Shaming during a Pandemic

During the pandemic I’ve seen a great number of posts regarding being “fat” after and eating too much and being stationary. I get it we may all gain a little; even I did as I’m not walking to and from work every day. There are many memes online regarding the weight gain and how we’ll all be looking like balloons unable to fit through doors and so on. 

But I’ve noticed something about my friends and family and myself. We are all concerned about how we look and we’ve gotten to the point where this is not healthy. This is depressing and we feel bad and we bad talk ourselves and then others. We say doing this or that is not enough. We eat too much. We don’t exercise and we’ve been watching too much television.  Those people who have depression I’ve seen sleep all day because they have nothing to do or the feel they don’t because they don’t like themselves. This is a mental issue. 

We were fighting this before the pandemic and now we’re shaming each other for not learning a new skill, for eating too much or what about those who can’t afford groceries? What about that? That’s depressing and makes you sick because you can’t take care of yourself the way you should so you lose pounds and you start looking too thin or too heavy cause you’re body is storing fat to survive.  We need to be kinder to ourselves and love ourselves. We are going to change to adapt to the situation. I would have hoped that this would be like what we all aspire to be, kinder and closer to one another. But what I’m seeing we’re reverting back to old ways of hate and separation and this is just one way of going about it. 

I also want to talk about lack of movement and sitting too long because for those who are used to movement and or have issues at work sitting at a desk this is going to cause more issues. I noticed my Sciatica acting up and my emotions going down and wanting to sleep a great deal more. I find though on days that I have gone outside even to take out the trash or clean up a bit that I feel a bit better. There are some basic ways to help such a stretching, a hot shower or bath, take a soak with Epsom salts. Make it a bit fun like doing it with the kids or having a “spa day” with what you may have around. Sometimes you can get some spa stuff like a mask or some salts at the dollarstore and you can find 10 minute workout videos or stretching that you can do with the kids or your friends over a video chat for free! It’s not easy to be alone and so I recommend trying to move. Even if you just get up and shower or change pjs , that’s something. Ok? 

Everyone is going to gain a little bit or suffer in different ways during this time from being static so please be kind. You really don’t know what other people are going through or the pain that they have and being alone and isolated when you’re in pain or have an illness of any kind already can be even more difficult. So check up on those friends and family. 

I’d also like to talk about people hoarding and the baking bread craze! So recently there has been a whole thing about people baking all kinds of their own bread. Everything from sourdough to banana bread! I admit, I’m on that bandwagon and made my banana bread , two loaves to have for snacks and I admit I want to make my own bread but I did want to before this even started because it would be a bit healthier for me knowing what is in it since I have trouble with certain kinds of “healthy bread” due to it having flax seed in them. I have my reasons for wanting to do it. However, there was a lady, who wrote a post that at the beginning almost sounded like it was a hard on the economy thing perhaps but it wasn’t. In fact by the end of it she was accusing people of hoarding HER precious flour and yeast from HER and her family’s mouths because we’re all so greedy apparently. It was a self entitled rant that wanted to prohibit others from doing something that isn’t a hobby for just photographs or just something to do during the pandemic. Baking bread is now going to be a symbol of just what we can do at home. What can and can’t do without and how healthy we can be. Do we need the mass packaged cookies and bread and other things or can we make healthier choices at home? 

I ask you as readers to take a few moments if you can or would like to think about that. What can you in your daily diet, substitute without making it expensive. What is cheaper but healthier and can you make time now that things are changing to put forth the effort with your family to make these healthier choices. You see we’ve been taught that during our “oh so busy lives” that we should be picking up fast food, picking up packaged goods that are just faster to heat up. I can tell you that even I’m at fault of that and that I get the quick ways but I try to get some veggies and fruit in there since I’m diabetic. I also have recipe books that combine various premade things that make another thing that is fast and easy as well which could also be useful for making fun but bigger meals. I invite you to find creative ways of cooking and baking and doing it with family makes it not only fun but also teaches the little ones how to survive on their own. A lot of people I went to college with didn’t know how to do laundry or how to cook anything other than a box of KD (Kraft Dinner). So take these opportunities to do it! And don’t forget to post on social media if you feel like it to share your accomplishments. There should be no shame in sharing your first baked loaf or your child’s first batch of cookies! 

Again we shouldn’t be shaming one another and we should be lifting each other’s spirits during this time. Be kind and love yourself and each other.