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Yes, Drew Barrymore Is Staying Home Too. Here’s Her Advice for You

Photo credit: Walmart
Photo credit: Walmart

From ELLE Decor

In an Instagram Live interview earlier this week, ELLE Decor editor in chief Whitney Robinson checked in with actress and entrepreneur Drew Barrymore to find out how she is holding up while isolating in her Los Angeles home with her daughters, seven-year-old Olive and Frankie, five. Barrymore has been keeping busy by hanging out with her children and planning upcoming collections for her business, Flower, which encompasses home products, beauty, and a recently launched line of blue-light eyeglasses. She is also playing family-favorite board games and watching Disney movies with her kids. “I have no time to myself, I will tell you that much!” she jokes.

Robinson asked her to share her priorities with ED during this challenging time.

Savor Quiet Time. With her extroverted lifestyle, Barrymore and her kids are rarely alone together. Usually, they are always surrounded by family and friends. While she enjoys the hustle and bustle, she realizes that there is a silver lining to having time just to be together. She often thinks of something that Nancy Juvonen, her good friend and co-owner of their production company, Flower Films, once told her: “Insecurity is loud, confidence is quiet.” She often reminds her daughters that “this is temporary” but feels that this quiet time will help build their confidence in being alone and independent. “Lonely can be uncomfortable, but I’ve learned that being alone can actually be inspiring,” she says. “I’ve found that when you have a lot of love in your life, you are so much more comfortable being by yourself.”

Appreciate the Earth. This unexpected lull is giving Barrymore time to research environmentally friendly products. “This has been a wake-up call,” she says. She praised the April 2020 issue of ELLE Decor, which includes a primer on going green, and says she ripped out pages of products that help save energy and water. As an entrepreneur, she has made it a priority to use recycled packaging for her products. Isolating at home has shown her that she can do some of her business using Zoom and other technologies, and that in the future she might be able to reduce her air travel, which will help reduce carbon emissions.

Write On. Barrymore, who is also an author, is using the quiet time to engage in one of her favorite activities—writing. She says she likes to imagine that her keyboard is an old typewriter. She recommends taking this time to write down any thoughts, ideas, or feelings—when you look back, you will have a written record of this historic period or creative ideas to explore in the future.

Keep Perspective. While Barrymore has been working from home on her business, she is also maintaining perspective. She checks in with her employees often and reassures them that it’s OK not to push sales at this time. She will be pleased if her products are still selling, of course, but right now that is not the main focus for her.

Photo credit: Movie Poster Image Art - Getty Images
Photo credit: Movie Poster Image Art - Getty Images

“Netflix and Couch Potato.” During the Instagram Live session, Barrymore jokingly referred to the expression “Netflix and chill,” noting how it has gained sexy connotations. But to her, it just literally means tuning into Netflix and being a “couch potato.” She has been watching Tiger King by herself; with her kids, she has watched Pollyanna, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and several Barbie movies.

• Game On. Barrymore is passing the time with her girls by playing board games. Some of their favorites are Clue, Life, and Candy Land. “Games never go out of style,” she says. They’ve also been planting seeds in the garden and taking pictures with disposable cameras. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that she shares some of these shots with her 13.1 million Instagram followers.

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