Getting back to our roots has been a silver lining during quarantine. With so much extra time, a lot of us have been able to dial back and practice more of the simple things that make us happy.
To get a peek inside our community’s quarantines, we asked five photographers to share self portaits showing us how they are practicing self care while in isolation. This project gives us perspective on the benefits of slowing down, and most importantly, reminds us that we’re in this together. Read on to see how photographer Ale Casillas grounds back into her roots while isolating in Andalucia, Spain.
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In this uncertain moment, it’s easy to loose ourselves in the constant digital noise surrounding this pandemic.
I personally find it especially difficult to be confined in a different country away from my family and friends. But in the midst of chaos, I’ve kept in touch with them more than I did in previous days, and that keeps me happy and thankful. Often, emotions of loneliness and ambiguity keep my mind running amok, and in that moment, I remember that I am safe in the here and now. What’s true, and important, is for us to keep a well-balanced mental, emotional and physical state.
It is time to go back to the roots of what makes us… us. For me, that is, staying connected with love ones, eating healthfully, doing physical activities, and practicing mindfulness.
In these images I show various ways in which I practice daily self-care while in quarantine. Firstly, I start my day with a filling fruit smoothie that gives me the energy to move and go about my day. It is so important to maintain a healthy diet especially during this time when we need our immune systems to be one hundred percent.
Now and always, I keep my mind centered and happy is riding my bike. For a few years now, riding has truly changed my life, from lethargic and sedentary to adventurous and motivated. It is a shame that here in Spain we can not leave our homes to exercise during this crisis, but luckily, I have an indoor trainer. and I can be next to my window in the mornings catching some sun rays.
I look forward to I eagerly run to my balcony to join my neighbors in our daily applause to those working hard in the healthcare sector, but it is also an applause to all of us. A reminder that we’ve got each other, even though we are far away from one another. It is these moments of solidarity and community that I find myself grateful and hopeful for the future.
Finally, it is nice to remember that we can travel away from our confinement into different worlds, and they are as accessible as to picking up a book and opening the pages to find out that you are no longer home. These days I am traveling to the land of Macondo, where Gypsies and dreamers come together to tell a multigenerational magical story, in my favorite book “Cien Años de Soledad” (One Hundred Years of Solitude) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
I know it is a difficult time, but I hope everyone is finding ways to keep motivated and healthy.
