Things I’ve noticed while in lockdown.

These are certainly some crazy times and, even now, about 6 weeks into the UK’s lockdown, things are still uncertain and scary. I’ve avoided writing about COVID-19 so far, apart from maybe once or twice in passing. The weeks have all blurred into each other and trying to find the energy to discuss something as serious as this has been proving difficult. There’s so much that other bloggers and writers have to say about it and I’ll never be able to put my thoughts and feelings about this moment in history down onto paper as well as they have. That being said, I have been tagged by my lovely blogging friend/mother hen, Vicky from Miss Tilly and Me, to take part and post about everything that I have noticed about the world around me while the UK has been in lockdown. 

A lot has changed and it seems that the government’s new catchphrase in every public conference is about finding and acting within “the new normal”. So what have I noticed since the lockdown started? What has become the new normal? 

The “heroes” are the ones who are often underpaid and undervalued. 

I’m not a keyworker, but I have a huge appreciation for every single one of the essential workers who get up each morning and risk themselves for us. Whether it’s the post lady, the person serving my other half in the supermarket, the people in the pharmacy keeping people like me supplied with antidepressants and other vital medicines and, of course, every single person working in the NHS. 

These people are all vital to our society, however, these are so the type of people who get the most abuse sent their way. The bin men, for example – don’t people always critise that job as being for the ‘unintelligent’ and the ‘uneducated’? Yet without them, our streets would be lined with rotten food, stinking rubbish and overflowing with recycling. 

Suddenly, these people and the jobs that they do, have been recongnised as imperative to the running of the country. Isn’t it funny, and ridiculously insulting, that it has taken a global pandemic for some members of the British public to appreciate the everyday ‘low skilled’ ‘ workers? Those working in retail, the postie, the bin men – these people are now heroes. 

It makes me wonder, when this is all over, what will be the general perception of these workers? Will it go back to how it was before? Or will we have a new found appreciation for them? Will they get better pay? Who knows, but it’s certainly true that every single keyworker deserves more respect from us now and forever. 

Some people will make up their mind and stick to it, no matter what the facts are. 

COVID-19 chat is impossible to escape from. Everyone has their opinion and, of course, they’re entitled to it. So many of us created memes and underestimated the impact that Corona Virus would have on the country a couple of months ago. However, now that we’re in the middle of a lockdown, I am absolutely stunned and frustrated to find that some people still have this cavalier attitude, despite the growing mortality rate and the scientific research that is coming to light. 

I’m frustrated to see that some people don’t even listen to the facts. They seem to take small snippets of information (who cares if it’s true or not) and form their whole opinion on a global pandemic based on whatever they can find that suits their original thought process. Sounds an awful lot like Brexit, but let’s not go there! 

Things change and I am sure a lot of us are surprised by the state of the country right now. I myself was one of those ‘oh surely it’s just like the flu?‘ people, but about 2 weeks before the UK government enforced lockdown I had a complete u-turn as I watched new stories unfold and new figures emerge. It was at this turning point, where the news was impossible to ignore, I realised that no matter what the facts are, some people will just be bloody minded and ignore them. 

I also learned a vital lesson at this point. It’s one that I didn’t really believe in before but after frustratingly ranting at a few friends, it’s something I’ve come to believe. That lesson is this: you can’t argue with stupid. 

Talking to your neighbours is kind of nice. 

We moved house in February and before living here, we lived in a flat. Firstly, I’m so glad we moved out of there before lockdown came into action because I cannot imagine not having access to a garden during all of this! But secondly, we never talked to any of our neighbours when we lived there. We didn’t even know their names. 

Even though we’re social distancing, we seem to have befriended our next door neighbours and often have little chats over the front garden fence with them. They have a cute little British Bulldog who is adorable and they do love a BBQ. I’m also insanely jealous of their hottub that they’ve been enjoying during all this hot weather. 

It’s just really nice to have a relationship with the people who live next door to you. I feel like we’ve been accepted into the street and it’s really nice to have been so welcomed by them. 

Teachers deserve a huge pay rise and far more recognition. 

Remember that phrase, ‘those who can’t do, teach’? Yeah, that needs to be wiped clean from history entirely. Teachers are amazing people. 

Luke moved schools before lockdown and he’d only been going there for 3 weeks before the government shut down the schools. Every day since then, his amazing teacher (who is so kind and genuinely cares so much for the children) has been in constant communication. She is a message away at all times and has been sending us school work, replying to every message from every student and parent, checking in with parents who have been a little quiet and recording videos of herself at home reading story books to the children. 

She shows such enthusiasm for everything the children say and do and it warms my heart to know that she has a positive role model in my child’s life for 3 weeks, and many other children’s lives for however many years. His teacher has also reminded the children often to look after their mental health and to remember that they are kind, clever, smart and loved. We need to give these people far more recognition because they are the ones shaping our children into well rounded, emotionally stable people. They are also the ones who pick up the slack when things get difficult at home and they’re also often the people that our children will go to for help, advice and comfort when they are really struggling. 

Teachers are there to teach, but they do so much more and that has become so evident over the last 6 weeks. I hope that we continue to praise them for their amazing efforts when this is all over. Teachers back in my day weren’t quite as lovely, but it is humbling to see that the people helping my children are caring, kind, fair and above all else, approachable and loving. 

Time away from everyone else is important, no matter how extroverted or introverted you are. 

Being locked in a house with the same people all day and all night takes its toll after a while. Mikey and I are a pretty good team but even so, we’ve both been enjoying time away from everything and everyone. Some days we will go for family walks and other days we take it in turns to get away for an hour. It’s the only way to stay sane at the moment and I know a lot of people are feeling the range way. 

Looking after your mental health is so important, even more so during the Covid-19 pandemic. We’re all facing issues we’ve never had to deal with before and taking some time out each day to relax and reset your mind is absolutely vital! There are a lot of relaxing activities you can do to ease your mind, such as coloring or knitting. If you want to try knitting, subscribe to Yarnie’s needlecraft newsletter as you can get free patterns bi-weekly including free knitting patterns for beginners. Not only that, you can get a lot of inspiration and tips to enhance your knitting skills.

Whatever ‘the new normal’ is, I’m expecting it to be this way for a long time. 

Even now that there’s talk of ending the lockdown or getting people back to work, I imagine that there are still going to be extreme social distancing measures in place. This ‘new normal’ that we’ve all been living in is here to stay for quite some time. 

What have you noticed most during the covid-19 lockdown?