It’s a pandemic, you’re allowed to be a bit rubbish

For many of us, the lockdown has been filled with online courses, binge-watching Netflix and terrorising villagers on animal crossing. If I’m honest, I’ve found it incredibly interesting watching how everyone has adapted to this lifestyle the media have dubbed “our new normal”.

Some people have relaxed, embraced the time with their loved ones and spent the time bonding. Other people have decided it’s their time to tick stuff off their bucket list and some people have found their time indoors to be pure hell.

My Lockdown Life

Personally, I’ve got a bit crazy with my online courses and self-growth. After three years, I’ve pretty much quit smoking (I’ve gone from 20 cigarettes a day to one puff on a vape) and jogged every single day for the past 9 weeks. If there’s been something you’ve been looking to do for ages, then now is the perfect time for you to start doing it. Right?

If I’m honest, I’ve been keeping myself so busy I’ve forgotten to think about the important things. Like connecting with loved ones or taking the time to reflect on who I am. In times like these where there is little else to do, it can be difficult not to get enveloped in bad memories and choose to cut yourself off from the world. The idea of becoming a hermit or a stoic is oh so tempting when you have nobody to sit and have a conversation with.

On my personal blog, Steph Writes Stuff, I keep tend to write with very strict monthly themes in mind. The website is still in its infancy, and I’m unsure what genre fits. For June, I’ve decided to focus more on what I need mentally and physically in order to be as ready as possible to return to life after lockdown. This might be reaching out to friends who’s messages I’ve been too anxious to respond to, but it might also be continuing to up-skill myself through online courses just in case the worst-case scenario happens.

But the reality of the situation is that I’m probably micro-managing myself just a little too much. Yes, this is the perfect time for Late Millennials and early Gen-Z kids like myself to look for their first homes, prepare themselves for their dream jobs and finally kick start their search for ‘the one’. But it’s also a pandemic and a pandemic that’s being handled poorly at that. So it’s okay to delve into a bit of a hole as you work your way through the hell zone of anxiety or decide to take up the hobby of watercolours.

My mentality at the start of lockdown was very much the “people will ask what you did during the great pandemic of 2020' sort of thing. I didn’t want to say I sat on my ass all day watching TikTok (only for the occasional hour) and I’m not the sort of person to pick up an obscure hobby. So I decided to do everything I could to make myself better. But in doing that I’ve drained the energy from my life. I can work for 72 hours straight and sleep for another 96.

So as a way of taking some time away from frantically trying to build my new website or start a print on demand store, I’m going to write.

I’m going to write the same way I always do, with absolutely no intention and hope that the theme finds itself in my thoughts. If you’re reading this, then I think I did it.

Things You Should Remember In Lockdown

Loads of people have chosen to deal with a lockdown in different ways. I’ve opted to be the wannabe Sir Alan Sugar whilst countless people have decided to start their own blogs/TikToks/YouTube. Some people have chosen to take the time and devote it on self-growth, respect and relaxation.

I actually wrote a little bit about self-reflection here.

But despite how people have chosen to make the most of this time, there are still some things that everyone should remember during the lockdown.

Free trials are your friend.

A week free trial is nothing mate! If you’re bored and stuck on furlough, then time feels like a conquerable social construct. Even before lockdown, I was a bit of a binge queen but the fact I managed to binge all Doctor Who and Torchwood episodes in one week makes me feel godlike.

So if you think you have it in you, why not start a few free trials? See if you can finish watching all the shows you want to watch before the charges kick in.

I mean, I’m not endorsing staying up all night so you can finally watch every Marvel movie in order. But if you’re gonna watch TV, why not get a little competitive with it? This is our only chance to say we did it without leaving the sofa ONCE.

Try Eating Healthy

This one is a bit more serious than the last. Eating healthy is pretty important right now considering we’re not getting enough access to fresh air, vitamin D and exercise. Yes, the urge to get a takeaway is very tempting, and it’s okay to succumb to it sometimes; but not every day. Otherwise, we really will become like the humans in WALL-E.

Zoom is there when you need it.

I won’t lie to you, I’ve really enjoyed becoming a hermit over the past few months. I’m completely content with the sound of my own thoughts.

But the idea of returning back to normal life and having no social skills is kinda scary. So I’ve taken it upon myself to be an anti-social party host. Every week I host themed parties for all of my uni friends via zoom. For a while, I also hosted coffee mornings via zoom too. It’s probably one of the only things I look forward to every week.

I have a really strong feeling that lockdown is going to be the make or break of many friendships/relationships, so reach out to the people who matter to you.

Let your mates know when you need a minute.

Going into your own world or stumbling into the “hell zone” of lockdown can be all well and good. But please don’t forget it’s a f*cking pandemic and your mates might worry.

So far I’ve had two “You still alive?!” texts from friends, so I’ve started to give them a bit of notice if I plan on going MIA.

Quarantine Resolutions Are Real

It’s all well and good to set yourself goals in life. Even better if you achieve them. But what if you don’t?

To reduce the pressure of my lockdown goals, I affectionately renamed them ‘Quarantine Resolutions’. Basically, if I didn’t finish them off by the end of lockdown, it felt a bit less like I’d lost out on something. But If I’m honest, I’ve done okay with achieving them!

So to conclude, do whatever you want! I know that probably isn’t very insightful, you probably have been doing it anyway; but this is for me just as much as it is for you.

So many people are saying this is the time to be the best for you! But it’s also a pandemic, its a strange new time and its perfectly okay if you’re not productive 24/7. Embrace it!