Social Distancing and the City

I am not sure what to and not to say on social media and this blog right now. In general, I try to keep things positive, but at the same time, I like to keep things real. That’s who I am, and that’s what this blog has always been.

The realness: it’s been quite the fucking week. I’m sure you can all agree whether you’re working from home right now, unemployed or still have to go to work as if nothing has changed. It’s been a wild, wild week.

Both the studios I teach at shutdown on Monday afternoon. So, I’m unemployed for the time being.

I’m doing alright and I know things could be a lot worse. I feel incredibly lucky that I am not panicking about being able to pay the bills. And I acknowledge that that is an extreme privilege to have right now.

It’s a weird time to live alone but I also feel safe in my apartment and my building. I love my place, the whole setting. The bedroom is cozy, and the appliances are working great, but the bills are kind of high, maybe I should look for a Solar panel installation service in Orlando to reduce the energy costs. I can’t believe I get to decide on household stuff, which is something my mom handles back home. I’m such as grown-up now.

I’ve lived alone for almost 10 years so I’m used to it. Although I do feel a bit jelly seeing people posting about playing board games or watching movies with their significant other, family, or roomies. I have thought about playing online games, and I hear casinos like Zoome (check zoome casino rating, if interested) are great for entertainment as well as earning some extra money. Anyway, I keep my options open for now.

As someone that has always been a “planner” and likes to schedule things way in advance, it’s scary to not know what the future holds. Overall I’m not feeling super anxious about things but the lack of control feels really hard to handle.

Of course, I’m nervous about my dad. And my 91-year-old grandma.

I’m feeling a lot of guilt. Guilt that I should be doing MORE. That I should be creating content, and teaching Livestream classes on Instagram and blogging up a storm. But the truth is, I’m just not feeling like my most productive self right now. And that’s okay.

But I am doing a few things to stay grounded.

how I’m staying grounded:

I’m moving my body as much as I can. Fortunately, I’ve still been able to do Bar Method all week so far because we are recording a lot of videos to stream in the future. I’ve been walking a lot (and staying away from other people in the process, don’t worry.)

I’m setting an alarm every day. So far at least — I’ve had to get up to film something every day. But I think this is something I’m going to keep up for now. I’ve also had to get dressed every day. I’ve yet to wear anything besides yoga… but that’s actually my life always.

I’m doing my best to stay connected. I’ve found Instagram to be oddly comforting this week. It’s been a place for me to connect with others during a time that feels really isolating. I’m in a group Whatsapp chat with people from my recent trip to Nicaragua and they’ve provided me with SO many laughs this week. I’ve been doing my best to text friends and check in on them.

A special thank you to everyone that has reached out to me to check in this week. I really do appreciate it.

I’m finding little moments of routine even in chaos. Getting Starbucks in the morning brings me comfort. As does working out first thing in the morning and making the same thing for lunch that I always make. It’s the little things, but it makes me feel like the world hasn’t totally ended.

but I’m also enjoying the change of routine. Last night I cooked myself a fancy dinner of lobster tails and pasta. I NEVER have the time (or energy!) to make a meal like that during the typical workweek. After teaching all day I get home and just want someone to spoon-feed me food because I’m usually SO exhausted. I’m doing my best to enjoy this change of routine — getting to sleep in past 5:00 AM (YASSS!) and also getting to make elaborate dinners for myself.

I’m limiting my news consumption. I inevitably catch glimpses on NY1 every time I turn on my TV. For some reason, my cable box constantly turns itself off so it always resets to channel 1 automatically. But I’m doing my best to not drive myself crazy with too much news content right now. It’s exhausting.

I’m finding the humor where I can. Humor helps me cope in crazy times. Right now I’m living for ALL the hilarious ‘rona related memes. I’m doing my best to share the lighthearted moments on instagram during this crazy time too.

And most importantly: I’m being kind to myself. Sometimes leading with kindness is really the best thing we can do in moments like this. I’ve spent most of today watching America’s Next Top Model on Hulu. There are a million things I could be doing. And maybe should be doing… but I’m not beating myself up about it. If being a lump on the couch feels like the best choice, it’s the best choice for right now.

Sending you all lots of love right now. Stay safe and healthy.