Divas news

Wow - we are back! It's been a minute! My blogging days were put on hold as of Melbourne lockdown back in March as priorities quickly changed to bringing Virtual Divas to life. But now I am keen to reignite the “blogging fire” to keep our Divas community motivated and moving in the lead up to our studios reopening.
There’s no other way to put the last couple of months, well, more than a couple of months, other than it has been one big rollercoaster of emotions. It’s been difficult, no lie, but among the “struggle street” of emotions there has been some epic highs and life lessons learnt. So, I want to bring you our top 10 “things” we grateful for during lockdown, because it’s important to also see the beauty and positives in life. I’m sure there are more than the below 10, but I feel like these will hit hard for most of our students.

1. Virtual Divas

I don’t want toot the Virtual Divas horn but there is no doubt that Virtual Divas has played a huge part in our lockdown mental and physical health. It has kept us going! Coming from a student point of view, as I do many classes myself, classes are a GOOD VIBE. Your endorphins are woken up, your burning calories but most of all you’re having fun whilst keeping fit with your fellow Divas and your instructors - who personally call you out if you're not moving haha #sos (yes, they can still see everything on ZOOM :p). Booking into a class not only keeps us accountable but it also gives us a reason to get up from the couch. If you’re anything like myself, exercise is something I live for, it makes me feel accomplished, healthy, my self-motivation is challenged and I am happy.

2. Divas Community and our friends

This one hits hard on a personal note, and I am sure that the majority of Dedicated Divas can relate. Beyond our classes we thrive on our community at the studio and boy, are we stronger than ever. The social side of our studios play a huge part in the “Divas” experience, you come to get fit but without even realising you make life-long friendships and memories that you will hold onto for the rest of your life. I know many students are grateful and get excited about the social ZOOMS, as it’s a great catch up, an awesome time to bond and see each other’s beautiful faces like we would at the studio in passing or waiting for a class. Okay, soz, ranting here, but what I am trying to say is that the friendships made at that studio have really come through during lockdown. From a personal perspective, 90% of my friends are Divas, that I have made in the years of being a part of the community and during this time I don’t know what I would have done without them!

3. Being Outdoors #onewithnature

Omg, more than ever before have I ever appreciated mother nature’s work beyond words. Going for a walk and admiring the same tree I walk by daily is my favourite, or even just sitting in the backyard, staring into the sky, listening to a Podcast and daydreaming with the clouds is so relaxing. One of my friends has befriended probably about 20 ravens (insert exaggeration of number of ravens here) in her very own backyard – it’s beautiful to see all her video and photo updates on socials. We’re spending more time in parks, walking longer distances and now having picnics with friends when the sun is shining, so we are taking in more of our surroundings and being grateful for the little things in life.

4. Our Pets

For those who have furbabies can relate to the worrying thoughts about our pets experiencing some separation anxiety when we have to go back to the “real world”, and for some, that world involves being away from home for majority of the day. They are LOVING life with their humans at home, they are getting more cuddles, more chances of getting some sneaky bits of your food and they are simply loving our company and vise versa. The love for our pets has increased, even when we thought we couldn’t love them any harder, because they are our lockdown baes, especially for some of us singletons! Oh and waving at my pets in lockdown is my all time favourite thing to do - they judge me with their sassy eyes but idgaf, it fills my soul with joy knowing that I am showing them some acknowledgment for the day!

5. Family

This covers both being at home with your family and not being able to see your family because of the lockdown restrictions. Now I know some parents couldn’t wait to have the schools back open for many reasons, but to see the silver lining in being stuck at home with family, is the epic strength grown with “putting up with each other” on the daily, which then creates a strong bond between each family member. Trust me, you will miss each other when life goes back to normal! It was and is truly the test of time for most families, especially those parents who have dealt with home schooling, but there is no denying that family is and will always be the number one priority during this tough time. Once restrictions lift, I know many people will be visiting their loved ones more than ever before and taking advantage of the time spent together.

6. Cooking meals or food from scratch

Are you even in lockdown if you haven’t made sourdough or banana bread from scratch? No, you are not :p We have the time to buy all the ingredients and we actually want to bake or cook for fun because it’s just something to do in lockdown. Food really does taste better when it’s made from scratch, and along the way we are picking up Masterchef skills that we can carry on for the rest of our lives, yes I’m being that dramatic because cooking and baking is educational and beneficial to our brains, tastebuds and our stomachs! #masterchefwatchout

7. Learning New Skills + having more time

Hands up if you have bought a paint by numbers? Or have learnt cross stitch? Or ordered a DIY soy wax candles pack! Well you’re not the only one! New hobbies and life skills have been learnt during lockdown and of course, beautiful pieces of artwork have been created to put around the house. And in 50 years’ time when you’re telling stories to the grand babies about 2020, you can hand over the gorgeous rainbow unicorn paint by numbers you did, so they can then pass it onto their grand babies! #backinmyday. We have wayyyyyy more time to do things we’ve always wanted to do, like more reading or taking up a new course or even finishing that home renovation project you’ve put off for years. Whatever it is, having more time on our hands is greatly appreciated!

8. Driving more than 5km

It takes me about 40-50 minutes to drive to work (approximately 29.2km to and from) and I actually miss this drive, along Beach Road and seeing how gorgeous the sun sets along the beach. Any long-distance drive is definitely being missed right now. Gone are the days (for now) are road trips to national parks or going interstate, up the coast etc. When we were allowed to go beyond 5km in the first lockdown, my friends and I took advantage of the spare time we had and drove to as many places as we could including The Grampians, so I know when we’re free to do so again, we will definitely be exploring as much of Victoria as we can! #roaddddtrip. This goes for travelling and seeing more of the world! Oh boy! Flights and airports will be going gangbusters when it is safe to do so!

9.  Events, Concerts and going/eating out

This is a BIG one we’re all feeling right now especially seeing many of our interstate and country Victoria friends living their best life at restaurants, beaches, parks, bars, high teas, you name it! What I give right now to be able to go to a restaurant or a live gig, a big cirque event or a performance to support a friend at The Melba Spiegeltent is endless #myleftnut. Once the arts, performance and hospitality industries are back up and running, there is no doubt we will be supporting as many outlets as we can! What even is home when we can go out again! #artiswork

10. Looking after ourselves

Being grateful for yourself is the number one priority in the world of lockdown. We are more resilient and stronger than ever, mentally, and somewhat physically. We have taken the time to look after and get to know ourselves, our personalities and who we are as people. I think each person could list one thing they have learnt about themselves during lockdown, for me personally, I have learnt that some of my life priorities have shifted (I won’t go into detail), but I want to focus on living that “yolo” life for myself and making the most of the time I have on this planet. The battle we play in our heads of feeling unproductive, unaccomplished, unfit, lazy etc is a struggle, but sis you are winning if you have overcome these feelings with a chat to yourself in your head be-like, “Hey b*tch, if you just wake up, get out of bed and breathe today, that is A-OK, focus on yourself, sip on some tea and chill. Tomorrow’s a new day to do [insert thing to do]!”. That is an accomplishment in itself! We’ve all shown great strengths dealing with our mental health in 2020 and for that, you are a champion! #selfloveisavibe

Sometimes having that one friend who is continuously positive can be a little annoying, but hey, guess what, I am that friend and I know you are all thinking of a person who plays a role like that in your life. You need those people in your life, to shake you out of a runt and to balance you out as a human. Be grateful for yourself and for the people around you, even the local shop attendant who serves you the best Banh Mi in town, because everyone is going through and dealing with ‘something’, and particularly, we are all going through this Melbourne life together!

If you need to reach out to people that are not your friends or family, there is always an outlet, see below:
Lifeline Australia
13 11 14
Beyond Blue
1300 22 46 36

Much love to you all!
Xxx