Happy Sunday everyone! Here we are with yet another weekend that is almost over. The plus side to that is that most of us are off tomorrow so we can enjoy an additional day to enjoy the nice weather. Things are on the move to being a little bit more normal again but a lot of us are still staying at home and keeping our distance at the moment. I think one main thing I have learned through this entire experience has been just how different we as humans cope with things we are not used to dealing with. Some of us completely shut ourselves inside while others fought it completely along the way. I am not here to judge any side, but I figured why not talk about a couple of the many ways people cope with stress, especially during the current pandemic we are all facing. 

First I think it is important to revisit some of the previous examples I have used before. A lot of people have been baking more during this pandemic. I personally have a loaf of honey whole wheat bread baking in the bread machine as I am typing this post out. I have seen a lot of posts on the internet also criticizing people for this as well. A lot of people are saying that they should not be using resources as a hobby or just to post a pretty picture on Instagram. I think that is incredibly harsh personally. As long as the baked goods are not being wasted and are being enjoyed by someone what harm is there in making them? The grocery store shelves are a lot better stocked right now so there shouldn't be the issue with finding ingredients and such (except yeast, I am amazed every time I go to a store and it is gone, but shoutout to my sister Cheryl who has been able to find it for me this entire time). I say as long as the person isn't harming anyone in the process let them bake! This really goes for any hobby people are occupying themselves with right now!

I think another thing is the criticism with keeping active and eating right now. I will be the first to admit that during this quarantine (especially once the gyms closed) I have been struggling in this area. Like I said we all have different coping mechanisms. I have always been an emotional/stress eater, so throw me into a quarantine period on top of no access to a gym and it is a recipe for disaster. I have been doing my best to push through that though. My trainer has been sending me programs I can do at home with no equipment needed, and I am continuing to eat my Eat Rite meals for lunches and making good choices whenever possible. In result my weight has pretty much stayed the same so in one sense that is a small victory for me. But I have seen so many judgements all over the place of people saying that these circumstances should not be an excuse to back track. On one hand they are correct. You should be doing your best to stay on track, but on the other hand things are far from normal right now. We all have different levels of motivation and self-control. Cut yourself a little slack in this department and make the best possible choices you can. If you are thriving in this area right now also, you are absolutely allowed to be proud, but maybe be conscious of people who may be struggling right now and not handling it that well.  

I think one of the most important coping mechanisms to talk about is how people are dealing with the virus in general and how others are discussing them. I have put little pieces of advice in my previous posts but the most important thing is that we all need to do what we think we need to do for our and our family's health. To some people that means social distancing even still now when some of the restrictions have been lifted. For some it means wearing a mask when we go to the grocery store and leaving the house with a full kit of hand sanitizer and disinfectants. Some people think doing all that is absurd and leave the house with nothing extra. Everyone is valid in their opinions and to take what actions they feel necessary, but what is not okay is the judgements people are passing on others for their actions. It is one this to express concern to a family member or friend if you think they are acting reckless and you don't want them to get sick, but it isn't okay to start full on arguments with someone, especially an essential worker, because you disagree with certain regulations. We are all coping the way we see fit, so spewing anger and hate at one another is not helping anything.

Overall I think we all just need to throw away the judgements and realize that we are all handling things our own way. Maybe you are baking a loaf of bread every other day or reading an entire book series in the course of a couple of weeks (guilty!) or you are at the best stage of health because you are jogging every day. As long as you are not hurting yourself or someone else there is nothing wrong with any action you are taking to get yourself through this uncertain time. Try that new recipe, read that book that has been collecting dust on your bookshelf, go for that jog, or skip that workout you just have no motivation to do. As long as you are doing the best you possibly can then you will get by and that is all that matters. Keep your opinions to yourself about how others are handling things as well. We are all getting by the best we can so let's continue on that path so we can get back to our routines sooner rather than later.