Hello! Grace here. On a Well-being Wednesday!
Before all else, I’d like to wish my lovely Grandad a Happy 83rd Birthday!! I cannot wait to celebrate with you down the road and give you a big hug. Love you love you love!! xoxoxo
How are you all coping? Okay, I hope! I find that I’m starting to just ‘get on with it’ now. Anyone else?
We humans are quite resilient creatures. We’ve already created a new ‘norm’ for ourselves here in NYC. I’m sure it’s the same where you are. What felt terrifying before, now feels a bit less so. And we keep going.
Each day is different. These days are different from the days we had in March and then the days in April, aren’t they?
I’m in week 8 of quarantine now, and I’m finally starting to feel SOME interest in exercise again. It’s taken EIGHT weeks to get there though! And who knows if it’ll stick!
Before the lockdown went into full effect I was working out with a good friend almost every day and had lost 12-14lbs (almost a stone!) since Christmas. Mainly in a countdown-driven panic about turning 30 in a bikini in Jamaica, having crept back up to my heavier side.
For the first time EVER I’d already started to pack my suitcase (yes, Mum!). Mark had spent months planning the whole trip, with a group of friends. He really went all out too, bless him, after I threw him the 30th Birthday Bash of the decade last year in Miami. We were all set! Down to the last detail.
And then… the news started to get more and more intense every day. Trump banned travel to and from Europe. We all started to get a bit nervous. Half of our group had small children at home, so if anyone got quarantined or stuck in a country, we had a problem. Eventually, we had to pull the plug; flights and hotels got canceled about a week before the trip. Well, you can imagine. I was pretty gutted at the time. I unpacked all my new cozzies and put my sweatpants on immediately.
And I’ve stayed in them for about 8 weeks, long past my milestone birthday, out of pure rebellion.
But who does that serve really? Not me… or my bottom. We all respond to disappointment in different ways, and I’ll admit that I don’t always react to it positively or bounce right back. I certainly haven’t with exercise or staying healthy in quarantine. Maybe, moving forward, this will have taught me how to find more grace in disappointment 
Has it taught you anything yet?
Of course, this was mid-March… and my comparatively tiny disappointment was right-sized by the news within a week! Perspective.
As the pandemic got worse, and the news scarier, my disappointment shifted to gratitude. But… that didn’t change my shift in motivation or make me want to do jumping jacks. If anything, it made it worse. Who cares about what you look like in a swimsuit when so many people are struggling… and dying? Instead, I’ll do nothing and feel everyone’s pain, whilst quickly undoing all of my hard & happy work.
What is the opposite of resilience?
We’re all at different stages. Some started out very productive and now feel a little lost, as the days go on. Some are only just starting to find some semblance of structure in their days… without having a meltdown. Some have been having a wobbly the entire time. And if you’re like me… it all depends on the day! It goes back and forth quite aggressively. Some days we impress ourselves with how well we’re coping, and how productive we’ve been. And other days… well, other days are a complete shit show. And THAT is okay. It’s not a race or a competition (though social media can sometimes make us feel otherwise).
We’re all in it together. I KNOW some of you can relate to this. I KNOW my Mum has absolutely brilliant days… and other days she wants to end it all with a micron pen! This whole ordeal is very testing for absolutely everyone, and I think the trick is not judging yourself for those bad days (or weeks… or MONTHS!).
Like everything, it all depends on how you look at it. I can either now beat myself up for not starting sooner, or I can congratulate myself for getting there in the end. So here’s my mindful challenge for you for the week… And it’s harder than it sounds.
As well as being kind to others, be kind to yourself, inside your head. Treat yourself the way you treat others. Lift yourself up the way you lift others up. You all leave these wonderful and lovely comments of support on our blogs and other people’s posts and pictures, telling them how talented and fabulous and strong they are. I dare you to treat yourself the way you treat everyone else. Just inside your head. For a week.
If we’re going to be stuck with ourselves, I think we should be nicer to ourselves, no matter what stage we’re at, or how ‘together’ we are today. Worth a try!
Just some food for thought! (Mmmmmm food!)
Stay safe!
Lotsa Love, Grace xoxo
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