mild with some beautiful weather and they are getting lots of sun.
I feel lucky to work at home, and I am not really going stir-crazy yet. I wouldn’t say my husband and I are homebodies, exactly, but we enjoy being out in nature the most, so not being able to go to restaurants or stores isn’t bothering us too much since we still get to take drives and walks. We have been avoiding the forest preserves because the visitors are definitely not adhering to social distancing guidelines–they always look packed! We did drive through a thunderstorm, though, and it was beautiful.
I did end up doing what a lot of other people going stir-crazy have been doing, though. I put more color in my hair! I love having little colorful streaks. To me, it just brightens things up and it’s fun. Since I don’t have to be in-office for a month, I figured now was the best time, and I love it.
I also downloaded some games to my phone for a good distraction to get away from the media a bit. It’s difficult to do since it’s part of my job, but everyone needs a little break to de-stress. I am currently playing Crazy Chef and Cooking Madness, and there is something really satisfying about the organization of everything. I’ve also continued with my home workouts, doing yoga about two times per week now and body weight/light weight exercises three times per week.
In addition to exercising, playing games, and going for walks and drives, I have also spent some time drawing and doodling. I made this for my husband. I always hand-draw cards and paintings for him. It’s pretty relaxing.
On Saturday night, I decided to get ready just for the heck of it. I blasted some music and put on makeup and did my hair. I actually ended up getting on the Houseparty app to chat with friends later, so it ended up not necessarily being for nothing. We played Jackbox and trivia and had a lot of fun!
As far as cooking, I have been trying to limit the grocery shopping to once every two weeks. So far, it’s been good, although I do miss fresh produce. I have made a variety of things I normally wouldn’t, though, so that’s been kind of fun. Yesterday, I made this goulash with zucchini, chickpea noodles, nutritional yeast, and fresh parsley from my herb garden.
I have also been really into baking lately, but it’s a little harder with limited supplies. These brownies are made from almond milk, cocoa powder, stevia, and eggs, and that’s it! They were not very sweet, but they were definitely good and had the consistency of fudgy cake.
I’m still doing as much as possible to care for my health, and I have been feeling a bit better lately. My anxiety has seemed to decrease a bit and I don’t feel as physically horrible every day. I have decided to continue to cut out alcohol, gluten, dairy, and sugar as much as possible as I continue my healing journey. Sometimes I miss having a glass of wine while making dinner, but I made this delicious mocktail the other day.
And that’s my week in a nutshell! Not very exciting, obviously, but like everyone else, I am trying to make the best of it. I have been enjoying getting creative with cooking, playing games and reading, doing at-home workouts, and taking drives while listening to music. I continue to hope for positive changes and have made several donations for PPE and other assistance efforts, and I keep all of you in my thoughts every day. Take care!
Breeanna Living Brilliantly 