So how did you react when lockdown was announced?
I think first of all we had a bit of excitement, the whole:
'This is happening!'
'We need to bring your sister home!'
'How long is it going to be going on for?!'
Which the next day was swiftly followed by the:
'Okay this is great, we all have SO much time to do all those things we always wanted to do'
'I'm going to invest so much time and effort into Doodling Lucy'
'I'm going to come out of this looking like a GODDESS'
'I'm going to bake everything'
I mean look back on one of my latest blog posts and I was all for it! All for bettering ourselves, for expanding my business, for sorting through all. those. boxes. And yet here we are, in week 4, and looking down a never-ending road; one which if you stopped to ask someone how far you've got left, they'd turn around and say "I'm actually not too sure".
It's okay not to be okay with this. Everyone's lives have been affected, and whatever you are feeling is valid.
I know I've been feeling guilty for my feelings. I go on walks and see the beauty in everything around me and think how lucky I am to have this to walk in. How hard it must be for families in high rises with no balconies. Then it'll get to the evenings and I feel rubbish, I'm angry at everyone and everything. But this is okay. Everyone's situation is different. It's okay not to be okay.
I've been feeling guilty for what I do have in comparison to others.
My second major feeling of guilt is the exercise. I don't think we've ever had such a rise in home work outs, the importance of going out and getting exercise, the reminders are everywhere. I'm normally a very active person but for a good week I just didn't want to. This is okay. You don't have to do anything other than what is asked of you - which is stay at home.
You have to do whatever you feel is best for YOU. If that's spending the entire day binge watching Netflix shows (Damn you Carole Baskin) then that's fine. If it's perfecting banana bread that's okay (send me a piece yeah?). If you want to go on a health kick or if you want to eat tub after tub of Ben and Jerry's, everyone will be reacting differently and that is okay.
I finally gave into Disney + the other day!
The most important thing to come out of all of this is to treat everyone else with respect and kindness, this includes yourself. Your worth does not come from productivity or the amount of home workouts you do.
There is no right or wrong way of coping with a global pandemic. We've been put in unprecedented circumstances and yet we are STILL striving for excellence. Of course there are certain things that should be kept up - checking in with people, (I've been sending cards and letters too!) washing, dressing, eating but if this is all you are doing with your day: that is okay.
Please don't be too hard on yourself, be kind to everyone, take time for you (I'm still working on all of these) and know it's okay not to be okay.
Lucy xx