Self Isolating Tips and A Blog Address Change

Ahhh to be a bird! :-)

Hello! How are we all coping with the coronavirus pandemonium? I have a slight cold/bug (seriously 99% sure it's nothing although sadly we did have to cancel some important family plans this weekend).

Between my weird not quite a cold/cough bug thing (it has tapered off and I don't have a fever, although I won't lie as an asthmatic it was hard not to freak out a little) and the possibly more worrying fact a person tested positive in my husband's office building this week (not on his floor, but still), we are definitely classing ourselves as people who should self isolate as they are calling it (I don't think it's a quarantine unless you suspect you might actually have COVID-19?).

Luckily my husband's office has told everyone to work from home for the next two weeks at least (which not going to lie, is going to be interesting seeing as we live in a small flat!).

So yeah...everything gets turned upside down pretty quickly, and it seems like maybe the U.K. and U.S. might have (TOTALLY FORKING SHOULD HAVE!) done a bit better at stopping this thing getting in a getting a foothold in the first place. Like I know it was always inevitable, but there was no screening at U.K. airports of people coming from Italy or other heavily infected places until recently (and even now I don't think it's super stringent).

Anyway I don't want to harp on about it because it's everywhere and overwhelming enough already. I am trying (and not always succeeding) to not oversaturate myself with it. It's quite frustrating feeling like the people in charge are valuing the economy more than human lives, but there's not much I can do about it other than stay inside, use my antibacterial wipes and pray I don't run out of t.p./ loo roll anytime soon!

I have been drinking vitamin c shots every day to try to kick the cough's butt and it's maybe a good idea to drink your o.j. and try to do some healthy activities if possible.

I have been trying to stay calm (in between stressing myself out with the news!) doing some of the following things this week:

Yoga- I am VERY rusty with it but I got the idea to start it again after a Facebook yogi did a 5 day body positive yoga challenge last week. It felt really good, I have to say I am not going to the gym for obvious reasons right now (there is a whole other THING with my gym not providing cleaning supplies to members, they have now finally but it's just icky most of the time).

I am hoping to continue with it at home with the help of Youtube and Amazon video (I do actually have yoga dvd's but they are all kind of long and I enjoyed the thirty minute format of the ones I did with the challenge).

Unwinding/getting sleepy/meditative with the videos of Lune Innate. I am really not that into ASMR, (although hers is pretty chill/un-annoying) but her distance Reiki and crystal healing/ sound bath other hippie good stuff videos are so reliably calming and soothing if you are open to that kind of thang.

Re-watching the BBC Pride and Prejudice (on Netflix U.K. - Colin Firth version ding dong!). I admit I have struggled a bit to concentrate on shows and films with everything that is going on, but for some reason the period setting and comforting familiarity of Jane Austen's world is just the salve I needed for tuning out the real world. I think I will just keep watching Jane Austen/other period shows for awhile.

Dabbling in aromatherapy: I bought a few skincare items from the Zen Company Shop on Etsy a few weeks ago, and fortuitously I also picked up a few of their aromatherapy roller ball samples (with cute names like Let It Be and No Thanx-iety I couldn't resist!). I had never tried aromatherapy on my physical body before - I have gotten more into putting oils in my mist diffuser recently so I guess it was a natural progression.

Zen Company shop organic skincare

I have enjoyed all of the roller balls and the room spray and the skincare things I bought and may review at some point. Worth noting is that the skincare is pretty headily scented (I am ok with it) but the roller balls are actually quite subtle, much more subtle than say, a Tisserand type if you are averse to overpowering scents (obviously if you are super smell sensitive maybe avoid altogether! ;-)). I don't know if they are "doing anything" per se but they are certainly pleasant to use and the Doze Off (sleep) themed one I definitely feel an effect with I think!

I have also been doing my usual "I don't know if I fully believe but it cant hurt to meditate and set intentions" crystal stuff, and I did happen to buy some crystal bracelets (pre Coronavirus) with different (purported) energy healing properties a few weeks ago for some belated birthday money presents.

I bought a chakra bracelet (I won't say which, that's uh personal! ;-) and a calming bracelet and a protection bracelet from White Witch of the Moon on Etsy (none of this is sponsored or anything btw), they are advertised as being Reiki and moon charged and yes maybe it's my brain being susceptible/ a placebo effect, but legit, none of the bracelets "feel" identical, and I did not have any preconceived idea about how the chakra bracelet would feel -if anything I thought it would feel "light" and cleansing or something, and it's sort of the opposite.

I have been wearing the calming bracelet while I had this bug to try to keep chilled out and it's definitely a non-intrusive, nice way to remind myself to stay calm. And they are pretty too so that helps!

I hope everyone is doing ok, it's likely going to be a stressful time for most if not all of us in some way.

It has heartened me to see the stories of people going out of their way to help others, especially the elderly and in need, I also hope we can all start to emulate the rallying spirit of Italians singing and making music on their balconies (although most of us don't have balconies in Scotland!).

It's hard for me to be far away from my Mom right now on a personal note, it's very weird and scary to feel so powerless to do anything and I hope we can all just be kind to one another and oh yeah stop hoarding! Sheesh. Anyway.... ;-)

Oh yes and I think I am going to let my blog address steffinscotland.com lapse back to steffinscotland.blogspot.co.uk.  (it's due for renewal this week but usually takes a few weeks to actually expire).

Basically once again Go Daddy have hiked up the price and I haven't managed to regain much domain authority at all this year since I switched the .co.uk. to .com, and I just don't know if it's worth it to me. I could care less about this stuff right now but yes, anyway, if I disappear, I'm still here, I will update my social media if it does change. Stay safe everybody.
xo