Isolation: Why You Don’t Need To Worry About Gaining Weight
When it was announced that self-isolation was about to commence for the foreseeable, we all quickly realised that it not only meant not seeing our families, our friends and our work colleagues for a while, but also waving goodbye to our beloved gyms too.
Of course, our first reaction was to panic; panic about the welfare of our families, about the security of our jobs and panic that we’d end up putting back on all the weight we’d worked so hard to lose.
It seemed that most of us were more scared of gaining weight than actually catching the Coronavirus itself. And it’s not entirely our faults; with the at-home calorie-busting workouts constantly hitting our Instagram feeds and the ‘tips’, ‘tricks’ and ‘hacks’ to stay ‘on track’ every where we go, we’re conditioned to celebrate weight loss and fear weight gain, considering it as a failure.
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But we need remind ourselves that gaining a few lbs is NOT us failing at life. And while it’s never an indicator of not succeeding, in these current circumstances, weight fluctuations are the incredibly normal response to a drastic change in our lives right now.
As well as being out of our usual routines – very far from them – our anxiety is heightened and we’re putting other things first, before what our bodies look like.
So, we’ve come up with some helpful tips to help you stop worrying about gaining weight during the lockdown…
Focus On How You’re Feeling Instead Of How You Look
Focusing on our bodies when we’re feeling self-conscious about gaining weight is what we ALL do. But shifting your attention to your overall well-being will do wonders for how you feel – including the way you feel about how you look! Concentrate on your mental health and feeling better about your figure will follow.
Choose Your Clothes To Make You Happy
While we’re not suggesting you get dressed up to the nines every night for an evening in, be sensible about what you pick out of your wardrobe. Don’t reach for those skin-tight jeans that always make you feel bad about yourself.
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Just go for, primarily, what makes you feel comfortable and secondly, what makes you feel good about yourself. If that’s wearing your PJs all day, that’s OK. If it means wearing your best frock day-in day-out, that’s OK too!
Curate Your Instagram Feed
Next time you’re scrolling, notice anyone you’re following that triggers you to feel bad about your body and unfollow them. There are plenty of brands looking to capitalise on this time of social distancing as a time to suggest that there’s no excuse to lose track of your fitness goals. Unfollow them.
If you want to go incognito, you can always mute them. While you’re at it, why not search social media for body-confident people to follow and use them as your inspiration?
Confide In A Good Pal
Feeling rubbish about gaining weight? Tell your bestie! Sharing your problems is the best way to relieve yourself of them. Plus, they’ll probably tell you – truthfully – that you look great and you don’t need to worry about it.
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Remember Your Priorities But Don’t Feel Bad For Thinking About Your Weight
We’re all thinking about the big questions – Will the economy ever recover? What about the millions of people who have become unemployed? Or the millions who are putting themselves at risk to help others? And we know that any concerns about weight loss pale in comparison to stuff that actually matters RN.
But although image-related fears might seem silly – it’s important to recognise that it’s all relative. Don’t beat yourself up about worrying about your weight – especially considering you’re already beating yourself up about your weight!
But at the end of the day, healthy, family and community are those things that should occupy space in your mind for worry – not the fact that you binged on some chocolate chip cookies last night.
