Self Love in Quarantine

Me on a good day…but let’s be honest, I look EXACTLY the same on a bad day.

Last night, after a shower I put on leggings and a cropped sweatshirt and looked in the mirror. Instantly, my thoughts turned negative. Angry with myself for feeling that way, I sat on my bed, covered my stomach with a blanket, and watched Netflix. A couple hours later, I got up, looked in the mirror again and thought, damn I look pretty good. *insert face palm moment here*

Don’t get me wrong, I love me time. I truly enjoy spending time with myself and my thoughts, it’s when I write my best stuff. But this much me time is just excessive. 

I am the QUEEN of over-thinking. I can think myself into a ditch that is extremely difficult to climb out of. Quarantine to me can be equated to walking along a narrow road with massive ditches on either side, one misstep and into the ditch I go. The ditch is full of negative self talk and what I call my “dark place.” I can climb out, but it takes some work. 

There is a note on my desk with lovely words from my fellow Lakshmi Rising yogis. They tell me I am inspiring, beautiful, a goddess, wise, and other lovely things. I look at this every day. But I don’t always allow the words to take root. Someone can tell me I am beautiful and I then look in the mirror and see my acne strewn face and wonder how they can think that. The next day I can look in the mirror and see myself for the beautiful, badass that I am. 

What in those 24 hours changes? It can be one look in the mirror, one outfit tried on, one workout that can either knock me down in the ditch or pick me up and help me fly. Right now, I put extra effort on things that add some peace and light to my days. Beautiful bowls of healthy food, daily exercise, uplifting videos, baking treats, sitting in the sun, blasting 80’s music, training with my clients. These things remind me I can always fly. 

Our bodies will change during this time, there is no question. Every day our bodies are changing. We may gain weight or lose weight. We may look the same, but feel better or worse. Whatever you feel based on these changes is normal. It’s okay to be scared of changes or to be completely fine with them. During this time, let’s give our bodies a break. They’re doing their best to keep us moving and fighting. With many in the world right now fighting especially hard, we must remember to be grateful.

Self Love right now may rely entirely on our self care. Take a steaming shower, do a face mask, put on loud music and dance—’cause really no one is watching—, eat a delicious meal, bake some treats. Treat yourself with care and the self love will follow.

Let’s give ourselves a big ‘ol hug and tell ourselves how incredible we are, inside and out. We can always fly, even if it takes a little extra effort to get ourselves off the ground or out of the ditch.

For the ladies, letting the tatas free definitely helps! ;)