“Wait, what day is it again?” This may be one of the most common questions spiraling throughout your head during this seemingly endless time. For many of us, the days could feel repetitive. Due to this, our current routine may involve binging netflix for the entire day or baking enough banana bread for our whole neighborhood. However your current routine may be, it is undeniable that with the preventative measures of social distancing, the days feel longer and we crave the presence of others slightly more everyday. This is completely normal! As human beings, we crave the physical and emotional connection of others and don’t do well when isolated for long. However, it is once again undeniable that focusing on the negative aspects of our current situation will not help us either, and instead, we must focus on the aspect we can control: ourselves. Because of quarantine, we now have surplus free time which we can use as an opportunity to work on ourselves and have our very own self quarantine glow up.

After questioning myself on this thought and how to get into this particular mindset, I decided to have a zoom interview with my 12 grade advisor, Ms. Purpura, who offered me the best advice pinpointing this concept. According to Ms. Purpura, in order to have your own “glow up” you have to initially focus on your emotional state. While talking to me, she told me that “the first step is being gentle with yourself. This is really about acceptance, self acknowledging and self compassion.” Her initial words here are important because if we do not acknowledge our disappointment right now, then we are essentially dismissing our feelings, and this will only lead to an increased negative mindset later. Ms. Purpura suggests that by giving yourself this type of affirmation, you are making sense of your feelings.

As my conversation with Ms. Purpura continued, we discussed the main feelings that a lot of us are feeling right now: a loss of autonomy. As confusing as the word may sound, autonomy, in essence, is control. Everyday, the freedom we have, and the choices we make -whether it be during lunch, free period, or P9- are part of our autonomy and now quarantine has taken this away from us; thus, acknowledging and accepting this fact before moving on is essential. Even though it sounds simple we all know that accepting a loss of control is never easy; moreover, when I asked Ms. Purpura about this and the coping mechanisms we should follow, I learned yet another very important concept: having a net positive lifestyle. It is no surprise that although binging Netflix and stress eating food is widely preferred, it is not the most positive productive coping mechanism to incorporate into our lives. However, according to Ms. Purpura, it is important to know that as long as we are maintaining a net positive lifestyle, our guilty pleasures are okay to indulge in!

One of the main goals when leading a healthy lifestyle is to also lead a balanced lifestyle. Thus, binging All American and baking all of your favorite recipes from Buzzfeed’s Tasty is perfectly okay as long as you include positive coping mechanisms such as staying connected with your friends and family, taking long walks, exercising, or however you believe your time is used most productively. Finally, as I concluded my talk with Ms. Purpura, not only did I learn so much more, but I also developed the mindset I needed to execute a healthy and balanced lifestyle while remaining optimistic about the future. I know that according to most people, having a “glow up” is usually referencing physical changes; however, I am here to remind you that the best- and most beautiful- glow ups are from the mental changes we make. Our attitude and emotional stability gives us the confidence we need to uphold a healthy lifestyle, and the rest will follow perfectly into place. So let’s all use this time for ourselves and stay net positive together!