When Soukra founder Pauline, a mom of two young daughters, senses her energy and flair waining, she looks to these few small actions to get her out of a funk. Whether you’re a mom, daughter, sister, cousin, niece or aunt, we hope that these bring a short yet sweet respite from the day to day grind.
- A TOUCH OF SELF CARE
For an everyday pick me up, I use l’Odaïtès Nourishing Balm, which never leaves my bag. I carry it everywhere so I can enjoy antioxidant-rich date seed oil, jojoba oil, and vitamin E. Its smell is redolent of the Tunisian garden, bringing me to the springtime fields of Tunisia. For a weekly treatment, I exfoliate my skin with l’Odaïtès Gentle Polyphenol Exfoliator. I feel renewed after this gentle yet stimulating scrub.
- SCHEDULE SCREEN FREE TIME
With so much time in front of screens, whether it’s my computer or phone, I schedule time at night to reading anything in print, whether it’s a magazine, a book or the newspaper (we still subscribe to the Sunday Edition of the New York Times in print). On nights that I’m exhausted and know I’ll fall asleep in 10 minutes, I pick up The Tunisians, which is easy to read with short, one-page stories of Tunisians.
- READ (AND MAYBE COOK FROM) A COOKBOOK
Cookbooks are chock-full of stories, history, and heritage nowadays. On some nights, I’ll pull a cookbook from the shelf and start reading it from the beginning. Sometimes I’ll be inspired by the recipes and plan dishes for the weekend, while other times I’ll read through them to learn about different methods, ingredients, and history that I may not be familiar with.
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- EXERCISE
Whether it’s a 20 minute ab set, 15 minute walk, or 8 mile run, exercise is proven to improve your mood and health. I schedule exercise into my week, short sets in the morning before the household gets up, and a longer session on the weekend. I like having a fouta on hand to wipe away sweat or use folded for support.
- DRESS UP FOR A TRIP TO THE GROCERY STORE
Working from home and taking Zoom/WhatsApp calls mean I can easily slip into jeans and a tee every day. If I have a succession of days where I don’t have in-person meetings, I make sure to spend a bit more time and care into my outfits, which in turn makes me feel more poised and polished. Even when doing a rote activity that can easily be done in jeans, such as going to the grocery store, I’ll dress up to go to the grocery store.
Every day we celebrate talented female communities around the world. The individuals who fight, who fall, who are fearless, who endure, who break barriers, who are quietly moving mountains. The Tunisian designers, artisans and entrepreneurs we work with. The creatives and experts behind the design, content and development of our website. The community of peers, friends and small business owners we lean on. The customers and clients we work with. To our global community, THANK YOU.
