As restrictions ease, and we head back to work and begin to see our friends and family again, we want to reflect on our experiences over the last couple of months. Lockdown has not been easy for many. In fact for lots of people, this has been one of the hardest and most challenging experiences of their lives. Lockdown has also brought with it some serious consequences, such as the rise in domestic violence and the lack of financial stability for many. Amongst all these negatives however, many positives have arisen, and that it was this blog will focus on.
If we are looking at this in a broader and more global context, we can see that lockdown has resulted in dramatic and positive changes in our environment. With the reduction in emissions caused by cars and planes, the earth can finally breathe in some fresh air. It has been amazing to see both animals and nature thriving, as waterways clear up, and air pollution lessens. Some places where the air was thick with pollution have even been able to see blue sky again.
There’s also been a shift in how we relate to others, and our neighborhood feels more like a community than ever. Although individual circumstances may differ, everyone is facing the same uncertainties, the same questions, and the same fears. It’s not very often that one finds themselves in this position, and as a result, we’ve been able to better relate to strangers and empathise with each other in new ways. Being cooped up at home has encouraged people to get out, go for a walk, kick the footy, or bike ride with their kids. It's kind of ironic really - we have been told to limit our time outside, but it’s almost had an opposite effect - people have seemed to embrace the outdoors, exercising and spending time with their families. Through this, it’s as though we have developed a deeper sense of community and connection with each other.
Another positive is that we’ve been able to dedicate more time to ourselves and our families. For most of us, life has been so busy and go, go, go. It’s been nice to spend time with ourselves and those we live with in a more concentrated way. A way that is not rushed or limited by time.
We have been blessed with our personal circumstances during this time. We love the people we live with, we have kept our jobs and we have many people who support and love us. This has definitely helped to make lockdown a somewhat pleasant experience.
Franny:
Something I have been meaning to do is continue writing a story I started writing when I was 14 years old. I’ve written over 70,000 words and it’s been super helpful for my own mental health to delve into my story and continue its journey. Since lockdown I have added 35,000 words to my story which I seemed to have struggled with before. It’s as though lockdown forced me to find activities outside of Netflix and scrolling on my phone to occupy my mind. I am so proud of myself for pushing through my writer’s block, not judging myself, and just putting words on paper and seeing where it takes me.
I’ve also been doing a lot more walking. I try to do a 20-minute workout every day, and at night, Tomer (my husband) and I try to walk for about an hour together. We’ve been spending so much more time together and I’ve really treasured this time. Another activity I have picked up again is reading. I used to be an avid reader when I was younger, and somewhere along the track, I lost interest. Finally, I picked a book off the shelf and have been reading every night (sometimes a little too late into the night). I forgot how much I love to read, so this has been a welcome night time activity.
Working at home has been a strange experience and, at the start, I definitely felt quite disconnected from people. That being said, it’s amazing how the human condition learns to adapt and find the positives in a situation that otherwise, at times, feels a bit hopeless. After the first two weeks of lockdown, which was filled with my sadness, frustration and loneliness, I discovered quickly how much more time I had to dedicate to cooking meals, cleaning the house and spending quality time with my housemates. I went back to work this week and though I am happy about this, I am also nervous. I feel like I am going to need to learn to adapt again and although I am sure it will happen faster than I think, the back and forth does tend to throw me off balance at times. However, just like when lockdown began, I was nervous and unsure, but I learnt to find the positives in the situation and through that I adapted to a very new lifestyle.
I think more than anything, I have treasured the downtime and the time I have been able to find for myself. As life gradually goes back to normal, I hope to take these positive outcomes from this surreal experience into my life and apply them outside of lockdown. I realise that I need to dedicate more time to myself and to nurturing the creative in me who thrives on playing music, writing books, and being with my loved ones. It’s been a very, very interesting learning experience for me and has helped to consolidate some feelings I have felt for a long time.
Zooey:
What a time this has been! I’m not going to lie, I have loved staying at home so much. I have found it much more relaxing than going into work and as the weeks have gone by, I have really embraced my inner introvert! I was actually almost scared of coming out of lockdown and getting thrown back into the craziness that my life usually consists of!
The biggest change for me was adapting to online teaching. So much of how I teach relies on human interaction and I was very unsure of how I could make it work. My students were absolutely amazing, so patient and persistent, and in the end we made it work better than could be expected. Today we returned to on-campus teaching, and although I am absolutely knackered from a full day at school, it was so invigorating and heartwarming to be back in the school community and around so many friendly faces. As nice and relaxing as it was teaching from home, I think I appreciate what my workplace has to offer even more now.
When lockdown kicked in I immediately noticed how much more free time I had, especially on the weekends. Weekends are usually packed with social engagements and it was strange that all of those suddenly ceased. I was finally able to relax… which I literally never do. I spent a lot of time with Charlie, I cooked a lot, I started reading my book again. In recent weeks uni has kicked back into gear and I’ve found myself busier than ever. I spend Monday to Thursday teaching, and then Friday to Sunday on uni work, and it’s feeling pretty overwhelming at the moment, especially now that lockdown is easing and the calendar is booking up with social events. I find it so hard to juggle this work-life balance, to find time to switch off and not check my to-do list. I guess this is a learning process for me, and lockdown gave me a taste of what a more balanced life might feel like. Definitely food for thought.