Resilient.
It’s not a word I think of often; it’s what a friend called me recently when I had a moment of self-pity that required her to lead me through an impromptu pep talk.
By now, many of us have been self-isolating for weeks. We were quick to embrace a new norm that included daily Zoom meetings; we watched our favourite influencers teach us DIY beauty treatments; and we downward dogged with our virtual fitness trainers.
Depending on where you reside in the world, you may already have an end to the lockdown in sight. For those of us who continue to spend days and nights seeking new forms of entertainment that don’t involve happy hour, it’s hard to stay focused on what lies ahead. The stress of having to adapt to this new, weird world is enough to keep anyone up at night (I’m writing this post at 3am EST), and it doesn’t make it better knowing that an end is in sight because we don’t know what the next phase will bring.
Unemployed and couch-bound, we feel as though we’ve failed at careers we’ve fought long and hard to build.
I’m sure many of us have had countless stress-induced moments of weakness, fear, and failure at the hands of uncertainty. Unemployed and couch-bound, we feel as though we’ve failed at careers we’ve fought long and hard to build. Similar feelings abound for parents languishing in their new roles as teachers. And though we may not show it on our glossy, curated Instagram feeds, we fear that our grey roots and wrinkles betray how much we rely on professionals to instil us with confidence: our stylists, aestheticians, manicurists and everyone who ensures we put our best selves forward have never been more significant. Still, as we lug our laptops from our beds to our sofas to our balconies we begrudgingly prepare to adjust to a world where masks are mandatory and strategically placed plexiglass might just be the saviour we’ll need to be able to join our friends for a drink on a patio this summer.
That means accepting what will inevitably be a new reality that will, quite possibly, bring about a new version of ourselves.
For weeks, our fear of the unknown has kept us up at night while resilience has kept us moving through the uncertainty. Moments spent in isolation have reminded us that we are capable of sorting through the things that hold us back. Every day we move forward resilience tells us that we are strong and ready to cope with whatever lies ahead. It tells us to confront our moments of weakness; it steers us as we crawl out from under this anxiety-laden chaos.
Resilience is a word we shouldn’t take lightly; we need it now more than ever. A new reality is inevitable and it will, quite possibly, bring about a new version of ourselves.
It takes resilience to remind us to accept our newly adjusted lives and our newly adjusted selves…roots, wrinkles, and all.
Let every hair flip be fabulous.
XOXO
Le Snobbery
original photo by Gratisography.com || manipulation by le snobbery
Le Snobbery 