Coming out of lockdown 2.0
January 29, 2021 | by Callan Kelly
With the end of this lockdown (hopefully) within sight, now is a good time to look back and reflect on anything we might have learned from it. Regardless of whether you had a good or bad time during the lockdown, whether you learnt a new way to help manage your wellbeing or managed to get yourself out of bed, just getting through it is an achievement – and that’s something to recognise.
Hopefully, there are one or two things that you can take forward with you, maybe a useful coping technique like Progressive Muscle Relaxation or possibly a different way of looking at things – a fresh perspective. Maybe you learnt to step back from things that are out of your control and focus on what you can control. These are not just things that are helpful during a challenging situation such as lockdown; they are techniques that can help us day-to-day to be more in touch with ourselves and to manage our stress levels more effectively, so why not see how you can apply these new skills in your daily life outside of restrictions?
But, if you don’t think you picked up a new hobby, learned a relaxation technique or became a master pastry chef (well done if you did), then that’s absolutely fine. Don’t compare yourself and your experience of lockdown to others (learning to do this is a wellbeing technique in itself). We’re all in very different environments and dealing with the situation differently. So, if you spent most of your time in bed watching Netflix, maybe that’s exactly what you needed at this present moment and there is no shame in that – it’s all about looking after yourself the best way you know how, well done on learning to do this!
I think it’s fair to say that the majority of people found the reintroduction of these measures a little tougher this time due to aspects such as the shorter days and cold, wet weather among other things. Although it looks like this one really will only last for a few weeks, let’s not forget what we have learnt – we do still need to proceed with a reasonable degree of caution as another lockdown is not off the table – use your hand sanitiser, check in on those around you and of course yourself.
Moving forward it’s important to remember that many individuals or businesses will probably feel more comfortable to continue wearing masks or social distancing. Wherever possible these decisions should be respected as we are by no means out of the woods – let’s remember what is and isn’t in direct control and move forward. It’s about pulling together as a community that will ultimately see us through this pandemic and we should all do what we can to help and support one another during these often very trying times.