If there was ever a better time to blast Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On", mind your business and drink your water, now would probably be it. With the news of "the 'Rona" running rampant across the country, life as we know it is shifting hard and shifting fast. And in light of major sporting events, musical concerts, giant festivals, mega movie premieres and even the ultimate Girls' Night In being affected, some may be wondering: just WHERE are we supposed to go and just HOW are we supposed to handle this?
Well, whether you choose to sage and meditate, enjoy all your fave quarantine snacks and watch Netflix, or sip wine and twerk to Meg Thee Stallion in the mirror, there are numerous ways to cope and get a handle on your anxiety during these trying and uncertain times. And if you haven't quite found what works for you just yet but you're tired of coronavirus upsetting you and your homegirl, check out some of the ways a few of our xoTribe Members are dealing with the pandemic pressure.
Savannah Taider
Age: 24
Occupation: Freelance writer & assistant
Where were you when you first heard about coronavirus/COVID-19?
"I first heard about it in early January. I was visiting a friend in Atlanta and I remember him standing in front of the TV watching the news. He briefly joked about the virus but I honestly didn't pay attention to what was going on. I absolutely hate watching the news and discussing it isn't really my cup of tea. I want to talk about positive things."
Are you self-quarantining?
"I am but that's because I'm a homebody. Ironically though, I live in Belgium and now that the whole country is forced to quarantine, I suddenly feel the urge to go out and party. All jokes aside, things are getting pretty serious and everyone is freaking out here. Almost all stores are closed, some people are forced to work from home, so I'd rather be social distancing until the situation is resolved."
Are you able to work from home?
"I am, thankfully! But truth be told, I'm taking advantage of this crisis to rest and work on my new book."
What's your quarantine self-care routine to alleviate stress?
"My curtains and windows fully opened to let the fresh air in, a long hot shower to relax my muscles, a lot of naps, books and binge-watching my favorite TV show (Jane the Virgin). I'm also trying my best to avoid social media. I had enough of COVID-19 already."
What's on your "Quarantine Self-Care" playlist?
"Vedo - 'You Got It', Phony Ppl ft. Megan Thee Stallion - 'Fkn Around', and ocean sounds. I've been listening to a lot of ocean sounds. It helps me relax."
Quwana M.
Age: 37
Occupation: Admission specialist, Higher Education
Where were you when you first heard about Coronavirus/COVID-19?
"I think I was at work when I first heard of pandemic originally [detected in] China."
Are you self-quarantining?
"Yes. I'm self quarantining."
Are you able to work from home?
"Yes. I'm working from home and hate it."
What's your quarantine self-care routine to alleviate stress?
"I don't have a stress reliever quarantine routine. But I'm in dire need of something, my anxiety is through the roof. The uncertainty of tomorrow is real!"
What's on your "Quarantine Self-Care" playlist?
"Podcasts are my go-to heavily this week. Expeditiously, Earn your Leisure, and xoNecole Happy Hour."
Teisha Leshea
Courtesy of Teisha Leshea
Age: 33
Occupation: Claims Processor for a children's hospital
Where were you when you first heard about coronavirus/COVID-19?
"I've been hearing about this since last December. I didn't really think anything of it so I was probably living my life as normal. With the 24-hr news cycle, days can run together. I was probably at home."
Are you self-quarantining?
"No, I'm an introvert so my life isn't different from three weeks ago. I've always had healthy hygiene habits but as of late I've been disinfecting and wiping down everything even more."
Are you able to work from home?
"No."
What's your quarantine self-care routine to alleviate stress?
"Setting boundaries and not allowing my mind to be engulfed in the wrong information."
What's on your "Quarantine Self-Care" playlist?
"Nipsey Hussle, Summer Walker, Ari Lennox and of course xoHappy Hour podcast."
Courtney Clardy
Age: 29
Occupation: Counselor/Therapist (Social Worker)
Where were you when you first heard about Coronavirus/COVID-19?
"I reside in Nashville, TN and the day before, I heard about a case of COVID-19 being in a surrounding county. My county, as well as others, were affected by a very vicious tornado. I was at home when I saw the news about the case via social media. I will admit that I heard about it vaguely way before it hit the US but never paid much attention to it."
Are you self-quarantining?
"I am, in variations. I currently provide therapy services in a shelter to women and children who are survivors of domestic violence, sex trafficking, etc. However, I've found balance in going to work, staying home, and being socially engaged. Social engagements are very slim during this time. So I'm mainly home and at work, however, that is mainly my everyday routine."
Are you able to work from home?
"At this time, I'm expected to report to work until further notice."
What's your quarantine self-care routine to alleviate stress?
"When I am able to self-quarantine, I spend time talking to friends and family, binge-watching Hulu/Netflix, prayer, meditation, and affirmations. I also give myself the space to go out if I feel led to. For example, I went to dinner with friends yesterday to celebrate a birthday. Finding this balance and honoring myself in the balance allows me not to be overwhelmed by worry or fear."
What's on your "Quarantine Self-Care" playlist?
"It depends on my mood. It can range from worship music, R&B vibes, or Meg Thee Stallion ratchet."
Dayana Preval
Age: 26
Occupation: Healthcare, but my passion is in content creating.
Where were you when you first heard about Coronavirus/COVID-19?
"I don't remember exactly where I was, but most likely I was at home scrolling on social media. It became more serious to me when I went to work and people started testing positive for the virus."
Are you self-quarantining?
"I still have to work, but I am off four days a week due to my schedule. For the most part, I stay home and only leave the house for small things where I know there won't be a lot of people."
Are you able to work from home?
"No, I'm unable to work from home."
What's your quarantine self-care routine to alleviate stress?
"Honestly, I don't think I really created a self-care routine during this time. If anything, I'm stressed and trying to remain positive because there's a lot of transformations happening in my life. And this virus has put a halt on the world."
What's on your "Quarantine Self-Care" playlist?
"I've been keeping busy with creating, so I've mainly been listening to Jhene Aiko's latest album and The Photographsoundtrack."
Longing for a sense of community in the midst of social distancing and self-quarantining, click here to learn more about how you can join our new xoTribe Members Community app today!
Featured image by Shutterstock
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“During my 20s, I was not ready for more. I was living a really crazy life. It was unpredictable. I was helping somebody else grow. It was a lot, and it was intense. I was not pouring into myself the way I should’ve been,” she says in an xoNecole exclusive.
Still, as Mandi worked to get to know herself and her needs during this new phase of life, she realized the home she’d purchased wasn’t a good fit. Overwhelmed by the echoing of her voice in the spacious home, she had a breakdown and called her cousin, who immediately suggested she lease the home and live somewhere else. “I woke up in my house, and I was like, ‘This is not it for me,” she says. “All those years, I had been accustomed to living a certain way [and] in a certain house, so I bought myself a house like [my old home]. But my family was not the same. Waking up in that house by myself, it highlighted the divorce. I was like, ‘Oh, no, we can’t do this. This is not it.’ My life has changed, so my choices need to change.” At that moment, Mandi became open to the idea that there wasn’t one set way to achieve ownership on her own.
“I feel so much better. I’m in a smaller place. My best friend lives a minute from me and I can walk to her house,” she tells me during a Zoom interview from her home one recent afternoon in early February. In the past two years, she hasn’t just been advising other people on varying circumstances, she’s also been healing herself.
"During my 20s, I was not ready for more. I was living a really crazy life. It was unpredictable. I was helping somebody else grow. It was a lot, and it was intense. I was not pouring into myself the way I should’ve been."
Credit: Solmaz Saberi
If supporters began following Nazanin Mandi because of her conventional beauty or the contagious, bright, white smile she often wears in many of her photos, that’s likely not the reason they’ve stuck around. Instead, she’s amassed a following based on her transparency about her own anxiety and depression, along with the encouraging messages of self-acceptance, gratitude, ambition, and humility that are often sprinkled into her social media posts.
In an era where looking at Instagram photos of models can often lead to feelings of self-doubt and insecurity, Nazanin Mandi is determined to be more than eye candy. She’s food for her follower’s souls, too.
Since being recruited to model while dining at an In-N-Out at 10 years old, Mandi has worked in many areas of entertainment. The Valencia, California native has modeled for brands such as Olay, Savage X Fenty, and Good American. As a teen, she sang at Carnegie Hall and auditioned for season 1 of American Idol, making it all the way to Hollywood before producers disqualified her for lying about her age. (Mandi was 15 at the time, and contestants had to be at least 16 years old.) Mandi has acted, too, including appearing on Disney’s That’s So Raven as a teenager and on the BET+ series Games People Play and the Prime series Á La Carte in more recent years.
In recent years, though, she’s also expanded her professional goals outside of entertainment, too. After becoming a certified life coach in 2020, Mandi launched the membership platform You Bloome in 2022 with the hopes of providing wellness services to others, including her self-published gratitude journal. “I wish I had access to something like You Bloome earlier in my own life,” she writes on the company’s website. The actress, who has been forthcoming about her struggles with anxiety and depression, has never had a life coach, but credits therapy as a tool that “really, really saved me and it laid the foundation to who I am becoming.”
Credit: Solmaz Saberi
"I’m trying to find the balance between living life and knowing that whatever is meant for me is going to happen, but also know that I’m doing everything in my power to make those things happen and better myself."
While she’s always had a nurturing personality, Mandi says her interest in becoming a life coach was inspired by the women who would message her for advice on social media. “I would answer them back. It really sparked a fire within myself to help people,” she says.
You Bloome currently has three membership tiers, ranging in price from $2.99 to $39.99 per month. The highest tier offers a motivational text message twice a week, two live, group coaching sessions per month, and more. “We get emotional. We cry. We laugh. It’s really beautiful. I’ve built close relationships with my members through this. It’s been inspiring both ways,” Mandi says of the sessions. Still, the founder says she hopes to take on more motivational and keynote speaking opportunities in the future with the hopes of impacting as many people as possible.
And, she’s hoping to do all of this while continuing to explore a career as an entertainer.
At this point in her life, Mandi says she’s gained enough perspective on modeling, music, and acting to realize what she wants to prioritize moving forward. “We are going full force with acting,” she says, noting her goal is “to book a series regular or a film that impacts my career and the world.” She plans to continue to model, too, but has no desire to pursue music.
“I don’t want any part of that because I know what that life entails,” she says. “I don’t want to tour. I don’t want to do any of that. That is not where my heart is at.”
Credit: Solmaz Saberi
If you ask Mandi, she’ll tell you she feels most comfortable in front of a camera, but she’ll also admit that she’s recently experienced a lot of imposter syndrome when thinking about her acting career. “I think it’s a fear of not succeeding,” she says. If anything, she adds, she’s harder on herself now than she’s ever been. “There were distractions before. There’s no distractions now,” she says. “I’m putting pressure on myself for no reason.”
This is where the life coach’s own personal healing comes into play. Mandi says she’s learning recently that “slow progress is still big progress at the end of the day.”
“Currently, I’m trying to find the balance between living life and knowing that whatever is meant for me is going to happen, but also know that I’m doing everything in my power to make those things happen and better myself,” she adds.
Still, one of Mandi’s strengths is that she doesn’t feel the pressure to limit herself to just one passion. From working as a life coach to pursuing acting, she has given herself grace to explore all other dreams.
“We can be allowed to be many different things in this lifetime,” she says. “As people, our identities are allowed to expand. Don’t put us in a fucking box. I cannot live that way anymore.”
For more of Nazanin, follow her on Instagram @nazaninmandi.
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Featured image by Solmaz Saberi
