Lockdown: Love yourself.

How are you spending lockdown?

Instagram would have us believe that a million and one of us are baking banana bread with the 'Rise' filter added, all our friends are doing home workouts in the 'yarden' on a timelapse to show just how much they're doing to keep fit and in pristine shape. Curated, self promoting and organised lockdown life (or so they'd have you believe). The reality of it is that they're probably feeling as lonely, as distant and craving connection just as much as everyone else.

Right now it's so easy to compare yourself to others - the Instagram stories, Facebook updates - they help your brain to perceive a 'right' thing to do or what you feel you 'should' be doing - marking staying in your pjs all day, binge watching Netflix and constantly eating from dawn til dusk a 'failure'...

I can imagine that the number of people in self-loathing mode right about now will be higher than ever - I know this as I'm in that exact stage. Motivation arrives and disappears and what someone might be feeling today is not what they'll be feeling tomorrow.

No one person has a formula for what everyone should be doing to make themselves feel better in this unprecedented time - everyone needs to do whatever they need to make themselves feel good - both mentally and physically. Something I have found too is that what would normally make myself feel better, isn't working right now. * Please take a moment to think if this is the same for you* I normally try to be a consciously, healthy eater but I'm turning into a chocolate addicted, baking fanatic as a way to pass the time and feed the 'reward' part of my brain for getting through another hour of an endless day.

One thing I know about myself is that I work better on a routine with set tasks, lists and structure (all of which are not currently needed or relevant in my COVID-19 lockdown day-to-day life). But, making the bed, having a shower, putting on socks (as daft as that may seem) are all small ticks in my heads to-do list boxes. If I go for a run, great, do a workout, even better, if I don't - never mind, I'll do it some other time when I feel like I can be motivated enough to push myself.

I don't want to be another one of 'those' people who say what you could do, should do, need to feel, should think - the only thing I ask is to keep yourself safe, check in on others that you know and care about - they may need your help (they may not ask for it but being there as a friend, just saying 'hi' - you may change their day - as well as your own!)

If you have any comments, feedback on my post or just want to say 'hello' - drop a comment below.

Thank you for reading,

Gemma AKA Yorkshire Explorer.