Community, something we all have around us, yet so many don’t utilise. Now finding ourselves back in lockdown, our local communities are more important than ever. Not sure where to start, look for local groups on social media, ask neighbours, even ask your GP.
During the last lockdown, so many of us learned that we are far more resilient than we realised. Speaking for myself, I embraced the lockdown, and made sure that I ventured out into the fresh air every day. I focussed on the positives rather than the negatives, and saw each day as a new opportunity to plan for the future. I am extremely grateful to be living by the beach in Cornwall, as when things did become overwhelming, I was able to walk along the beach or watch the sun going down over the sea.
Another lesson learned was that being part of a community can actually be exactly what we all need. My neighbours encouraged everyone to play quizzes across the garden walls, they had themed parties in their front garden, and a local singer even performed on her doorstep. Everyone checked on each other daily, we checked on elderly neighbours, offered to walk dogs and collect prescriptions, and we all came together.
When you distance yourself and isolate yourself from others, you don’t get to notice the genuine people you have around you. The community spirit in my local area was so high, and all local businesses were supported by their community. Most coffee shops and food outlets switched to home deliveries, vegan food, local pasties, anything and everything delivered to your door, including fresh crab and lobster from the local fishermen!
Another great lesson was that we can survive online with communications for both business and personal. Zoom is a wonderful tool, and a great way to keep in touch with family, or the office. There is also FaceTime and still the good old telephone, and we can all be inventive with some online activities. How about Face Pack Fridays, grab a drink, grab your friends, and apply your face pack and have an online pamper evening while you catch up with each other. Self Care Sundays, allocate the day for some relaxation, and to check in with others around you. The possibilities are endless, cooking challenges for the family, and give each person an opportunity to choose the recipe. Film Review Fridays, Wednesday Wisdom tips, I could go on all day!
There are also plenty of free online courses out there at the moment, so why not consider learning a new skill, or think about some new hobbies you fancy trying. Use this time to review your CV, focus on your passions, and prepare yourself to hit the ground running once we get back to some normality.
Lockdown is far from ideal, and yes, we are all aware of the impact to the economy and our mental health, however, we are not in control of this. I am a great believer that if you can’t control or influence a situation, then you just need to make the best of it. If we allow lockdown and negative thought patterns to take priority in our lives, the only person who is impacted will be us. It is obvious that people are suffering, but we are having to do this, and we can do it the hard way, or we can do it the easy way. Set some goals for the future, and give yourselves something to look forward to for when this is all over.
Put your Christmas decorations up early, get the family involved, Christmas is not cancelled. Why not make some decorations at home and use the weekends to get creative, how about a family Christmas decoration challenge? Stop overthinking this, people are already writing off Christmas, but hey, there is no rule that states Christmas has to be in December. If we are unable to travel to see families over Christmas, then why not hold a second Christmas once we are out of lockdown?
Positives, start thinking about positives, gratitude for having health, a roof over your head, heating, fresh air, and for having the opportunity to get through this and come out the other side, as some people haven’t been so lucky. There will always be someone worse off than you, and there will always be someone happier with far less than you have.
Use this time wisely, and to reconnect with yourself, your passions, and your goals. Life is passing us all by one minute at a time, and time is our biggest asset before anything else. Nothing is a waste of time if you use this experience wisely, you can always make more money, but you cannot make more time.