When we entered the first couple of months of 2020, I felt relieved and excited at what was to come for the year ahead. I had finished my freelancing job at the end of January and started a new job in February. I was looking forward to reclaiming my personal life as I had been over-worked over the last few years. I was desperately looking forward to enjoying many adventures abroad and visiting my family abroad. Unfortunately, the year did not go to plan for anyone, and today marks one year of pandemic lockdowns.
On the afternoon of March 16, my colleagues and I were told to work from home. I don't think anyone understood the severity of the pandemic and virus at this stage. I certainly did not, but medical staff were quickly being overwhelmed and people were losing their lives due to this and due to the lack of known treatments. So, the first lockdown began. A year later, we are still in lockdown and have had restrictions throughout the past year. We will be locked down for another few months at least. I am hoping that the vaccines will help surpress this pandemic and allow us to get back to normality and keep us in some form of normality.
A year on now from the first lockdown, and I wanted to highlight some areas of what it has meant for me and what I have also seen change in the past year.
Work & Working from Home
Since 2015, I was used to working from home in a full time or part time capacity (depending on the project), so this aspect hasn't changed for me and was a continuation of my life (minus the pressure to work myself to death). Overall, I enjoy working from home and prefer it as I've previously spent far too much of my life before 2015 in long commutes. Commuting for four hours of your life a day is not fun, and that's what my life had been like previously.
I know that working from home has either been uncommon or non-existant for a lot of people. Video conferencing tools and chat tools to help manage long distance colleague relationships and meetings were familiar to me but not to many others. I think those reluctant in home working now realise that they can trust their employees and that the work still gets done.
The company I am working for allow Friday afternoons off, and this has helped to provide a balance between work and personal life, which is ultimately more difficult to manage when working from home. I know that some still struggle with the balance, particularly those who have small children or when their school-aged children were unable to go to school due to the lockdowns.
Social Life
Even though working from home was common to me in previous years, I did not feel isolated because I was still able to go out for a meal or to visit friends. The lockdown put a stop to this. I did manage to see a couple of friends once in late summer, but it's been over a year since I have seen anyone outside my home with the exception of others on my street and the postal workers! It will still be a few months (or at least a year in some cases) before I am able to meet up socially with my friends and family. This time has been very difficult, particularly when life has been difficult with some people I know, and I am unable to do anything to be there for them. It is feeling stuck, and it is harmful to mental health, which I will discuss later.
Although I have been unable to see my friends and family and my social life has been non-existant over the past year, I have still managed a chat (although it is not nearly the same), and one decent social item to come out of the pandemic is community.
Community
Over the last year, I have noticed that community has been pulling together. From clapping for the National Health Service to socially-distanced drinks with neighbours, I believe that most of us are trying to make the most of a bad situation. Here are some examples that I have seen in the community over the past year:
- Clapping for the NHS
- Giving to charity to help those who have lost their jobs or loved ones and also to those who have children struggling with meals while children are stuck at home
- Giving technology to children in need to help them with their education
- Socially-distanced drinks with neighbours and creating a sense of community in our road/area; it has been great to get to know everyone, and this has allowed a social aspect.
- Putting hearts or toy bears in windows, lights and Halloween decorations on display, and yarn-bombing on post boxes to bring smiles
- Helping look after each other, particularly when individuals are unable to leave home due to shielding and need a helping hand
- Providing surprise Christmas gifts to people
- Donating food, technology, and time to help other members of the community
- Local businesses providing support to the community and community services - free coffees, doughnuts, etc.
So, while our social lives have been non-existant largely, at least a sense of community has helped fill a bit of the void, and hopefully there will be many large community parties in the not-too-distant future.
Local Exploration
I'd previously touched on this aspect in relation to my working from home, but it is worth a larger note because we have all been stuck at home and in our local areas for a year. I moved into the area that I am living in now at the end of 2015, and I had not yet explored a lot of what the area has to offer until this year. Of course, I actually did have plans to explore a couple of places in the spring of 2020, but the pandemic hit and I didn't actually leave the house during the first lockdown. Not being allowed to travel out of the local area has meant that everyone has had to exercise and get out of their houses locally. In my Friday afternoon walks this year, I have enjoyed visiting amazing local places.
Arts / Exhibits / Museums / Attractions
Readers who know me know that the arts, museums, and other attractions (zoos, exhibitions, etc) do mean a lot to me. Unfortunately, these areas have suffered the worst and have had to shut for the past twelve months. Art and creativity has always been one of my main interests; this goes as much for creating as well as appreciating art. Continued learning about the world around me through museums and attractions is also important. All aspects are coping mechanisms with life.
Not being able to partake in these ties to mental health and well-being, so the fact that we (as a society) cannot do this for the past year has a very detrimental effect on community and society as a whole. All of these are an important part of society and community and help personal and individual well-being and purpose. I am saddened that they have been largely forgotten about at times when we need them the most.
Shopping / Eating & Drinking
Both of these activities are social ones for me. While I have never been an avid shopper, I do appreciate browsing shops, particularly when I am visiting a new place. I do also enjoy the social aspect of visiting pubs and restaurants, and I enjoy visiting them for a change of scenery and to "get out of the house". Sadly, shopping and restaurants/pubs/cafes have been taken from us for the majority of the past twelve months, and it will still be awhile before we can enjoy these again. Shopping has primarily been a pain for me because I've had to do without or shop online.
Shopping online is not something I enjoy. It is not a new concept for me, but it's one that never did too often. Most of us have spent a fortune on one online shop that I will not name. I don't like supporting this large online retailer; it has stolen High Street business, and some shops will never reopen. While there are times when it is useful to shop online, there are certain items that I'd like to look at before I buy. For example, I prefer trying on clothes before I buy them. I have also bought items online during the pandemic, and it is a huge hassle. Plant pots that I have bought turned out to be the wrong size: once too small for even a tealight and once too large for my succulents. Clothes do not fit and are about a size too large (or small) or they do not look like the image. Items have been delivered broken. Items have been delivered with missing parts. Items have been delivered that are nothing like what I ordered. Items that I ordered were delivered with substituted items or expired items that I will not eat/use.
Additionally, I've had to go without some items. They have sold out or discontinued the items or perhaps the items are not available to buy online. Additionally, I am unable to get a delivery slot for my preferred supermarket.
I also have some other things that I will not buy until the shops reopen, and these are items where I do need to visit a shop. These items relate to the house with the majority of the building work completed just before the 2020 lockdown. I need curtains or blinds (I'm unsure which), new couches (mine are over fifteen years old), and I need to exchange incorrect items. I've had to go without items deemed unessential.
Holidays
It has been eight years now since I have had a proper break/annual leave. Last year, I did have four short long weekend breaks amounting to ten days off in total. Changing my employment last year meant that I am allowed to take time off, but there is no point in doing so when nothing is open and going abroad is out of the question. Staying at home does not cut it for me.
Travel is important to me and something that I enjoy and look forward to. I enjoy the thrill of seeing a new place. By chance, I got into full-on projects and rolling-monthly contracts since the start of 2015, and that started a crazy cycle of a few years. Previous to that, I would plan a trip to give me something to look forward to in the months ahead. I am looking forward to seeing new places again.
Mental Health & Isolation
Everyone has suffered in some way during the pandemic. I have had my struggles. Being stuck at home has been very difficult, and then there is the anxiety about when we will be able to safely go out again and see friends and also questions as to whether life will get back to normal. I have also had regrets about working my life too hard and not taking breaks since 2014. I've been hard on myself, and this regret has angered me as well.
Not being able to see friends and family, particularly when people are going through bad times, is also difficult. I have felt helpless.
I know that when things get tough for me, I tend to drown myself with work or withdraw into myself. This is not healthy, but it makes an effort for me to speak to people. I also focus on other things. I over-think things.
Everyone has their way of dealing or not dealing with it. There will be much impact for years to come.
Also, although many have helped others in the community, I can see that some people have gotten more rude and more selfish. I guess this is part of it with everyone having their battles and going through stuff.
Illness & Health
Illness can be linked to the mental health concerns mentioned above. The pandemic and lockdowns have impacted our mental health, but they are also causing other health concerns. A couple of items to add from a personal level for me are being out of shape due to a lack of exercise. I did not leave the house at all during the first lockdown, and that played heavily on me. I am still not going out at all some weeks. Like most people who live in a city, there's a lack of nature, and this provides well-being. There's also a point to where one gets bored of visiting the same places.
My health has taken a nose-dive with being out of shape and other problems due to the pandemic. Weight is easy to put on with comfort eating during the lockdowns, and I am drinking much more too. I never did drink a lot, but I have been drinking more in the lockdown.
The NHS is also back-logged due to the pandemic with appointments being cancelled and people suffering in silence because they are either too afraid to speak up about problems or do not wish to add to the burden.
Pets
I am happy that I have my cats. They can annoy me sometimes, but they have enjoyed hanging around me, even if they just sleep and beg for food all day. They have enabled me to cope.
During the lockdown, I read that over a million people or something similar got a pet in the past year. I've had my two cats for a few years now.
Other
I have a couple of other observations here to mention. One is the fact that I have not had a hair cut since November of 2019. My hair is a mess. I have attempted to trim it myself; it does not look good, but I am sure that they can fix it. I have not concerned myself with my hair because I do not have the skills to do it myself and feel that we just have to make do at present.
The other item is make-up. With not being able to venture out, make-up has become pointless. I think skin-care is still important, but the make-up industry is probably being harmed. I think make-up products for lips and blusher is probably the lesser-used products because of wearing masks.
The other item to mention is that builders and tradespeople are in top demand during the pandemic. They are over-worked with a lot of new jobs. Although the majority of my building work finished right before we went into lockdown the first time, I still have to wait for several months for them to come around to complete and rectify some of the issues. I was also without a working stove from the start of the pandemic until Christmas Eve!
Conclusion & What I am Grateful For...
I just have hopes for the future that life can start to get back on track soon. At the moment, I have my fingers crossed for June 21st, as the government have stated that is when the restrictions will end. I know that there will be some more minor changes before that. It has been a year of these lockdowns, and yes, it does feel like a year. It has not gone quickly for me. It has been slow and unforgiving. I just hope that I am able to see my friends and family abroad soon and to be able to have holidays abroad too. I have not counted that this will happen in 2021 though.
Throughout the pandemic and the really bad times, I am grateful for my friends and family to chat to on the phone and on social media. I am grateful for my pet cats; even though they can be annoying and expensive, they have kept me sane. I am grateful for a nice community. I am also very grateful for my job. I am loving my (not so new) role working for a fantastic company and enjoying the perks - books! Books have kept me sane as well. I am looking forward to making up for lost time with holidays and friends and family abroad; I'm disappointed that I did not take the holidays but I cannot see how things could have been different at those times. No one expected a pandemic, and I thought that if I worked hard enough, then I could have some time off later. Only later came during a year of the pandemic. However, there should be bright times ahead when I can enjoy those things and make up for the lost time. It will be another few months, but I am anxiously waiting.
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