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Arielle Estoria shares her 10 self-care tips to find joy during quarantine.

Poet, speaker and creative Arielle Estoria was nannying for a family friend when the reality of the pandemic really hit her.

Arielle Estoria shares her 10 self-care tips to find joy during quarantine.
Arielle Estoria
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The shelter-in-place orders had been just issued, she says, and "I received email after email of conference and performance cancellations. A single tear fell down my cheek as I held a sleeping baby."

Suddenly, it really hit home that the world was changing permanently, and like many of us, she started thinking about how she was going to survive all of this change.

"I remember feeling defeated, unprepared and overall just sad," she says.

Since March of 2020, our lives have changed dramatically because of the coronavirus pandemic.


Countries, states and cities all over the world have instituted lockdowns and issued shelter-in-place orders. Non-essential businesses have shut down, concerts and performances have been cancelled. Millions of us self-quarantined in our homes, often while trying to work from home and raise children with no daycare. Our day-to-day lives don't look the same anymore and it's easy to feel defeated, just like Arielle did that day.

"We are such tender beings, us humans," Arielle says, "and considering we are in a global pandemic, there are a lot of traumas and mental stresses that come with that reality, whether or not we realize it."

"Because of that," she continues, "I think it's so vital that we take care of ourselves mentally, spiritually and physically because our bodies are probably taking in more than we realize."

In other words, self-care has never been more important. Here are some of her self-care tips for these uncertain times:

1. Remember, it's okay to take time to do things for yourself.

"Finding moments to go on a walk, bake something that feels like comfort, dance in your kitchen, finding books that inspire your creativity is so important right now," she says.

"We all have time [for self-care], it's just about making it," she continues. "Pass the baton to your spouse if you have kids and take turns making sure you're not only taking care of others, but also yourself."

2. Find what brings you joy.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Arielle has stopped asking "how are you?" because it's a difficult question to answer with everything going on right now.

"I noticed that whenever I was asked," she says, "I never fully knew how to respond to the question and do so authentically."

So instead, she's starting to ask "What brings you joy?"

"While we were in this space where a lot has been taken away, disrupted, and paused, there was even more of a reason to find joy in life, especially in the smallest and most mundane aspects of life," she says.

"Currently what brings me joy is trips to home goods stores and finding trinkets for my home that my husband and I are physically building." She also loves doing face masks, painting her nails — "It's become a form of self care and therapy," she says — and finding new plants for her home.

3. Make your self-care routine consistent and intentional.

It's easy in the day-to-day of quarantine, with so much time spent at home, to put off taking care of yourself. That's why, Arielle says, "I have been very intentional about adopting self-care routines, not just weekly, but daily."

For example, she has decided to make working-out part of her self-care routine and while working out every day may vary in length or intensity, she fits it in no matter what.

"Some days, [self-care] looks like an online class of some sort, a dance video on YouTube, or a walk around the block at sunset."

4. Listen to your body and your own needs.

"If [your body] needs rest then rest," she says. "If you need to put down the phone and turn off the electronics and read a good book. then do so."

"But also listen for when it needs a whole season of Gilmore Girls and a glass of wine," she adds. "That's okay too."

5. Don't forget about your skin.

"The SK-II Pitera Essence is magical for me right now," Arielle says. "I felt like my skin was really needing something to boost its glow."

She says that it has helped boost her skin's natural moisture without making it too oily or causing build-up in her pores.

"It also feels amazing to apply and leaves my skin feeling refreshed and super soft," she continues. It has definitely been included in my skin care routines both in the morning and right before bed, to keep my skin feeling refreshed and nourished all day long."

Arielle Estoria

6. Drink lots of water.

7. Find creative ways to adapt so you can still do the things you love.

"Find what brings you joy and do whatever it takes to engage with that joy as much as you can," Arielle says.

Before the pandemic, for example, she loved going to hot yoga. "When the pandemic started, I tried to work out with my floor heater instead to get the same vibe," she says. "Didn't really work, but that's okay!"

8. Make sure you go outside.

"As much as you can,go outside, be with nature," she says. "Get out of your house for a moment if you can. Read on your front lawn, loop around your block, walk to ice cream, find moments to get your body active, moving and in nature."

Don't know what to read while you're outside? Arielle recommends "All Along You Were Blooming" by Morgan Harper Nichols and "I'm still here" by Austin Channing.

9. It's okay to take a break from social media and your phone.

"Take "time outs" from social media when you need to," she says.

Put away the phone. It will help you find more time for yourself.

"I dare you to look at your screen time," she says. "I bet that's where you'd find a lot of your time is going. That [time] could be used otherwise."

Arielle Estoria

10. Remember, self-care doesn't have to take a lot of time.

Taking time for yourself doesn't have to be a whole day thing. It doesn't even need to take several hours. "Just small increments of 5, 10, 15 minutes could make a difference!"


To learn more about SK-II or help them in their fight against systemic racism and injustice as part of the P&G family of brands, go to PG.com/TakeOnRace

@cosmo_andtheoddparents/TikTok

He wuvs his vet.

Not every dog might jump with joy after seeing their vet out in public. But for Cosmo the Golden Retriever, it was practically Christmas all over again when he spotted his own vet, Dr. Jones, at a brewery.

In an adorable clip posted to TikTok, we see Cosmo in pure, unadulterated bliss as he snuggles with an equally happy Dr. Jones, who, considering he’s still in his scrubs, might have just gotten out of work to grab a quick pint.

Watch:

Ugh, the cuteness is too much to handle! People in the comments could barely contain their secondhand joy.

“He looked over like, “Mom, do you see who this is?” one person wrote, while another said, “What in the Hallmark movie? Adorable!!”

One person even joked, “Did we all check the vet’s hand for a wedding ring? (Said as a married woman. Looking out for you all, or something.)”

According to Hannah Dweikat, Cosmo’s owner, the two actually share quite a history. She tells Upworthy that when Cosmo was but a wee pup, he “gave a scare” after eating a Sago Palm seed, which are highly toxic to dogs, from a plant in their backyard, which of course resulted in him being rushed to the animal hospital and staying there over the weekend.

While that’s every pet owner’s worst nightmare, and certainly a scary situation for the poor fur baby, Dweikat says that “the calm and patient demeanor” of Dr. Jones and his staff put Cosmo at ease. And because of this, “Cosmo has always loved going to see his friends—especially because they give him lots of treats and snuggles.”

Cosmo and Dr. Jones’ buddyship has also blossomed thanks to proximity, as Dweikat only lives down the street from the clinic. “Which means we get to see Dr. Jones and his staff out in public at times and Cosmo takes every chance he can get to say hi,” she explains. This time, however, she was able to capture it all on video. Yay for us!

What makes a good vet?

While not every vet, however gifted, will be able to elicit this type of reaction from their patients, having a calming presence like Dr. Jones is certainly a good sign for pet owners to be on the lookout for when shopping around for their own vet. But that’s not the only quality a good vet needs. According to Saint Matthews University, a vet also needs to have high stamina (both physically and mentally), as well as an ability to tolerate unpleasant situations (you can’t faint at the sight of blood or vomit), a high level of emotional intelligence (maybe all doctors should possess this skill, but especially those who work with animals), adaptability, a sense of enthusiasm, and finally, excellent communication skills.

Dr. Jones seems to have these attributes in spades, and his patients clearly love him for it. None so much as Cosmo, obviously.

By the way, if you’re in need of even more content featuring this precious pup, you can follow Cosmo on both TikTok and Instagram.

This article originally appeared in February

Internet

Women expose the reality of perimenopausal brain fog resulting in humorously relatable anecdotes

"I forgot the word 'toiletries' and ended up saying 'human condiments'."

Women expose the hilarious reality of perimenopausal brain fog

One thing that people are becoming increasingly familiar with whether they want to or not is perimenopause. This refers to the several years to a decade before someone reaches full blown menopause, which is marked by 12 consecutive months without menstruation. One of the reasons people are much more aware of the biological condition is because of women like Ari who is speaking openly about her experiences with perimenopause.

In a recent video, Ari, who goes by @Ari_Darling on social media, shared the frustrating experience of perimenopause related brain fog and forgetfulness. Upon sharing an amusing video of her seemingly starting to say something and forgetting what she was saying, women flocked to share their own stories of the phenomenon.

forgetfulness, perimenopause, pre menopause, brain fog, women's health What was I doing again?Photo credit: Canva

Brain fog and forgetfulness are common symptoms of perimenopause that can make someone feel as if they're developing a serious illness. It can be scary at times when the moments go from forgetting why you walked into a room to something that feels more serious, like forgetting words you use frequently and floundering while your brain searches for a placeholder.

Dr. Hadine Joffe, executive director of the Connors Center for Women's Health and Gender Biology at Brigham and Women's ­Hospital and a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, tells Harvard Women's Health Watchthat decreasing estrogen is the culprit to perimenopausal brain fog and is usually one of the first indications that hormone levels have changed. "We don't know why this happens, because many things are happening across the menopause transition along with the drop in estrogen," Joffe tells the publication.

@ari__darling I can’t believe how bad it is. We need to talk about this more. #perimenopause #forget #words ♬ original sound - Ari__Darling 🇨🇦

No matter the reason people experience brain fog, it's pretty safe to assume that everyone going through it finds it to be quite annoying. In the moment it may be irritating and a little frightening but once it has passed and the panic has subdued, the inconvenient brain glitches can be amusing. That's exactly what the women who found Ari's video bonded over–the hilarity that comes with brain fog and all the wild things their brain shoved out of their mouths when they couldn't remember simple words.

One woman was simply mortified when she couldn't remember an everyday phrase: "I couldn't remember 'flight attendant' but knew 'stewardess' was not pc, I could only remember that it was 2 words....I came up with "space waitress.' fml"

flight attendant, stewardess, brain fog, forgetfulness, perimenopauseA space waitress at work. Photo credit: Canva

It's always a good day when potatoes have babies according to this woman's word flub: "The other day I was trying to think of the word “tater tots” and I asked my husband to get the potato children."

You know, maybe we should petition for this particular change: "Couldn’t remember 'A-list' celebrities. Instead said “this movie has a lot of name brand actors”

Well, you probably don't want to say this to an elderly relative: "Yep, i pulled out "coffin parking lot" the other day when I couldn't remember cemetery."

cemetery, coffin, brain fog, forgetfulness, funny wordsWaking Up Funeral GIFGiphy

"I forgot the word 'toiletries' and ended up saying 'human condiments,'" another shared. Who needs different words when lotion is essentially like like ketchup for your legs? Same thing, right?

"Asking for tongs in the kitchen. My brain throws out food tweezers. I used to be a chef," said another woman. You can still be a chef and use food tweezers. This is a judgement free zone.

Listen, words are hard sometimes and having hormonal fluctuations that make you forget what keys are called doesn't make it any easier. Thankfully, women no longer have to suffer in silence thinking they're alone in their struggles. Thanks to social media, women from all over the world have a better understanding of perimenopause because others refuse to adhere to the idea that "the change" is something private. If you're going through brain fog and forgetfulness related to perimenopause, rest assured you have an entire group of people experiencing the same thing and they're more than happy to commiserate with you.

This Canadian nail salon has people packing their bags for a manicure

There are a lot of nail salons out there and, without word of mouth recommendations from people you trust, it can be impossible to know which salon to visit. Thanks to social media, though, many businesses have pages where they can advertise their services without having to spend a lot of money on traditional marketing practices like television, billboards, and radio. Doing their marketing using pictures and videos of their amazing work can help keep a steady flow of customers coming—but one Canadian nail salon is going with a slightly different approach.

Henry Pro Nails in Toronto, Canada is leaving the Internet in stitches after creating a viral ad for his nail salon. The video takes the beginnings of several viral video clips but instead of the expected ending, Henry pops in completing the viral moment in hilarious different ways.

It opens with a familiar viral video of a man on a stretcher being pulled by EMS when the stretcher overturns, flopping the man onto the ground. But instead of it ending with the injured man on the ground, Henry seamlessly appears laid out on the floor of his salon and delivers his first line, "Come to my nail salon. Your nails will look beautiful."

nails, nail salon, manicure, henry's pro nails, adsRihanna Nails GIFGiphy

In another clip, a man holds his leg straight up and somehow flips himself into a split. When the camera cuts back to Henry, he's in the splits on the floor of his nail salon promoting loyalty discounts. The ad is insanely creative and people in the comments can't get enough. Some are even planning a trip to Toronto just to get their nails done by the now Internet famous top nail artist in Canada. This isn't Henry's first rodeo making creative ads, but this is one is without a doubt his most popular—and effective.

"I will fly to Canada to get my nails done here just because of this hilarious video. You win this trend for sure," one woman says.

"Get yourself a passport and make a road trip! My bf and I are legit getting ours and its only a 4 hr drive from where we are in Pennsylvania. Their prices are a lot better than other places I've been too," another person says while convincing a fellow American citizen to make the trip.

"Omg, where are you located? I would fly to get my nails done by you," one person writes.

"The pedicure I had at Henry’s was the best I have ever had. Unfortunately made all other places disappointing and I don’t live close enough for Henry’s to be my regular spot," someone else shares.

To keep up with demand, in late October 2024 Henry's announced another location was coming soon in Vaughan, Ontario. Though there's no word on when the new "more spacious and professional facility" is opening just yet, customers can keep an eye out for Henry's next ad on social media.

It just goes to show that creative advertising can get people to go just about anywhere, but great service is what gets them to come back. If you're ever in Toronto (or Vaughan!) and find yourself needing an emergency manicure, Henry's Pro Nails is apparently the place to be.

This article originally appeared last year.

Education

Ivy League professor shares one word that makes people 30 percent more likely to be persuaded

This word helps turn actions into identities, which is the key to persuading others.

Jonah Berger explains how appealing to someone's identity makes them more likely to agree to a request.

Everybody wants to see themselves in a positive light. That’s the key to understanding Jonah Berger’s simple tactic that makes people 30% more likely to do what you ask. Berger is a marketing professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the bestselling author of “Magic Words: What to Say to Get Your Way.”

Berger explained the technique using a Stanford University study involving preschoolers. The researchers messed up a classroom and made two similar requests to groups of 5-year-olds to help clean up.

One group was asked, "Can you help clean?" The other was asked, “Can you be a helper and clean up?" The kids who were asked if they wanted to be a “helper” were 30% more likely to want to clean the classroom. The children weren’t interested in cleaning but wanted to be known as “helpers.”

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Berger calls the reframing of the question as turning actions into identities.

"It comes down to the difference between actions and identities. We all want to see ourselves as smart and competent and intelligent in a variety of different things,” Berger told Big Think. “But rather than describing someone as hardworking, describing them as a hard worker will make that trait seem more persistent and more likely to last. Rather than asking people to lead more, tell them, 'Can you be a leader?' Rather than asking them to innovate, can you ask them to 'Be an innovator'? By turning actions into identities, you can make people a lot more likely to engage in those desired actions.”

Berger says that learning to reframe requests to appeal to people’s identities will make you more persuasive.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

“Framing actions as opportunities to claim desired identities will make people more likely to do them,” Berger tells CNBC Make It. “If voting becomes an opportunity to show myself and others that I am a voter, I’m more likely to do it.”

This technique doesn’t just work because people want to see themselves in a positive light. It also works for the opposite. People also want to avoid seeing themselves being portrayed negatively.

“Cheating is bad, but being a cheater is worse. Losing is bad, being a loser is worse,” Berger says.

The same tactic can also be used to persuade ourselves to change our self-concept. Saying you like to cook is one thing, but calling yourself a chef is an identity. “I’m a runner. I’m a straight-A student. We tell little kids, ‘You don’t just read, you’re a reader,’” Berger says. “You do these things because that’s the identity you hold.”

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Berger’s work shows how important it is to hone our communication skills. By simply changing one word, we can get people to comply with our requests more effectively. But, as Berger says, words are magic and we have to use them skillfully. “We think individual words don’t really matter that much. That’s a mistake,” says Berger. “You could have excellent ideas, but excellent ideas aren’t necessarily going to get people to listen to you.”

This article originally appeared last year. It has since been updated.