Discomfort.  Nobody wants to feel uncomfortable and yet it’s the only true place of growth.  Think about it.  We dread failure, the other shoe dropping, the pit;  the bottom or what I like to refer to as the basement.  However, once we land in the basement, there is a sense of freedom.  Hitting the bottom means we have arrived at our low point, right?  Sometimes it’s not as bad as we feared and other times it’s much worse, but regardless of how you feel there are only two ways to proceed.  First, you can get out and explore the basement.  Second, you can make the decision to move forward, or up and out, in this case.

Some of us have to wallow down in the basement for awhile.  Why?  Because, honestly, a lot of us are more comfortable here. There is no pressure to be anything or do anything while you are in the basement.  Status quo works for us because we are afraid to want more.  We would rather sit down in the dark basement than try for more and end up back here again.  We tell ourselves that this is where we belong.  We tell ourselves that this feels comfortable.

For a lot of us, this quarantine, has felt like the bottom without an escape hatch of any kind.  Some days, we aren’t sure if we are going to make it out or if we should even try.  It’s so tempting to talk ourselves into the the comfort of the basement.  This is the place where binges,  junk food, alcohol, lack of motivation and Netflix reside.  The only thing the basement wants from us, is our comfort, maybe bring a blanket and settle in.

Lately, the basement has been hard to resist because everything else feels difficult and, if I am honest, I am tired of trying to get creative with new ways to do things.  That part about feeling difficult though?  That’s the key.  You see the basement doesn’t really make us feel good about ourselves or anything if you think about it.  It’s all the quick fixes and numbing agents in the basement that make us feel better. It’s a false sense of bottom because everyday we stay in the basement, we actually get a little lower and getting out, gets a little more difficult.

So, what’s a quarantined girl to do if she finds herself down in the basement with no idea how to get out?  That girl is supposed to do all things she said she was going to do. When I have done all things like drinking the water, working out and spending time on myself I am a better person.  I am more optimistic, motivated and productive.  The reality is that I can sit down and watch a movie or Netflix after I have done these things and the likelihood is that I won’t want the junk food, alcohol or any other of the binge-worthy culprits lingering around waiting for me to indulge.  When I have poked my head outside, and dare I say, breathed fresh air into my lungs and moved my body, lo and behold I don’t want to sabotage the work I have put in and as an added bonus, your spouse might live to see another day.

Here’s the thing though.  Tomorrow morning when you wake up you have to do all that good stuff AGAIN!  I know, it’s crazy. This is the part that gets me every time, too.  You have to have a routine and repeat it.

Repeat Routine.  Repeat Routine.  Repeat Routine.

Everyday you ask?

As Nike says, “EVERY.  DAMN.  DAY.”

If you let up and give yourself a day off, especially in the beginning, it’s like taking the laundry chute right back to the basement.  I know, it’s not fair, quarantine sucks, we were made for more than this and you mostly hate everyone, but I promise you that if you stick with me, it will get better.

Are you rolling your eyes at me right now?  I know the struggle is REAL.  I have a high school senior who hates EVERYONE  and EVERYTHING right now, two dogs who still want to walk every single day and a husband who has been working from home since March 16th who I am fairly certain hasn’t told anyone at work that he has a family given his constant shushing!

These times are not easy on any of us, but if you can manage to crawl out of the basement everyday it will get better..mostly.