I wasn’t feeling great today. Kept waking up in the night thinking someone was walking through the cottage. Woke up with serious anxiety, went for a run, did a meditation, took a nap. Called mum when after my rest and talked it out. Had a cry, felt a bit better. Mum has a magical way of calming me down, looking at things rationally, and helping me see clearly. A nap always helps too, everything seems more intense when you’re tired. Today, Toronto announced new ‘red zone’ restrictions as cases keep rising in the GTA. Ontario is now seeing over 1,000 cases/day which is kinda scary. As of Saturday, restaurants can no longer have indoor dining, gyms can’t hold fitness classes, no indoor meeting spaces, and bars have 9pm last call. They’re also encouraged people not to hang out with anyone who doesn’t live in their household. It’s crazy we are living through this right now. Being at the cottage feels like we’re escaping and sometimes I start doing something where I forget what’s going on, then I remember. It’s normal to have anxiety, especially now, I’ve found that exercise and meditation have been really helpful. A couple of years ago I was gifted a membership to the Calm app and really got into guided meditation. I found that I really missed using the app and purchased a new membership in the summer. I love the sleep stories by Matthew McConaughey or Harry Stiles. I swear I’ve never heard the end of the story, I always fall asleep! Their website is offering a free week if you’d like to give it a try. If you’re feeling pandemic anxiety, it’s normal, take some deep breaths, go outside for as walk, call a friend, or do something that makes you feel happy. We’ll…

How many times have you been in a situation, or given an opportunity but worried the outcome might be bad? Never? Well, that must be nice! LOL. I’ve found that through the pandemic my anxiety has gotten worse and it’s not that I think things will go bad, it’s just that I feel anxious something might go wrong. The thing is, what if it turns out better than you expected? Better than you could have ever imagined? What if all your hard work, late nights, long days, sweat, tears, finally pay off like you always dreamed? It’s possible. One of my fav books from when I was little is from the ValueTales series, “The Value of Believing In Yourself“, the story of Louis Pasteur (published 1977). Pasteur is known for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, microbial fermentation, and pasteurization. The story is about him finding a cure for rabies because he believed in himself. Funny side note about this book, I got a new copy for Emily when she was a kid and didn’t remember the part of the story where the dog passed away. Sean was like, “um the dog DIES?! What kind of story is this?!” HAHAHAHA. Safe to say, neither of them feels the same passion for the book as me. Whoops! (I’m sure mum will find this hilarious.) Believe in yourself, anything is possible!

Came home to a few packages and I was so excited to open them! I ordered a few new outfits for fall and almost everything fits perfectly. At this point, I am happy to shop online instead of going to a store. I still think about going to the mall a few weeks back and I don’t want to go back. Pandemic anxiety is real! I haven’t been shopping much but it’s amazing how great it feels to put on a new outfit! You are looking at the face of a woman who is refreshed and ready to take on the week. Here’s to making it a good one!

Really enjoyed the Daily Calm meditation the Calm app today. I haven’t mentioned it recently but I absolutely love this app. I bought the paid version last summer and have been using it nearly every day. I find it helps w/ sleep, focus, and anxiety. My fav part from today was something like, “You have no power over how the universe may respond to your actions. … We must realize that control is an illusion, it is only by accepting our lack of control do we find peace.” It was SO hot out today. Biked over to visit Cory Lee after work and went for a swim in her pool. Great to catch up under the sun while cooling down in the water. The title from this post comes from the video I posted on IG, watch it here or click below. I love summer. View this post on Instagram A post shared by CASIE STEWART (@casiestewart)