Feel Good News, Music, Movement, & More
Acts of Service
Complete guide to supporting non-profits & local businesses
Join Next Door & see what your community needs
Invisible hands — If you’re in the NYC and consider yourself to be in a low-risk demographic this amazing organization, set up just days ago, delivers groceries and supplies to those in high-risk demographics
Consider fostering a pet during this time
Helpful Articles
Harvard’s Coronavirus Resource Center
CDC Guide To Manage Stress & Anxiety
Five Ways To Protect Your Energy (written by Sheila)
Three Steps To Manage Your Inner Monologue (written by Sheila)
Taking Care Of Yourself In Quarantine
Good News
To Make You Laugh/Feel 💙 Warmed
The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon: “At Home Edition”
Anything Ellen DeGeneres is posting
Movement & Meditation
Cor Power — currently offering free classes online to all while studios are closed
Do Yoga With Me — hours of free online classes
Yoga with Adriene — my personal favorite YouTube yogi
Headspace — offering free Headspace Premium to healthcare professionals during the 2020 year
Simple Habit — offering free premium meditation memberships to those that are affected by COVID-19 and cannot afford to pay for the membership.
Calm — a meditation app I’ve used that has a decent selection of free meditations
Insight Timer — another app I’ve used with free guided meditations
Podcasts
10% Happier — if you are searching for meaning and mindfulness tricks
Happier — for good feels & tips
TED Radio Hour — if you want to explore life’s biggest questions
The Simple Sophisticate — for tips to create an luxurious life on an everyday budget
Music
Did you check out John Legend’s live concert the other day? We loved all the laughs and uplifting energy from he and our dream bff Chrissy Teigen
Thorn Alexander Spotify station, especially playlists like Good Vibes Only & Meditation Station
Global Citizen — typically a feed for activism and global good, currently featuring a handful of artists performing in their homes, like John Legend & Chris Martin
Happy Folk — another fun Spotify playlist to try
Self Care
Loving alllll of the Vogue Skin Care videos. This one in particular is with Hilary Duff!
Spend an hour soaking up a novel from your bookshelf or see what might be available for free on Kindle.
Look at / surround yourself with colors that make you feel relaxed. Science shows that colors can have a powerful impact on us, psychologically, emotionally, and even physically. While colors like red can trigger a stress response, light blues and yellows can make you calmer and inspire joy. This color theory is one of the three major reasons Brooke chose grayish blue for her branding! It was also a favorite of her great-grandmother’s, Martha Alexandra Thorn.
Step outside and take a breath of fresh air. Being outdoors can provide an invaluable sense of calm & promotes health!
Write a thank you note … to yourself. We write notes of gratitude to others but have you ever written one to yourself? If you don’t know what else to say, thank yourself for showing self compassion, for believing in yourself, for being kind to others, and then make sure you continue to do those things.
One of Brooke’s mentors, Amy Thebault spends some time each birthday to write a list of gratitude and a letter of intention for her next year around the sun. She also reads what she wrote to herself the year before and see how much she has grown. Try even writing to yourself for six months from now.
Power Pose Like a Bada$$: Have you tried power posing? Evidence suggests that standing in a position of power, even in moments of perceived weakness, can impact your feelings of confidence and power. Amy Cuddy gave a TED Talk on this and, though findings are mixed, I’ll leave it to you to test if it works on you as an individual. That’s all that matters!
Mantra-it-out: Do you know that mantras can actually be a very powerful tool in calming anxiety and offering powerful energy? Choose a mantra and repeat it to yourself for a day, or for a week and see how you feel! Examples: Everything is unfolding exactly how it should; I am powerful and bold; I am my own inspiration; I am appreciating the little joys today; I bring light wherever I go.
Turn on your favorite song and sing loudly! Did you know that singing increases endorphin release and reduces cortisol levels?
Keeping Busy:
Shit That I Knit has a Quarantine Knitting Kit/Group! While waiting for the materials to make their way to Canada, Brooke joined STIK’s private Facebook community group and safely acquired knitting materials from a local shop across the street. It’s safe to say she will now be attempting to knit a blanket… or five…but no, really. It’s so much fun to see community come together while we are apart. STIK shared some tips with us and we are excited to launch our very own virtual needlepoint club!
Take scrap pieces of paper and write as many activities you enjoy doing (or even chores you’re not so keen on) and cut them into individual slips. Fold and put the slips of paper into a bowl or accessible vessel. Whenever you find yourself needing motivation to do something, pull a slip from the bowl.
Give watercoloring a whirl! In college we used to love watercoloring blots of colors or washes and draw on top of them- both abstract and detailed. Even if you just outline the blobs of color, the process can be really therapeutic!
Make cards and letters for your loved ones. Doodle on the envelopes, share some of your favorite memories, dye your paper, create your own marbling with food coloring and shaving cream. Brooke treasures her letters more than almost anything else and makes every effort to tangible messages for Mr. Oceans for both special milestones and no reason at all.
Take Yale’s most popular class on increasing happiness 😊 — The Science of Well-being