“In my experience, in life, it is less about what you do and more about how you feel. It not only makes life more enjoyable, but by approaching our responsibilities with a better mindset, work can actually be enjoyable and fun if you show up from a place of joy, gratitude, and energy.”
Abbie Stasior is quarantining alone on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, working toward earning her Masters in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology from Teachers College of Columbia University. She founded of her own company, “Be About Being Better LLC” in 2018, where she works full-time as an online Health and Life Coach striving to help high-achieving women develop a sustainable healthy lifestyle through simple nutrition, routines that stick, and mindset hacks.
Her goals for the future include finishing up her degree, and sitting for the Registered Dietitian exam, to eventually open a mega wellness center in Connecticut that focuses on preventive health and wellness!
Abbie shares her account of living in the “epicenter” of the pandemic in the United States, her own health and wellness tips including how to increase productivity and avoid burnout in quarantine, and details her experience with virtual dating in NYC, below:
What has your city been doing to fight the rate of transmission? Is this how you think the situation is best handled?
“I appreciate seeing that the stores that are open in NYC are taking precautions by only letting a few people in at a time and putting up a plastic barrier at checkout, etc. However, I do feel that the city should have closed down the parks (at least for a few weeks) as there are still herds of people hanging in Central and Riverside Parks, the two parks closest to me. I do think it is good though that everyone is wearing a mask though!”
What’s the biggest challenge you think you’ve faced during this quarantine situation?
“Sticking to a bed time some nights has been difficult! It’s been hard without having a physical place to be in the morning or hours to clock in and out of for my job, which would force me to go to bed at a reasonable hour.
Typically, when people are having trouble sleeping it is due to one of these three reasons: people are working to close to when they want to fall asleep so they are not allowing themselves proper time to wind down, people are eating/drinking too close to planned sleep so the calories they are consuming are giving them energy and waking them up or making them uncomfortable lying down making falling sleep hard, or people are overstimulated due to too much screen time.
So, by unplugging from electronics by 9pm, discontinuing food intake by 8pm, and stopping my work by 8 or 9pm I am able to more easily fall asleep by 10pm. Additionally, to wind down I shower in the evening, take CBD oil, magnesium pills, read a book, and drink camomile tea and this helps me so much!”
What have you been doing to keep your spirits up on a day-to-day basis?
“I spend 40-50% of my day doing things that lift my energy and spirit that have nothing to do with my school work or health coaching business. This allows me to not only handle the uncertainty of quarantine and COVID-19 with a better mindset, it also allows me to show up for my work with more energy, mental clarity, greater productivity, produce higher quality work, and to take more aligned action!
In my experience, in life, it is less about what you do and more about how you feel. It not only makes life more enjoyable, but by approaching our responsibilities with a better mindset, work can actually be enjoyable and fun if you show up from a place of joy, gratitude, and energy.
By elongating my morning routine, taking frequent dance breaks, scheduling a phone or Zoom date each day with a friend, family member, or guy from a dating app, I am able to raise my energetic vibe over and over again throughout the day in a variety of ways.
I find that most people try and muster through or plow through their work even though they feel tired, stressed, or burnt out but I do not recommend this. Whenever something feels forced, I drop it and take a break. Whenever I start a new task and think “Ugh I’m so tired…” or “Ugh I don’t want to do this…” I immediately take another break and do something to get me into a better energy state and mindset. Did anyone ever feel worse after taking five minutes away from their work to go for a walk? Did anyone ever feel worse after dancing it out for 3-5 minutes? Absolutely not!
There’s so much we can’t control right now, but we CAN control how we show up and the energy state we put ourselves in. I’d encourage anyone reading this to ask themselves, how can I play more and how can I insert more joy into my day? What sounds fun to me? Once you figure out the answer, do it and make it a priority! We always have time for what we make a priority.
Another small note–I have been getting dressed, doing my hair, and doing my make up each day. It makes me feel more awake, ready for the day and my work, and raises my energetic frequency because I enjoy the process of getting ready–it brings me joy! Thus, I bring joy to my tasks and meetings throughout the rest of my day.”
Is there anything you feel that this experience has taught you that you’d like to share as inspiration for everyone going through this together?
“Three things come to mind. First, I empower you to ask yourself, if quarantine and this virus was a teacher, what would it be teaching you? The Universe, God, the Source, what have you, is always working for us and things happen for us in our lives in perfect timing. By viewing the virus and this quarantine as a teacher you’ll open yourself up to receiving the lessons you’re supposed to gain during this time and find silver linings.
Second, we are not a product of our circumstances, we are a product of our decisions. Once we realize this fact, we will start to choose better each day and control what we can. When we trust that the Universe or God has a larger plan for us, is on our side, and has our back, we can exhale, surrender to the outcome, and control instead what we can and focus less on what we can’t.
Third, and lastly, if you are feeling down about your body image while in quarantine, I encourage you to ask yourself, how could you love yourself even more right now? How could you love and accept every part of yourself right now? I believe that you can have both self-love and fitness goals simultaneously. However, to be successful with any health goal or fitness journey you have to love, appreciate, and accept yourself first and each step along the way.”
Has this experience in any way changed the way that you order your priorities in life?
“Absolutely! I am confident now in the routines that are most effective for me to perform and feel my best on a daily basis. I know exactly what I need to do in the morning to get into alignment prior to my work and what I need to do in the evening to wind myself down. By prioritizing my routines and self-care I am able to serve my clients so much better and produce better quality work so it allows me to serve others better by prioritizing myself.
In my opinion, self-care is not selfish, it is self-centered, which I don’t believe should have a negative connotation. You have to be the center of your world, give yourself a solid foundation, so that you can use the energy and feelings your self-care generates as leverage or as a step stool, if you will, to be better, show up better, and serve others better in other areas of your life!
Additionally, as a single female who is dating in quarantine, this experience has allowed me to evaluate the connections I make with men on dating apps and the connections I choose to continue or discontinue. I am much pickier about who I spend time, energy, and thought on and if a connection is not giving me joy, is pulling my energy, or feels forced, I (respectfully) drop it and let that connection go. I did a whole 3-Day IGTV series on COVIDating, definitely check it out (@abbie.stasior).”
What has been your daily routine so far during the pandemic?
“My routines have been my rock (I’ve included a video of my morning routine, below). I wake up in the morning, make my bed, drink 16 oz of water, take my supplements, get ready to workout and make my morning cup of tea. Then I’ll sit down at my desk and journal (I swear by the 5 Minute Journal), complete my daily devotional, and read a chapter in the personal development book I’m currently reading (right now it is Earth is Hiring by Peta Kelly).
Then I’ll complete a 20-30 minute workout. The type of workout I do is completely dependent on what phase I’m in of the female hormone cycle (the research on this supports that women should not do HIIT workouts all month long)! Then post-workout, I’ll make my breakfast and start listening to a personal development podcast or audiobook (I love the Manifestation Babe Podcast or New Mindset Who Dis and I just finished the audiobook the Go Giver)!”
Has this travel ban/quarantine situation impacted any important plans you had laid out for the near future?
“My annual retreat for all my health coaching clients was cancelled! However, we are hoping to reschedule for fall of 2020 or later in 2021.”
Any activities you can give us to do to improve our health, in quarantine?
Click here to view a video of my typical morning routine!“
Anything else at all, you’d like to share?
“Starting on May 25, I am hosting a FREE 4-Day Health Makeover Challenge in my Facebook group for people looking to establish better and healthier routines while in quarantine! Each day I’ll be giving people a way to move, way to eat, and way to think so I’ll be providing at-home workouts and improving everyone’s nutrition and mindset through 20-30 minute trainings each of the 4 days!
It’s going to be great for people who either need a complete overhaul with their health or just a touch up to fix their routines. I’ll also be teaching how to sustain a healthy lifestyle over the long term! Going to be super value packed, and totally for free!! The more friends you refer, the more points you get and the person with the most points wins a $50 Lululemon gift card, yoga mat, and water bottle!! You can have people sign up here: https://bit.ly/FreeChallengeMay2020
And if any of this resonated with you, please feel free to follow me on Instagram (@abbie.stasior) or join my free Facebook community all for women on their health journey here: http://group.beaboutbeingbetter.com I host live workouts and trainings each week!”
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