Inviting people into your home
Having people to your home is the ultimate personal exposure.
It’s where you sleep, eat, poo, get sick, have sex, watch mindless TV.
It’s the place where you are the real you.
In the past month, more people have witnessed my basement makeshift office than ever before. It’s decorated with a retro, mother-in-law kitchen complete with an olive-colored fridge. Here’s a photo of me at my desk, no make-up, day-old hair, with our beloved 1960s beer fridge as my backdrop. (insert photo)
Before COVID-19, I made sure that my computer camera was perfectly set up at our dining table with a pleasant background of natural wood, art or stone.
How 4 weeks has changed me and my ability to present the real me! I kind of like it.
I have to wonder if this pandemic era will bring out a new level of authenticity in all of us.
I watch John Krasinski’s SGN (Some Good News) and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and I LOVE the authenticity of their homes, their hair, and their “this is me” experience.
Women everywhere are doing their best to be authentic and make the best of the situation for their families and for themselves.
Two of my favorites in the past week came from friends who got creative about Spring Break. Considering that they weren’t going anywhere, they created an experience for their families in a retro beach scene and in old-town Mexico. (insert photos with names)
We know there were likely tears and moans behind these photos from their kids or spouses. But these moms took one for the team, they got creative, and they adapted to a new normal.
What I love most is that they were bold enough to invite us into their homes with raw honesty on how they’re doing their best in uncertain times.
We’re all trying our best, but we’re also getting comfortable with less polish and more honesty. Less expectation and more understanding. Fewer apologies and more giving ourselves permission to just be and do what we feel.
Stasi Kasianchuk, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) who leads Gennev’s HealthFix membership for telehealth-based coaching, said it best in our weekly 1:1 when she said, “The majority of my clients right now just need to be listened to. They need to know that it’s OK to give themselves permission for needing a nap or not working out or just feeling blah.”
During our weekly COVID webinar <link>, Swapna Vaidya, MD and Psychiatrist mentioned that through telehealth, her patients are “… opening up more in the confines of their home.” Her young patients like to show her their toys and rooms. Women can show her their messy kitchen and the stress they’re feeling about not being able to keep up.
Digital will never replace the need for personal contact, but in this remote-everything world we’re living in, it’s presenting opportunities to be more authentic, even vulnerable.
My social feeds are blowing up with images of friends doing their best, getting vulnerable, showcasing how they’re making the most of a new normal. I love it, because women everywhere are doing their best to rise up and embrace a really tough situation.
And if there are days you don’t feel like rising up, or you fail to cheer up a sad senior graduate who won’t be walking the stage, or you feel like you’re underachieving in all parts of life, give yourself a break. You’re doing the best you can do. You’re doing all that you can do.
From my olive-fridge framed office to yours, here’s to getting comfortable with the real you and letting others see it.
Jill
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