Stay At Home With Me: My Stage Four Lock Down Routine

Another month, yet another lock down. Welcome to my new normal.

So, the state of Victoria has officially declared a “state of disaster”. The retail and beauty industries have been shut down while other businesses have had to quickly adapt to the escalating situation. The economy is basically non-existent, Melbourne has a strict curfew and we’re all stuck at home for six weeks as coronavirus cases soar. To say these are unprecedented times would be the understatement of the century.

So, welcome to the post that literally nobody asked for – a day in my life during quarantine. I hope you’ll indulge me as I walk you through my in-depth daily routine in stage four lock down.

Every morning I wake up to the twangy guitar and celestial synths of Andromeda. It’s 7am but we’re having a lazy day because I was up all hours drinking rosé and reading Midnight Sun.

The first thing I do is stumble down the hall, dressing gown in hand, headed for the bathroom. Because it’s freezing, I switch the heating on as I go. I honestly cannot function without a piping hot shower to wake me up. After I shut off the water and brush my teeth, I launch straight into my morning skin routine.

So, I have extremely sensitive, eczema prone skin. I love naturally derived products with little to no fragrance to keep my skin in check. Currently, I’m using the QV Face Rescue Gel as a base. This product is a godsend and basically saved my winter skin from dehydration. After that, I go in with the Andalou Naturals 1000 Roses range to calm, soothe and protect. I love their targeted serums and moisturizers.

Okay, my skin’s glowing, now it’s time to start my day with my morning coffee!

I love to set the tone for the day with some laid-back, upbeat music. That’s the best part about living alone – the fact that I can blast my morning playlist and dance around my kitchen with absolutely no shame. This morning I’m vibing to Panama by Sports as I wait for my coffee to steep. This song feels so nostalgic – like a hazy afternoon, sipping wine coolers by the pool. Vibe-y music is the next best thing when you’re stuck at home.

[Fact: I actually share the house with my brother but living with your brother = living alone].

It’s actually a little fresh. The windows are dripping with condensation so I grab my coffee and crawl back into bed with Midnight Sun. Confession: I actually do this every single day, whether I’m working or not. It’s my most sacred ritual.  I nibble on a gooey, choc chip cookie and sip my coffee, sobbing as I read. It’s an emotional book, okay? Flopsy, my little Netherland Dwarf, snoozes beside me, her head pillowed on her plush lamb. She’s completely unaware of my emotional state.

Once I’ve eased into the day and tackled a couple of chapters it’s actually time to start my life. I love to cook a big breakfast, I don’t really do smoothies so I usually eat bacon and eggs. You know what they say – most important meal of the day. 

This morning I’ve decided to make myself a bacon and sausage omelette with spinach and cheese. My house smells amazing as the pan sizzles and crackles away. Fact: I make a seriously mean omelette. The secrets is to really put in some elbow grease and whisk the egg mixture into a foamy froth. Lots of air = a perfectly fluffy omelette.

Because I’m having a lazy day, I bypass the kitchen table in favor of curling up with an episode of Downton Abbey. I drink a glass of cold water as I eat. I’m trying to drink one litre every day.

No really, are you bored yet?

Now that I’m fuelled up and hydrated it’s time to hit my makeshift gym for a full-body workout. Having struggled with mental health, I dedicate a lot of time to mindfulness and fitness. Taking deep breaths [oxygen = energy], I sculpt, tighten and tone my entire body using barre techniques, stretches to boost flexibility and weights for strength.

I work my body hard and by the end of it, I’m sprawled on the floor feeling that deep burn and breathing hard. I mean, I never said it was easy!

I love to have the morning to myself but eventually I have to acknowledge my brother’s existence and start the obligatory house work. Welcome to life as an adult – unfortunately it’s not all fun and games.

So the kitchen’s clean, the floors vacuumed and we’ve officially pissed off the neighbors with a screeching rendition of Gaston – it’s time to start my work.

I brew myself a fresh cup of coffee and make a sandwich before heading to my office. Flopsy runs around my feet as I stalk my feed and catch up with the blogging community. I keep one eye locked on Flopsy at all times. She’s suddenly developed a taste for electrical cords…

I flick off some business emails, stalk my socials and answer comments while I snack. Then it’s time to knuckle down and write.

Managing a blog is essentially a full time job in itself – you have to be organised. I usually schedule my blog posts two weeks ahead, that way I’m never left with nothing to post. Today I’m working on a review for next week. My fingers dance across the keys and I sway along to my playlist. I’m listening to my favorite indie bands mixed with a little surf-pop. I love anything with that low-fi, spaced-out vibe.

It’s 4:30pm and I’m getting hungry. I also need to conquer a few more chapters of Midnight Sun if my review’s to go live next week. I raid my pantry for some snacks before filling and boiling the jug. Again. I mean, at least it’s not drugs, right?

Cup of tea in hand [Irish Breakfast, milk, no sugar], I retreat into the lounge room and curl up with a blanket. If it’s mild outside [which it’s not], I like to stretch out on the alfresco and soak up some vitamin D.

If 2020 has taught me anything it’s that life’s unexpected – we need to be able to adapt. As the day begins to wind down, I like to take a beat to meditate and practice gratitude. Honestly, daily meditation has saved my anxiety during lock down. I find a quiet space, take some deep, cleansing breaths and ground myself in the present moment.

So, cooking dinner has sort of become an institution in my household. Every night consists of a live performance featuring me. Again – apologies to the neighbors.

It’s my night off, Nicholas is cooking up his famous fried rice and we splurged on some South Melbourne Dim Sims. I’m dancing around [like an idiot] to Break My Stride while Nicholas chops the vegetables. Tonight we’re eating on the lounge and having one of our famous movie nights. We even have Ben & Jerry’s for dessert [Chocolate Fudge Brownie for Nicholas, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough for me].

After arguing over movies, we finally settle on Eddie the Eagle.

So, it’s become a quarantine ritual of mine to rug up, grab my binoculars and go stargazing in the backyard. It’s the perfect way to explore the universe when you’re confined to your house.

It gets a little crisp so I shrug into my anorak and gaze northward, towards the galactic center of the Milky Way. I’ve learned that once you find the gentle curve of Scorpius’ stinger you can pretty much find any Southern constellation. Tonight, I’m looking to find NGC 6231 which is a galactic cluster located in the constellation Scorpius.

Having grounded myself in the vast expanse of the night sky, I brew one last cup of tea and get ready to settle down with Midnight Sun. Flopsy dozes in her hutch with lamb while I read, sipping my vanilla chai tea.

My day eventually comes full circle. The last thing I do is trudge back to the bathroom to brush my teeth and go through the motions of my night routine. Having trained as a make-up artist, said routine is a little extra. After I go in with my serums and moisturizers, I love to use a rose quartz roller to massage my face and relieve any tension. Fact: using tools helps your products to penetrate the deeper layers of the skin for optimal hydration.

After brushing through my hair, I turn off my fairy lights and crawl into bed, covering Flopsy over with her blanket. I’m basically asleep as my head hits the pillow.

I hope you enjoyed this different style of post – I’d love to hear what you’re getting up to in quarantine too. Let’s chat in the comments below! Until next time, my friends x

Also, special shout out to all my fellow Victorians: keep that chin up – we’ll be out of the woods soon. Stay safe.

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