Living in lockdown
Hi everyone! So, my intention was for this month’s blog to be a bit of a rundown of a particular 2020 design trend however this seems to be the absolute last thing I want to think about right now. Anyone having the same feelings?
Now that we’re in our sixth week of lockdown I’ve been thinking about, not just how to stay productive but how to stay sane during this time. We’re at the point where lockdown fatigue seems to be setting in across the country so here are some ideas on how to minimise this.
🗞 Limit the news
For me personally, as a job hunting designer, there have been bad days and good days and it took a while to realise how I could better control how I feel about the situation. The first thing I did that had a positive effect on my mood was to turn off the push notifications from news apps on my phone. I then decided what time I would seek out information. This definitely helped to reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed.
🍰 Make comfort food
My usual super organised self would recommend batch cooking meals that will last you all week. Now I’d say cook food that comforts and relaxes you in the moment. In the last couple of weeks I have baked four cakes and have zero regrets. Apart from dropping the third one on the floor. The birthday cake!!! That, I regret.
🗓 Do a daily challenge
Sticking to a daily challenge has given me some sense of routine without adding any stress. A more healthy option would have been to do a 30 day yoga challenge or actually stick to my Duolingo targets. Instead I have been doing the 30 day song challenge and I have found it to be really calming. However I’m not looking forward to day 30… “A song that reminds you of yourself.” How do you go about answering that one?! I’m on day 28 so I better start thinking. 🤔
📺 Get distracted
Yes, staying productive and as close to our normal habits as possible will help us to bounce back after this is over, but why not use this time to embrace the distractions? So much about what I have read about what to do during lockdown focuses on the need to create a side hustle, upskill, be that even better version of you. Well, I disagree. I think we should be doing whatever we feel we need to take care of ourselves.
Here is a snapshot of my lockdown distractions:
Rewatching the West Wing from the beginning.
Deep diving into several podcasts: Catch and Kill and The West Wing Weekly. Next up is The Clearing.
Baking as many types of cakes as I can get out of my one loaf tin.
Walking around the only bit of greenery in Totton (see above).
Getting into my summer reading stack. Labyrinth done; The Five up next.
Texting and Facetiming… even more than usual.
📓 Plan for life after lockdown
Thinking about what there is to look forward to after lockdown is really important to be able to see beyond the uncertainty. Just writing a list of events or plans will help. Even better, add them to a countdown app on your phone for regular reminders.
A lot of big plans have been scuppered by the Coronavirus but there is no reason to not start thinking about how to celebrate big birthdays, anniversaries, births and weddings after it’s all over. Don’t let these reasons to celebrate be forgotten.
🖍 Actually do something
If you feel up for it then go wild and do all the things articles and blogs are telling you that you should do. Start learning a language. Pick up that hobby you never have time for anymore. Volunteer. Upskill. Get up in time to do a Joe Wicks PE session (one day I will!).
Now that I have graduated to the ‘actually doing something’ state of being I can talk about a mini project I have been working on. This week I launched a series of colouring pages in collaboration with some super talented creative types. They all follow the theme of iconic TV moments because why not have some relaxing arty fun whilst watching Tiger King or, in my case, The West Wing.