Life lessons I learned during lockdown
These past 18 months have been surreal. As coronavirus regulations are lifted and life returns back to some form of normality, it’s time to reflect and look back on some life lessons I learned during lockdown.
I don’t know about you, but back when lockdown restrictions eased over the summer, the thought of going back to my pre-pandemic way of life (it was pretty chaotic) made me extremely anxious. I told myself I would make more time for myself, not say yes to absolutely everything and spend more time doing things I loved.
Three months later and here I am, with a calendar full of social events, not a lot of time for myself and feeling pretty burned out. So, it’s time to reflect back on what I learned over the last 18 months and how I can keep those positive habits.
Here are my top life lessons learned during lockdown …
Gratitude
The past 18 months have really made me appreciate the little things in life. The pandemic took away parts of life that many of us take for granted; a comforting hug from dad, a Friday night cocktail with the girls, a day of adventure in Snowdonia, a coffee and catch-up with mum, the list goes on…
The lifting of lockdown has made me more grateful than ever. Grateful for my incredible friends and family, grateful for my home, grateful for the great outdoors, grateful for our amazing NHS, grateful for my health. Practising gratitude daily has had such a positive effect on my mental health during lockdown - a habit that will stick with me forever.
My Love for a Slower Pace of Life
Pre-pandemic my life was pretty chaotic - rushing around getting things done, keeping up with work responsibilities, weekends away visiting friends, squeezing in catch-ups over my lunch break. Then suddenly we hit lockdown and our lives changed overnight - we were forced to slow down, to experience a slower pace of life.
For me, this made me realise just how physically and mentally drained I must have been pre-lockdown. I suddenly had more time to focus on myself, spend quality time with friends and family and realise what’s important to me.
As lockdown rules have eased, I’ve already found that my life is slowly returning to its old ways; tiring weekends away, constant evening plans, to-do lists... that constant tight feeling in my chest. Then I remember what I’ve learned over the last 18 months and remember it’s ok to say no to plans, to finish work at 5pm, to spend a morning in bed reading rather than going for a run without feeling guilty - to look after my mental health post lockdown.
The Importance of In-Person Catch Ups
I honestly couldn’t have got through the last 18 months without my amazing family and friends. As much as I relied on social media and Zoom meetings (urgh!) throughout the pandemic, nothing beats seeing people in real life. I have a new-found appreciation for in-person meet-ups and meaningful catch-ups and will never take those for granted again!
Do More of What You Love
The pandemic has taught us that life is short … So why waste it doing things we don’t want to do? We have this one life, let’s not waste it. Over the past 18 months I have fallen back in love with climbing mountains. The mountains are my happy place and spending time outdoors has such a positive impact on my mental health. Now, as things start to open up, I’ll always make sure I spend time in the mountains and experience as many adventures as possible.
Check out my Adventure Bucket List and fuel your own wanderlust!
Live in the Now
One of the biggest journey’s I went on during lockdown was that of letting go of perfection, to stop worrying about the future and to stop overthinking the past. Living in the now means living your life consciously, being in the present moment and the “here and now”. Afterall, the only important moment is the present moment!
The Importance of Work Life Balance
There is absolutely nothing wrong with loving your job and working hard at it - that’s amazing. The problem lies when your work becomes all consuming and you’re unable to switch off completely. There is so much more to life than your job and that is one thing lockdown taught me.
As I found out during the pandemic, if your work is taken away from you due to Furlough or redundancy - then you need to have something else. A passion away from your 9-5, an identity other than your job title. A job is just a job - always make time for your loved ones or for activites that make you happy. I am a firm believer that we should measure success on our happiness - our physical and mental wellbeing, not our salary or job title.
I hope you enjoyed reading my life lessons learned during lockdown, I’d love to hear what you guys have learned over the last eighteen months. Just drop me a message in the comments …