Back at it again with a waffley lockdown blog post. But let’s be honest, there’s not much else going on really is there?? And I realised if there was one thing I could attempt to keep up with, it was the one blog post a month goal, and considering its 9pm on April 30th, when’s a better time to get cracking on that one…
Now I’m not going to come on here and be all preachy about positivity and life and god knows what else, cos bloody hell anyone who knows me would NOT crown me queen of positivity to say the least. But I have been trying my best to put as much of a positive spin onto this whole isolation situation as humanly possible. This is not me for a hot second saying that it’s not okay to have your down days because, trust me, we’ve all been there. And this is definitely not a ‘look at me’, ‘be more like me’ kinda post, we all cope with things differently! I have spent a fair few days not rolling out of bed because, tbh who can be arsed? And what’s the point!? But it has also been nice to see the light where I least expect it on this new day to day we call life. So I thought I’d drop a note on the things I’ve actually been enjoying (?) about quarantine, and a few things that help me think up a new positive perspective when I feel like I need one.
As I have already mentioned, one of my goals for this year had been to blog at least once a month, and that’s definitely something I have the time to do now (she says absolutely scraping the barrel on the last day of the month… allow it.) But it got me thinking about the other goals I could still achieve in lockdown. Let’s just say some of my 2020 Goals I blogged about have absolutely not aged well, bye bye one gig a month and ‘travelling to my hearts content’, I’ll see you in 2021. But working on myself is something I wanted to prioritise this year. Being overall happier within myself and how I look by getting my goal figure and clearing my skin up etc. So exercising is one thing I am really enjoying at the moment! On a normal week I’d go to two classes at the gym a week, and that’s about all I had in me to manage. At the moment I’m exercising about 6 days a week, and let me tell you I am bloody knackered, but when they say you release some good endorphins or whatever when you exercise, they weren’t lying!
To be honest, I think I have a bit of a control issue. Finding things I can control in this situation is very helpful to me. Exercising once a day gives me some control on how I look and feel, and feel about myself, so it works for me! I’ve really been loving Heather Robertson on Youtube at the moment, particularly her No Repeat HIT classes. There is nothing worse than killer circuits that you feel like you have done 10 times over when really you’re only on round 2/4, so the no repeat aspect is a delight! I found these through a couple of Youtubers I watch and I am so glad! Would definitely recommend giving her videos a go if you’re looking for a home workout go to! Considering I’m still working from home, and slowly losing the will to live as the 9-5s go on, I’ve been completing these sessions during my lunch break. It’s been so ideal to get them out the way and keep myself upbeat in the middle of the day, and it also means I can slump straight to bed with no regrets whatsoever once the working day is over! Did someone say, the dream?
Speaking of YouTube that’s something else I’ve been loving again! At the moment I’m really struggling to get my head and focus fully into a new long series or anything major so watching youtube videos of how other people are spending isolation and other pointless activities are so ideal for me right now. My personal favourites at the moment are Sophia and Cinzia, who’s youtube helped me find my new fave work out (!) and Rachel Leary, her makeup is always 10/10 and I can only dream of ever looking that good. Usually I don’t have time to catch up on Youtube because I’m too busy trying to binge watch the next big thing so I don’t have fomo or just scrolling through my phone forgetting the time, so it’s nice to take the time out to enjoy it again!
I feel like time is a big thing I’ve been thinking about lately. We never had the time and now we have all the time in the world. When I think about that I really just try to bask in the things I’m doing and enjoy the time I’m spending on them. I feel like typically, you get home from work and you’re trying to squeeze in the gym, a family catch up, text your pals etc etc. And then at the weekend there are either plans or things you promised you would get done or you’re just trying so hard to find and spend time relaxing, you never actually relax! And then next thing you know it’s 9pm on Sunday night and you’re about to do it all over again. And repeat.
When I think like that I just really enjoy finding the time to do things. With the commute out the way and no wasted Saturday and Sunday mornings on a hangover, it is good to take back some me time. I haven’t baked since I was about 12 and at the moment it’s all I want to do! Probably doesn’t help that there is something delicious looking on social media tempting me every 10 minutes at the moment, but it’s just great! Same with reading, usually I only find time to read when it’s sunny out or I’m on holiday, again because I’m prioritising the latest binge watch or can’t keep my eyes open from work and the commute etc etc. Recently I have finished two books in two days because I couldn’t put them down and… it didn’t matter! I didn’t have anything to do, anywhere to be, any priorities! Just me, and the book (and the sun that then burnt me to a crisp and I am still suffering now, since the Easter bank holiday, cheers Mick for letting me inherit the Irish skin, I owe you..)
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve still been lapping up my binge watching days. I’m a creature of habit, and binging is one of them. Big up Netflix for dropping all of Too Hot To Handle at once, we do not deserve. But those days tucked up in bed, aimlessly scrolling through your phone (yes I am not a TikTok addict and proud) and binge watching shite till its 11pm. Those days happen too, and they’re perfectly fine as well! It’s nice to enjoy a day like that and not feel like you’ve ‘wasted a weekend’ because really, that saying has no meaning anymore! Change your perspective and lap up the bliss you enjoy.
I could go on forever with this list, and by a quick glance up apparently I already have. 1200 words bloody hell if you’re still going I congratulate you because blimey I chat some shit. But one last thing I wanted to mention, was communication. We are all taking this extra time to communicate with each other better than we ever had. I bet not a single person could tell me they regularly speak to the amount of friends and family they’re currently having weekly Zoom Quiz Calls with! But it’s fabulous! Everyone has the time! Don’t get me wrong, an ‘I’m not up to it tonight’ is still a perfectly acceptable excuse that we need to normalise! But for the most part, our communication at the moment is a thing of beauty. Whether it’s answering the same quiz question with your family you heard the night before with your friends, playing a virtual scavenger hunt and putting knickers on your head (our Saturday night was wiiiiiiild, who said 21st isolation birthdays would be boring?) or just a facetime with your boyfriend because you miss each other. Taking the time out to chat and catch up and feel some sense of normality is a thing we will all look back on and smile at. And hopefully use to create beautiful memories in the time that we have in front of us.
I definitely didn’t include everything I wanted to in this post, and I was planning on going into detail about my perspective on the virus and how we’re accidentally saving the planet and changing our futures for the better… but I think I’ve waffled enough for one post that no one will get to the end of, better save it for the next for all my fans xo
Anyway stay safe, stay home, look after your loved ones & check in on each other. Don’t be too hard on yourself and feel like you need to do anything besides what makes you happy and helps you cope with this bizarre situation we are living in!
These are my thoughts on a page. Until next time.
x
niamhcaitlin 
Leave a comment