At home. Being unproductive.

Social media is making me feel pretty inadequate these days, not to mention antiquated. Every time I do a quick check to see what’s happening out in the world, I’m being convinced that my new found “free time” is in fact, time wasted. Instagram taunting me with these recently showered people who are all shouting “my self-isolation is soooo much cooler than yours!!”

As I scroll through my accounts, flooded full of photos and videos of people doing some pretty awesome things…. I first of all wonder, when did everyone become a professional dancer, chef,  workout instructor, etc!? Impressive guys. Seriously though, people are cooking up a storm, making eight-course dinners with soups, salads, sorbets, and soufflés (and apparently making sourdough bread is a big thing now). Others showing off and getting dressed (even doing their makeup pfffffffft), live-streaming their home renos, learning a new skill, getting creative and making an entire gym out of mops and other household items, re-organizing the attic, building sheds, taking that 100th webinar on self-improvement (I am exhausted just listing these things)… all giving us regular updates on their productivity.

I can’t help but ask myself, should I be doing this too? Am I not doing enough?  If you’ve found yourself feeling a little guilty or even pressured, as you try to determine how many days you’ve been wearing those sweatpants for, or perhaps a tad overwhelmed seeing people whipping up one of those delightful frothy coffees between their zoom workouts and virtual cocktail hours with 20 of their besties, let me assure you—you are not alone. Heck, I can barely even bathe or do my dishes right now…I’m just trying to make it through the day.

Day 1 of self-isolation: I’m going take this as an opportunity to check things off my to-do list and really improve my home life & health.

Day 2 of self-isolation: Due to personal reasons, I can’t make the conference call and I have resorted to eating cake in my shower.

As we stay at home during this pandemic, we are being bombarded with not only a shit storm of anxiety inducing news, but one million suggestions for how we can all make the most of our time. There is this gigantic push to be productive and live our “best self-isolation lives”, making us think that because we are staying in, we need to do it allllll. But for me,  well…it’s just not happening.

This is unchartered territory, and I really don’t believe there is a right way to get through this, other than your very OWN way. It’s about what works for YOU. So sure, while some of us cope by keeping busy, others are binge-watching show after show… Yes, Netflix I’m still watching. Stop judging me… I actually haven’t stopped watching in like 30-plus days so you can leave me alone now. (At this point, the prompt might as well just say,  “Have you showered today?” and “Did you get any sun?”-basically we are plants now.)

So while the internet might be telling us that we aren’t doing enough with our time, I’m really starting to understand that just staying home, trying to work from my dining room table,  and taking care of my basic needs…IS enough. Hey, it’s hard enough to be productive even in the best of times, let alone during a time when the ENTIRE WORLD is shutdown and facing a massive crisis.

This is a pandemic—not a productivity contest. Stop putting stress on yourself during a time that is already REALLY stressful. Cut yourself some slack and keep doing whatever gets you through the day… even if it’s something simple like actually washing your hair, finding a new show to watch,  going for that walk, or picking up the laundry that has been sitting on your living room floor for a month. Celebrate the simple, mundane things you are doing- they are accomplishments too. I accept the new normal right now is working from home, wearing the same leggings for days on end.

“LOL. HELL NO.”…my exact response when I look at my jeans.

Bay Awesome xo

PS  I have to admit, I  did try the banana bread thing…. twice.  Lesson learned that I do in fact need that minuscule teaspoon of baking soda. It does stuff.