I just had a really weird dream that there was a deadly disease travelling around the world & we were all grounded by the government until further notice… Oh wait…

Yes, we’re experiencing an incredibly strange time. But I believe that one day we will go out to grab a coffee with a friend, sit in a cinema, or visit relatives & what would have once been a mundane afternoon will now be the most wonderful experience. Imagine being free to stand on a warm, sandy beach & to party in a sunny field full of people with live music. We will be aware of all the luck we always had but never saw.

Business, as you can imagine is a huge worry of mine right now. You know me, Hannah Harriet.com is my entire life, like my entire life, it’s sad but it’s true. I’ve been trying to think of a way to thank everybody who has shopped with me or even just sent love by sharing my work online at this tricky time, but until I come up with a better idea, this blog includes some things that help me to get through my day & I hope they will help you too.

I’ve been focusing extra time on my Instagram stories, as I feel it’s more important than ever to keep that community connection going. I’ve had feedback that some of you are struggling with what to do in your homes & you feel anxious / worried, too. Although I have no professional training in any of this, I feel like I’m a bit of a pro when it comes to working from home & living with HORRIFIC anxiety, so I hope the following tips might be of some use, for some body, some where. There’s not one rule for everybody, so you’ll need to find your own ‘happy’. The following simple tips are a good place to start.

1. Wear shoes & jewellery. I noticed that wearing trainers in the house makes me move more & I’m therefore more productive so I feel better about my day. Jewellery is an easy effort to make myself feel ‘put together’, too.

2. If I’m having a particularly anxious day I love to wear a gillet. It’s not fashionable but there’s something about wearing it that feels like I’m walking around getting hugged. It’s comforting, fitted, warm & my arms are still free to get jobs done.

3. If you’re struggling to sleep I can’t recommend a weighted blanket enough. I have a heavy velvet throw on top of my entire duvet, right up to my underarms & I sleep so much better with it.

4. Make sure that your work space is clutter free. I’m messy but my desk has only my pad, pen, laptop, a brew & some flowers. No distractions in eyes sight. Make sure your work space has good lighting. Find a spot with the brightest natural light, even if that means, like me, you currently have a desk in the middle of your sitting room.

5. Fresh air. Sea air is the best, but we can’t travel right now, so just do what you safely can following the guidelines. I can’t stress this one enough. When we feel anxious, often exercise is the last thing we feel like doing & that’s OK. Eat your breakfast &/or lunch in the garden, or if you don’t have a garden then at least have the windows open for an hour or so, or listen to a podcast whilst sitting on your doorstep. Even if it’s cold, if you’re like me you’ll feel better for a breath of fresh air.

6. Cuddle your dog. Something I miss doing so much at the moment because my boy is staying with Mum to keep her company during lock down. I love to cuddle him & take a deep sniff of his head. Call me weird, but it works for me. Some of my friends do the same thing with an old blanket or a teddy from their childhood. I imagine that it would feel good to do this with your real life kid, too, if you have one!

7. Voice notes > texts. If you don’t feel up to a phone call or face time then I would recommend voice notes instead of text messages. They’re super quick so you don’t have to stare at a screen or worry about your wording & it’s nice to hear a real life human voice, without the worry of an awkward pause or silence on a phone call.

8. Podcasts > TV. Now don’t get me wrong, I like both & I’ll list recommendations for both later in this blog, but if you’re feeling particularly anxious, podcasts are the way forward because you can keep moving while you listen, which is a brilliant distraction. Sitting on the sofa watching the TV can make me feel sluggish, useless, irritable & as if I’m waiting for time to pass until the end of the show. I only watch tele if I’m already relaxed & in the mood for it.

9. Focus on the simple things. Lately, I feed the wild birds extra bits & they visit more frequently. It’s pretty mad how fast nature responds. If bird watching isn’t your thing (it wasn’t mine until 2 weeks ago) then plant some seeds & watch them grow. Mine have started to pop in to beautiful colourful flowers now, which in turn brings in nice smells, more bees & interesting bugs. I feel like I’m helping nature & that makes me feel good. Watching an indoor house plant grow new leaves makes me happy too.

10. Make a daily list but don’t go overboard. If you put too much on there & you don’t achieve the full list that day then it might make you feel bad. Keep it simple, then tick tasks off as you’ve done them. For me, a pen & paper is much better than a digital list for this. Another tip for your list is to always start with “today I will” NOT “today I’ll try to”. You could even start with “today I get to” which will make you feel grateful for all that you are able.

I only discovered podcasts about 1 year ago & my favourites won’t be to everyone’s taste, but here are some that I enjoyed, in no particular order:

Sh**ged Married Annoyed, with Chris & Rosie Ramsey.
Happy Place, with Fearne Cotton.
Seize The Yay, with Sarah Holloway
How I Built This, with Guy Raz
Table Manners, with Jessie Ware
Open Mind, with Frankie Bridge
Cast Away, with Laura Whitmore
Oprah’s Supersoul Conversations, with Oprah
Desert Island Disks, by BBC Radio 4
The Brights, by Lydia Bright

Series that I liked, again in no particular order:

Friday Night Dinner, Channel 4
Black Mirror, Netflix
Grace & Frankie, Netflix
30 Rock, Netflix
After Life, Netflix
Making a Murderer, Netflix
Killing Eve, BBC
YOU, Netflix
The Stranger, Netflix
Doctor Foster, BBC
Virgin River, Netflix
Bodyguard, Netflix
Narcos, Netflix
Dirty John, Netflix
Friends from College, Netflix
Dead to Me, Netflix
Selling Sunset, Netflix
Schitts Creek, Netflix
What If, Netflix
Stacey Dooley, BBC
Ozark, Netflix

One-off Shows / films:

Green Book, Amazon Prime
Eddie the Eagle, Netflix
A Star is Born, Amazon Prime
Paddington, Amazon Prime
Kingsman the Secret Service, Amazon Prime
Okja, Netflix
Focus, Amazon Prime
Tyke Elephant Outlaw, Netflix
Marley & Me, Netflix
Blackfish, Netflix
Game Changers, Netflix

That TV list was a bit too easy to write & a LOT too LONG so I thought I’d include a photo of me with a friend, just to prove that TV isn’t ALL that I do with my time… (awks)… I do (did) socialise… Sometimes!

Stay close to home, enjoy your 1-hour walkie, be good, try to keep yourself happy & DO keep in touch. I’d love to hear from you!

All my love,

Hannah Harriet x @hannahharrietdotcom

GROUNDED until further notice. Age 29.