I recently read an article about adjusting our personal metrics by comedian Paul Ollinger. In it, Ollinger compares surviving the Covid-19 quarantine to flying with kids, where the goal is quite simply to arrive at your destination.
As a mom to two little ones, I can definitely relate. Any time we’ve travelled with Henry and Jacob, I’m quickly reminded that the ultimate success metric is just getting through it. Ollinger’s message is important — and one that can be easily clouded by our social media feeds of perfected shelter-in-place routines featuring at-home workouts and sourdough starters. It’s okay not to be “winning” at every moment of every day. Maintaining your mental health will look different to everyone — there’s no right or wrong way to be spending this time.
Ollinger shared an equation that I especially loved:
satisfaction = experience - expectations
Over the past six weeks, my family’s idea of “normal” has changed quite dramatically, but we’re learning to adapt and keep our minds at ease by removing unrealistic expectations from our days at home. Sometimes this means accepting haircuts gone awry, other times it means turning to DoorDash when we just don’t want to think about preparing a meal.
The same goes for our patients and at-home skin care. Just because we can’t be in the clinic upholding our typical treatment cadence, does not mean that all is lost! A few simple additions to your at-home routine, like face masks and retinol, can go a long way. Sure, the results might not be the same as what you’ve come to expect from your treatments in office — but if you challenge yourself to remove those expectations, you may find yourself satisfied after all.
How have you been spending your time at home? Has your beauty regimen changed? We would love to hear from you! Send us an email, or DM us on Instagram.