Three Things You Should (Probably) Remember

This week I have been suffering from a serious dose of Covid fatigue. I am well and truly corona-ed out, my friend. Everyone is annoying me and as a result, my daily bath quota has been rising exponentially. Oil prices might be dropping to an all-time low but watch out, water prices are going through the roof!

Thankfully, I am a pretty positive person. So, with the 9% left in this week’s tank may I offer you the following reminders:

This is NOT a competition: Most of us are aware that our obsession with social media is pretty unhealthy, but for those who might not be currently thriving (baking, spring-cleaning, penning our 3rd novel) the Insta lock-down landscape can feel like we are losing a competition we didn’t even know we had entered. I just read an article that discussed the dangerous pressures of ‘A Lockdown Glow-Up’ – a WHAT?! This concept (which thankfully between snacking and drinking I had not even heard of) is based on the idea that with all the home cooking and virtual work-outs we should be emerging from our quarantine chrysalis ready to ‘optimise our “post-lockdown” bodies’. Wow – I am not sure a global pandemic is an optimal time to be putting yourself under extra pressure. That said, if exercising yourself into a frenzy every day is helping keep you sane (and my daily steps are certainly peaking on my most claustrophobic days) then great! If you are loving all the extra time with your kids, that’s awesome! If you are treasuring this opportunity to bond with your significant other, that’s wonderful! But, for those of you who might be extra riddled with guilt over your parenting (homeschooling is hard!) or your lack of themed date nights (I’m looking at you @oliverproudlock) or even your desire to get out of bed at all – please remember – it is not a competition. We know that comparison is the thief of joy at the best of times, so if all the overachieving is starting to make you anxious maybe unplug for a few days/hours/minutes. Don’t worry – the hand-made pasta and #couplegoals will still be there when you decide to come back 😉

Sometimes, 5 minutes IS enough: When you really can’t be arsed to be productive and would far rather be spending your day watching shows and eating biscuits, it’s worth remembering that even in a pathetic amount of time you can do something.  This week James Clear reminded me not to underestimate how even 5 little minutes could make a difference. 5 minutes of ‘pushups is a solid workout’, 5 minutes ‘of writing can deliver 1 good page’, 5 minutes ‘of reading can finish an insightful article’, 5 minutes ‘of meditation can reset your mood’. And, I couldn’t agree more – In 5 minutes I can take off my bra, pour myself a wine, reassure Netflix I’m still watching and quietly lock the door behind me.

There are things to be THANKFUL for: Yale University is offering their most popular course online (The Science of Well-Being) for FREE , you can now invite a Llama or goat to join your next Zoom meeting or Houseparty for less than a $100 (what a time to be alive) and from “I’m just a girl, standing 6 feet away from a boy. Asking him to maybe move back another foot. Thanks.” to “I have toilet paper” these #socialdistancingpickuplines are pretty funny.

On that note, I am off for another bath (obviously!)

This GET HAPPIER post is brought to you by someone who is still surprised that this week my hands have consumed more alcohol than my mouth.