Tell me a little bit about your lockdown world.
It’s all a bit chaotic, I’m self employed and no 2 weeks are the same in terms of which days I work, so we never really settle into any kind of routine, but then we’ve been like that for years. My husband had been furloughed but is now back at work. I live a long way from any of my family so basically haven’t been able to see them hardly at all.
Who are you locked down with in your household?
Husband, 13 year old son and 11 year old daughter. My dog Bilbo has kept me sane through all the lockdowns as the daily walks have done me the world of good.
How is this lockdown going compared to the last ones?
In terms of work it’s been less stressful as in the first lockdown I had nearly all my work cancelled which was worrying, especially as I didn’t qualify for any support. This time round I’ve managed to deliver everything remotely so the weeks seem to have passed quicker as I’m distracted, but I’m generally just more weary with it all and the weather has made it so different. I think there was a novelty factor first time round which seems to have quickly dried up this time!!
Describe your lockdown experience in three words.
Exhausting, chaotic but also bonding
If you are doing either or both how are you finding home schooling/ working from home this time around?
Homeschooling 2 kids whilst working full time has been exhausting and some days I’m working till 10pm to catch up which isn’t great. I worked from home before Covid so have a very good set up, but did get out and about to see clients. I haven’t been anywhere for nearly a year now so I’m very bored of the same space. The schools have hugely improved how they’re delivering the work so I’ve found that a lot better this time and don’t feel my kids are falling behind.
What are your top tips to get through the not so good days?
On the not so good days I’m often too exhausted to do anything, but I never push myself to do something I’d planned to if I can tell I’m not up for it. I make sure I get some time for myself and that usually sorts me out. I think setting lower expectations helps as well – a bit of self compassion goes a long way.
If you have some time out for yourself how do you spend it?
Usually a bath or the chance to watch something uninterrupted on Netflix – think that’s happened once!!
How do you keep motivated with your exercise routine at home?
I don’t really have a particular exercise routine, although I always make Monday Kettlercise! I’m not too strict with myself, I generally love exercising but some days I’ve just been too shattered. I use Zwift a lot as I love cycling and I enjoy the challenges on that and tracking my progress in Strava is good – when the weather improves I’ll be back out on my bike again. I just try and fit the things in each week, but there’s fairly little structure to when that happens, but that’s a lot to do with my work so I need to be flexible.
What have you learnt about yourself during this lockdown?
That I really didn’t have a good enough social life before! And that my ability to tolerate a lot of disorder has been a massive strength!
Could you share 3 top tips for getting through each week?
To be really flexible – some days just don’t go how you’d like them to and adapting to that is important, I think being too rigid can cause more stress at times.
To commit do doing just one thing a day you won’t compromise on – a lot shifts back and forth between the days but every day I have a task I won’t go to bed if it’s not done – some days that’s an exercise class, sometimes it’s the hoovering!
To reward yourself for getting through the week – we do something every Friday to celebrate making it to another Friday!
What are the first 3 things you are going to do when lockdown is lifted?
Meet with all my friends in a pub garden, have my parents to stay and probably go on some kind of road trip.
What 3 things will you miss about lockdown?
The pace of life – my kids both did sports classes every night after school which was manic
The lazy mornings without the school run rush
The amount of exercise I’m managing to get in – I’d be surprised if I’ll ever manage that again.