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Before the lockdown, I was working full time and had a busy social life. I was always rushing from early dawn to late in the evening. The implementation of the lockdown was a complete turn around in my lifestyle. No more waking up at 5 am and rushing to catch the 6:30 am train for work. No more sitting an hour and a half in the train. No more stressful office demands. At first, I welcomed the change. I enjoyed more time in bed in the morning and welcomed the relaxing pace of the day. The stress level dropped. But soon, boredom and loneliness crept in my once contented social distancing. I missed the challenges at work; I missed social life after office hours. I used food to fill up the emptiness I felt inside of me and I spent the free time sitting and watching tv. Soon enough, I noticed my weight piling up and my body ached. I just stopped moving and became lethargic. My high blood pressure caused by work stress worsened. That's when I decided to change the course of my daily regime.

When the pandemic started, I stopped going to the supermarket to buy groceries. I hated the long line and the waiting. People started to flock the stores to hoard. I resorted to online shopping. But online shopping is just as bad as going to the supermarket, if not worse. You have to expect longer delivery time, the required minimum order is too high, you pay a higher delivery cost, you pay 4-5 euros for every crate as deposit; and you have to carry inside the heavy crates of groceries from your doorstep. I looked for local stores that do not have these irritating features. That's when I found local farmers that sell fruits and vegetables - either fresh, dried or juiced. They are cheaper than the supermarkets. So I bought nuts, fruits, vegetables, and dried fruits. I also bought eggs, and healthy oils such as olive oil, hemp seed oil and linseed oil. I could not consume all these in a short time. So, I took the juicer that I bought but not used. In no time at all, I have been drinking fresh juices from melon, pineapple, apple, oranges; and cucumber. I also took out my blender from the cupboard and made milk from the nuts I bought and smoothies.

A few weeks into the lockdown, I noticed that my pants and clothes do not feel tight anymore. I have substituted my chocolates, pancakes, muffins, ice cream with fresh fruits and juices, nuts, nut milk; and smoothies.

One morning after getting up, I went to the bathroom and stared at the vanity mirror. I was once again confronted with swollen gums and painful cracked lips. I always had oral problems; during my last dental check up the dentist recommended me to see a periodontist. I could not bring myself to the idea of surgery on my gums. So, everytime my gums bleed and swell, I would just resort to Perio-Aid mouthwash and painkiller Pyralvex. But these cause blisters on my lips and irritation on my throat. When I looked inside the bathroom vanity drawers, I found a tongue scraper, a manual toothbrush, salt and alum powder. So, that morning, instead of using my electric toothbrush, I took the soft manual toothbrush. I turned on the faucet and wet the brush. Then I mixed a small amount of salt and alum powder. I covered the wet toothbrush with the mixture and started brushing my lips, then my gums, my teeth, the insides of my mouth and my tongue. I tried hard not to gag by immediately spitting and rinsing with water. Then I took the tongue scraper and removed the whites on my tongue. Maybe I scraped it so hard because the next day, my tongue was still sore and red. So the next time I did the whole procedure again, I made sure that I be gentle with tongue scraping. I had this morning ritual two-three times a week. Now, I notice a very significant transformation. My gums are no longer swollen and bleeding and blisters on my lips are gone. My gums have the healthy pinkish color instead of the dreaded dark red color. My lips and tongue also have the pinkish color. I even notice that my lips are fuller. I guess my healthy diet and thorough massage and cleaning of my lips and mouth, in addition to my regular oral hygiene of brushing and flossing the teeth at least two times a day, have contributed to this transformation.

I was born with thick wavy black hair. But the hair changes due to age, hormonal changes, chemical applications, sun exposure and hairstyling. In my case, I was afraid of getting bald as I noticed hair strands on my brush, on the floor, on my bed and everywhere. Also, my hair part line has become wider and noticeable. I read about head massage to keep the hair healthy. So, I decided to massage my head in the morning before I wash myself. I used avocado oil or any vegetable oil that is available. I would massage from the back of my neck, upward to the crown of my head. Then I would take the hairbrush and brush 10 strokes from the front hairline to the crown; then I take 10 brush strokes from my right ear to the crown using the left hand; then I would flip my hair as I bend my head forward and take 20 brush strokes from the back of the neck to the front; lastly, I would take 10 brush strokes from my left ear to the crown using my right hand. Then I slowly flip my hair back and let my hair slowly fall naturally. After a while of doing this 2-3 times a week, I notice that my hair parting has changed and the white line has disappeared. I have decided once and for all to refrain from wearing my hair in tight buns. I also limit shampooing/conditioning of my hair to once or twice a week.

I have not taken a bath for the past years. Because of my busy life, I prefer to have a quick shower. But the strain of being locked up in my house and the added free time led me into taking a lingering and blissful bath. So, I filled my bath tub with warm water, then sprinkled bentonite clay, magnesium salt and Epsom salt. While the water was running, I massaged my whole body with oil from the soles of my feet up to the tip of my head. While I immersed my body in bath, I closed my eyes and just relaxed every part of my body. After 15 minutes, I drained the bath, took a quick shower with my favorite body wash and ended with a 5 seconds cold shower.

I have read that bathing has health and beauty benefits and I say Amen to that. My body aches disappear, I sleep better and I feel more energetic and alert.

The lockdown is slowly easing and soon we will be back to our normal busy life outside our home. One thing for sure is that these lifestyle changes I have made will be part of my permanent normal life.