The lessons I've been learning during lockdown
Today marks two whole months since I left my house for anything other than my daily exercise, a shift at our local food bank (where I volunteer), or a trip to the supermarket. Two whole months since my husband and I went out for a lunchtime pizza, completely unaware that he’d fall sick a few days later, and we’d enter isolation 10 days before the rest of the UK.
It’s strange to think how much life has changed since that pizza date on the 9th of March. The big wide world has shrunk down to the four walls of our home. A calendar full of social commitments and work events has been reduced to video calls and Zoom quizzes. Our lovingly created plan for 2020 now feels like nothing but a pipe dream. And a rolling news cycle that was once filled with Brexit chat suddenly feels much more sinister and grim.
There’s no denying that the last two months have been tough in so, so many ways for so, so many of us. Within my immediate circle of friends alone there has been grief and job loss and poor mental health to contend with. But if there’s one small upside to lockdown, it has to be how much time it has given us to pause and reflect and discover more about ourselves.
The last few months have brought more growth and understanding than any of us could have predicted, and that’s what I wanted to write about today. I think it’s important to capture these learnings, to reflect on them and absorb them, so that when we go back out into the world and start to build our new normal, we can do so in a way that honours everything we now know about ourselves and the world we live in.
So here are the things I’ve been learning in lockdown - I’d love to hear your lessons too…
This is hard, but I can do hard things
I think if our current situation has taught us anything, it’s that we’re all so much more resilient than we would have ever given ourselves credit for. It has been incredible to see how everyone has adapted to so many big, scary changes, and how communities have come together to weather the storm. Often we can spend our lives living in fear of challenge or adversity, but this whole experience has reminded me that yes, sometimes life is hard, but that it’s okay because I can do hard things.
That it’s possible to experience multiple emotions at once
I miss my parents so, so much, but I’m loving spending so much time with my husband. I feel so sad about everything that’s going on in the world, but so grateful for this opportunity to slow down. I’m worried about all of the uncertainty, but happy to have the time to work on the foundations of my business. Lockdown has reminded me that life isn’t black and white, and that it’s possible to experience multiple emotions all at once - a handy lesson for life.
That I took a lot for granted before
You all know that I’m a huge advocate for gratitude, but there were still things - things like popping to the supermarket whenever I fancied, getting a takeaway coffee, meeting friends at a restaurant, going for a swim at our local pool - that I took for granted before all of this happened. I’ve been keeping a list of those things, the things that once felt so normal, and I’ll be appreciating them so, so much more when this is over.
That building a positive and resilient mindset is well worth the effort
One thing I’ve thought a lot about over the past couple of months is how differently I might have handled this situation if it had happened two or three years ago, before I started really digging into the work to improve my mindset. I know that back then, I’d have seen this as an opportunity to give up or feel sorry for myself or spiral into a very negative place, and I’m so thankful that I now have the tools to help me deal with my negative emotions while also being able to still embrace joy.
That I thrive with more time and space
I think this realisation is one that many of us are sharing at the moment! I used to be someone who was always rushing around and packing my schedule to the rafters, but lockdown has taught me that with a bit of extra time and space, I can do better work, stay committed to my good habits, and generally feel more balanced and content. I’m committed to making sure I protect this new found time and space once we move into the new normal, as I now know just how much of a difference it makes.
That joy is still my north star
My last lockdown discovery is less of a discovery and more of a reaffirmation - despite all of the change and all of the uncertainty, joy is still my north star. I’ve tried to make sure each and every day of the last 9 weeks has contained some glimmer of joy, and I really think that that commitment has helped me to stay positive and upbeat during the emotional rollercoaster of lockdown. No matter what the coming weeks and months bring, I’m going to keep choosing joy, always.
What have you been learning during lockdown?
