'The powers that be' on the internet (which is the closest thing to an observable society right now - and always?) seem to be dichotomised into two camps. 

There are the people that are marinating in their trackies, committed to days of Netflix, snacks and cat naps. Then there are the people in a perpetual state of hustle who insist they are ‘making the most of it', manically writing memoirs, doing home workouts and learning languages.

Let’s have a closer look at what it means to be in either camp. 

If this already sounds a tad grumpy to you, that’s because it is. And that’s okay, it’s a grumpy kind of time. But stick with it, there’s a light at the end of the article.

If You Are One Of The Marinaters*

You may find spending the day without any semblance of structure means it is all too easy to get stuck in a black hole of excessive screen time, poor nutrition, a messed up sleep schedule and social withdrawal. We all know living like this day after day is not a recipe for good feels and good health. 

The downfall of The Marinaters is the siren call of over-indulgence masking as ‘self-care’. It is an incredibly fine line between self-care and indulging in unhealthy coping strategies. Keep this in check by asking yourself, is this really going to help me feel better? Remember, you are the only one that can navigate this, listen to your intuition and be mindful.

*This includes the subgroup I have affectionately termed The Picklers. Sitting in pyjama brine reaching for a glass of wine earlier in the day than yesterday and earlier still than the day before.

Quarantine is no excuse to get buzzed every single day. I know, sounds boring and judgy, but just hear me out. It is your right, nay your duty, to enjoy a few drinks after a long day in lockdown. But if you’re ploughing through the stuff each day like it’s going out of fashion, it’s going to hurt you in the long term.

If You Are One Of The Hustlers

Social media is absolutely riddled with smug messages about making the most of your time in lockdown and 1001 ways to improve yourself in lockdown. So, it’s no wonder a lot of people are focusing on personal development during these unprecedented times. But how can working on yourself be a bad thing? Glad you asked.  

This preoccupation with self-improvement encourages a culture of perpetual hustle and the constant churning out of new content. It’s exhausting, entirely unsustainable and placing unrealistic expectations on yourself will probably result in a sense of shame and dilapidated self-esteem. 

As one of The Hustlers, you may find yourself stressed, manic, fragile and might end up experiencing a huge crash, dive bombing into a pit of poor mental and physical health. Not good. Not good at all.

Cut yourself some slack! We are experiencing a global trauma. The world is literally upside down right now and we’re just trying not to fall off it. Give yourself a chance. This is not a time for acceleration, this is a time for steadying yourself and staying grounded. 

In other words, you do not need to learn a language, write a memoir, get chiseled abs, and found a charity during lockdown! 

So Which One Are You? Well If We’re Being Honest...

Chances are, you don’t fit completely into either of these dichotomised categories, and that’s because you are a wonderfully complicated individual. 

Truth be told, no one is completely one or the other. People are likely to find themselves occupying both of these states at various times during their quarantine. In times of stress and anxiety, such as...a global pandemic maybe? Peaks and troughs are to be expected. 

Neither depressed nor elevated emotional states help us foster healthy coping strategies in these bonkers times we call 2020. Usually, occupying the role of The Marinater (troughs) or The Hustler (peaks) will lead you to swing drastically into the opposing state when confronted with an emotional obstacle. This cycle is incredibly frustrating, but you are not alone.

So What Can You Do? 

Wake up your intuition and aim for somewhere in the middle. Focus on 'self-care' with a dash of lounging and a pinch of personal development. What does that look like? You ask all the right questions.

Only you know what your healthy baseline looks, and more importantly, feels like. But generally eating a few nutritious meals a day, drinking water, going to bed when you’re tired and getting daily sunlight is a pretty good place to start. Oh and for the love of Lizzo, unfollow every social media account that makes you feel bad about how you do quarantine. 

People will constantly tell you how you should be doing quarantine. No thank you! All these ‘shoulds’ on social media can be a real intuition killer. Realistically, you’re not going to get rid of social media. So try to use it mindfully and observe it through a critical lens. And unfollow those unhelpful accounts. Seriously, do it.

If your intuition is telling you that watching tv for a few hours with a glass of wine is going to help you recharge and relax, then go for it. If you feel like you need a bit of enriching fun, set a date with yourself to do something productive, for example, ‘at 6 pm tomorrow I’m going to try a new dance tutorial’. Ideas can be found here. 

This period of history is exceptional and we need to give ourselves a fighting chance by cutting ourselves some slack, but not too much. Achieving a consistent medium is what we’re aiming for so we are primed and ready to deal with the trials and tribulations of 2020, because they are coming at us hard and fast. That's how we Keep Calm and Carry On, at the same time.

Written By Natalia Webster

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