It’s time to embrace self-kindness
It’s a huge understatement to say that 2020 has not worked out as any of us wanted or expected, and it’s been an unspeakably tough year for everyone, with the pandemic resulting in painful loss, heartache and loneliness for so many along with a collective sense of shock and sorrow. Separately, for the Black community, the death of George Floyd in the US has brought a ‘horrifying sense of déjà-vu’, as author Sara Collins puts it (page 50), plus feelings of ‘weariness, anger and grief’. It’s clear that systemic racism still runs very deep across much of the world, and the Black Lives Matter movement has rightly taken hold with the mission of achieving proper inclusivity. On this latter point, I am pleased to say that we have made a public commitment at our publishing company Hearst to work much harder and do much better at being more inclusive going forward. Here at Good Housekeeping, we recognise that we need to redouble our efforts to better reflect the society we serve.
Against this backdrop, when planning this month’s magazine, we felt it was important that we really try to lift your spirits and help you feel good again, so that’s been in the front of our minds over the past month. In our article What Healthy Women Do Every Day (page 82), we reveal tips and tricks to help you feel strong in body and mind, while The Beginner’s Guide To Aromatherapy (page 90) will, I hope, show you how to achieve moments of proper relaxation. We’re also bringing you the best of the coming season’s styles, as we suspect it’s been a while since you focused on your wardrobe. While it may seem superficial, it’s so true that when you look good, you feel good, and that’s never been more important than it is now.
In recent months, many of you have been telling me about how you’ve taken pleasure from trying your hand at something creative, so I think you’ll also enjoy hearing from women like you (page 58), whose artistic skills have taken their lives in a whole new direction.
One person who has been present in many of our living rooms this year is our cover star Lorraine Kelly (page 10). She has worked throughout this difficult period and is a perennially positive force. I’ve always admired Lorraine for her refreshing openness and honesty and she talks to us about how overwhelmed and anxious she has sometimes felt in recent months. She also reveals the things that have helped her, including her gorgeous dog Angus, taking some time out to be on her own, and a little bit of comfort eating; she says she’s cutting herself some slack and suggests self-kindness is something we should all practise more often.
Wishing you a good month,