Lessons Learnt in Lockdown

2020, for most of us, has been the most surreal year of our lives. As the UK is slowly navigating into ‘the new normal’, lockdown rules are beginning the change.

With non-essential shops reopening in England and some areas of hospitality beginning to get the wheels in motion for future business, I have been reflecting on all the things that have changed in my life, and pulling some positives from the arguably traumatic and unbelievably challenging moment in history we’ve all just gone through together. These are some of the lessons I’ve learnt during lockdown in Cornwall.

Ditching the heels for trainers

Since lockdown began, my heels and ‘out out’ outfits have barely seen the light of day (bar a couple of lockdown birthday parties). Gone are the evenings of dressing up, heading into town for drinks and dancing the night away in a club, replaced with barefoot strolls across the sand and hikes up hilly coastal paths. Lockdown has been the detox I didn’t know I needed.

Achieving my goals

Starting this blog has been a highlight of this year so far. I honestly don’t think it would have been the same without the lockdown conditions giving me the time to really immerse myself in the project.

With zero distractions, I managed to get creative, research different hosting platforms, themes and design features, listen to podcasts, take inspiration from other lifestyle blogs and even do a few online training courses and exercises.

This blog is my tangible lockdown achievement. Whether yours is a plant you’ve nurtured, a masterpiece you’ve painted, a dissertation you’ve completed or a cake you baked – I bet there’s something you’ve achieved during this time that you can look back on and be proud of!

Doing more travelling

I’ve loved embarking on new adventures during lockdown in Cornwall. It is very easy to get stuck in a routine and avoid venturing further afield. The last two months kicked me abruptly out of that rut. I made a conscious effort to explore new areas during my daily walks in Falmouth. I’m definitely feeling more inspired to check out new locations as well as my old familiar favourites.

Growing new friendships

In a time where we have to be wary of our loved ones, keep our distance from friends and cross the road to avoid strangers, it is weird to think that friendships have blossomed during this time.

Living in a house share during a pandemic has certainly been interesting! Normally we’d all be doing our own thing, working different jobs and shift patterns. Then March 23rd hit and all of a sudden we were all part of the same routine – staying at home.

One of my positives has been getting to know the people I house share with better. It has also been a great way to reconnect with old friends over Zoom calls and social media.

Embracing imperfections

Although it may seem trivial, the fact that I can now leave the house without foundation on is a literal miracle. Anyone who knows me well knows that I HATE being caught without makeup on. I don’t know why, but I honestly couldn’t look someone in the eye whilst they were talking to me without makeup on. I used to get stupidly self conscious. This girl wouldn’t even nip to ASDA without applying at least a base layer of foundation.

When lockdown happened, I decided it was time to give my poor skin a break and let it breathe. It has definitely thanked me for that. If you’d said six months ago I’d be posting photos of myself on social media without my full face of makeup on, I’d have laughed hard. Don’t get me wrong, I still wear some, but it is a hell of a lot less. Getting ready in the mornings takes half the time and I feel so much better for ditching the foundation and embracing my freckles!

Learning to love avocados

Pre-lockdown, you wouldn’t catch me going near an avocado. Post-lockdown, I like it smashed with a drizzle of oil, squeeze of lemon, sprinkle of chilli flakes and a teaspoon of chopped garlic, served on toast topped with a runny poached egg. I’ve officially been converted!

Listening, self-educating, empathising

Pressing pause on the daily grind has been eye-opening, and some of this extra time has been spent tuning into what’s going on in society. It will be hard to look back on lockdown and not think about the Black Lives Matter movement.

Watching the news has been really daunting and emotional for lots of us in so many different ways. I have felt moments of embarrassment at my lack of knowledge and despair, helplessness and confusion as to how I can do more to help.

I vow to continue to educate myself on this topic, from reading books to watching documentaries, signing petitions, having open discussions about race, and learning more about black history. Hopefully the positive momentum continues long after the Black Lives Matter movement stops trending on Twitter and Instagram. I’ll never truly understand from personal experience how racism feels, but I will always stand for equality.

Discovering a flair for party planning

During lockdown, out of the five of us who were quarantined together, three had birthdays in April/May. Over one month our household hosted a movie-themed fancy dress bash complete with a red carpet arrival, a Katechella festival celebration and the debut of Club Quarantine, featuring glow in the dark beer pong and drinking jenga. Security was strict and no lockdown rules were broken. If all else fails, I am pretty sure a career in party planning is now my plan B.

Subscribing to Disney+

The best £5.99 a month I’ve ever committed to. Guilty pleasures include The Little Mermaid, Camp Rock, High School Musical and The Lizzie McGuire Movie. During these turbulent times, a sprinkle of Disney magic has definitely been a welcome distraction.

Upping the daily steps

A massive change to my daily routine over the last few months has simply been walking. Getting out and about for walks every day has done wonders for my mental and physical wellbeing. I’ve naturally lost weight from moving my body more and feel so much healthier.

I’ve been tracking my steps by wearing a FitBit. The amount of steps a week during lockdown are double what I was managing whilst working full time. I’ve always struggled with getting enough exercise and having an office job, but I am determined to keep my step count up even when I return to work. That means no more driving to work and squeezing in walks where I can in the evenings and weekends. No excuses!

Appreciating the here and now

My final lesson learnt in lockdown has been to appreciate what I’ve already got in life. The health and wellbeing of my friends and family, the importance of togetherness and gratitude for where I live. This time has stopped us all in our tracks. Whether we were busy climbing the career ladder, chasing the next pay rise, planning our next holiday or lusting after a new car. 2020 had other plans for us.

As we are wishing for normality to be restored, I’ll be taking a moment to reflect on what I’ve learnt during lockdown in Cornwall, and how I want to use these lessons to live life to the fullest. Whether that’s continuing to blog regularly, using my voice more to speak about causes I’m passionate about, walking to work or simply eating more avocados! This is certainly a time of my life I’ll never forget…

What have you learnt during lockdown? Leave a comment below!