The Davines North America office has seen some big changes… the first being that none of us are actually in the office. While we’re extremely fortunate to be able to continue our work from home, spending time isolated indoors can be taxing on our mental, physical and emotional well-being. So in an effort to keep our entire community healthy and happy, we wanted to share some self-care tips that have been getting us through these difficult times. 

• Our territory manager Whitney has a diverse range of fun ways to stay active: taking walks with her dog, gardening, and mixing in spin and HIIT workouts. 
• I would like to thank my yoga mat and recommendation from Aryn (our e-commerce coordinator): streaming “Yoga With Adrienne” video tutorials has been a lifesaver for keeping active and healthy.
• Our trade marketing director Charlotte encourages a mix of exercise and meditation: starting the day with 10-20 minutes of yoga stretches and exercise followed by the Headspace app. “I’ve done this for a long time and it’s just a nice way to start the day and give myself some time to wake up before the world gets into my brain.”
  
  

• Charlotte is the master of staying centered. “Focusing on the things I can control vs. the things I cannot control is very helpful for peace of mind.” 
• Michelle (our social media associate) uses her drawing skills as a way to unwind. “Creativity has always been where I find peace. When things are uncertain, creating has helped me practice mindful thinking, which is why I'm trying to make the effort to scroll a little less and create a little more. Whether it's drawing, writing, video editing, or taking photos, taking time to make something never fails to lift my spirits.” 
• Aryn knows that even good intentions have limits: “If you can’t sit still to meditate, try doing a puzzle for hours without looking at the picture. Nothing quiets the mind as quickly.”
  
  

• Denise (client relations coordinator for our sister skincare brands) has set some lofty goals while working from home: along with developing her cooking skills via Youtube tutorials, she’s working on learning Italian (molto bene, Denise). 
• Aryn’s advice has dual benefits: “Buy a children’s beginner guitar that barely stays tuned. When you practice chords every day your fingers will go so numb that it amuses you for hours after.” 
• When she’s not working on her master’s degree or being a top tier cat mom, our office manager Anna tries cooking new recipes from Skinnytaste. 
• I’m not sure if it was my recent obsession with binging Downton Abbey, my raging appetite, sub-par cooking skills or some combination of the three, but I’ve been loving learning how to bake bread from scratch. I can’t recommend the no-knead bread recipe from Half Baked Harvest enough!
  
  

• Whitney has a skincare schedule that’s next-level professional: “Retinol Tuesday” (using her favorite /skin regimen/ products), “Hydrate & Glow Saturday,” and pedicures and body scrubs whenever the mood strikes.
  
  

• Charlotte may be stuck indoors, but she still finds a way to keep her mini jungle thriving. “Growing things and playing with plants and flowers is great for my well-being personally — it helps to be around living things, and the beauty of nature is an eternal wonder to me. In times like these it’s nice to be reminded that these wonders still happen even when humanity is in a challenging place.”

• There’s no better way to get your mind off of stressful things than enjoying your favorite film. Here’s what our territory manager Suzanne recommends — and as a bonus, they all feature women with iconic curly hair: Pretty Woman, Flashdance, Dirty Dancing, When Harry Met Sally and Titanic.
  
  

• Whitney has a nice list to get you started: Coffee Break Italian, The Relationship School, and Pretty Please with Taylor Nick (one of our own in the Davines community out of Nashville!) 
• Education coordinator Young-Ji is another podcast enthusiast, and recommends Julie: The Unwinding of the Miracle, 1619 and Still Processing. 
• I’m into slightly spookier stuff, especially as a fun kind of escapism. Last Podcast on the Left (true crime told by comedians) and The No Sleep Podcast (original creepy stories performed by voice actors) are two of my favorites.

• Not everyone has time to sit down with a good book, even while working from home. Suzanne has some great audio book recommendations that she listens to on Audible: Where the Crawdads Sing, Little Fires Everywhere, The Dutch House and American Pastoral have all kept her entertained. 
  
  

• Charlotte encourages staying in touch with loved ones to make sure you still have human interaction, but also getting creative with your digital world: “Schedule things like happy hour or friend-meetups virtually. Take advantage of museum tours, concerts and other cultural events that are being virtually shared for free or on a donation-basis, and experience something new even when we’re limited in how far we can go physically. I’m currently listening to James Blake live on IG, and listened to Questlove DJ for hours yesterday on IG as I meal prepped.” 
• Aryn takes staying connected very seriously: “Make a (potentially overwhelming) calendar of virtual craft hours or movie nights for your group of friends. Also, send a vibe check selfie to everyone you ever talk to ever.” (We support this advice).
• And for those of us still lucky to have our grandparents, Aryn encourages you to give them a call: “Even if it's been too long or you missed their birthday, call them. They have calming voices and love to chat about the Ken Burns documentary from 2003 they just saw again on PBS. It soothes.”

We hope our extended Davines family and community are staying healthy and safe — and be sure to let us know in the comments what other self-care practices you’re currently enjoying and recommend!

by Lauren Hannel, staff contributor

Illustrations by Michelle Dufflocq