How Far We ve Come

FEATURE How Far We’ve Come

The period of the first lockdown and the whole time after that, feels like a blur. For some, it was a period of rest and they were thankful to be able to spend so much time with their families. However, for most people, the lockdown took its toll on their mental and physical health, with some stranded for weeks in complete isolation. Thinking back to the endless repetitive days and gloomy afternoons spent under a blanket waiting for the day to end, reminiscing over times spent with friends, makes me realise how far we’ve come. Lockdown made us all do some crazy things, that we never thought we’d be doing (who would have thought they’d be standing outside their houses on Thursday evenings at 8pm, clapping and banging pots and pans together?). Reminding myself of these things helps me feel like I have completed a milestone and am moving on to better times ahead. Some of us even went to the extreme levels of doing workouts from home - it must have been even more boring than I remembered. Joe Wicks, also known as the “The Body Coach”, was an online trainer to many people throughout the lockdown period. Creating short recipe videos, and providing online HIIT workout classes, he helped motivate people to get active to escape the stresses of the pandemic.

Lockdown made us all do some crazy things

With so much time being spent at home, people decided to buy additions to their families in the form of lockdown puppies. The price of puppies has more than doubled during lockdown because of the sudden increase in demand. Take Miss Simmons and Basil, Miss Gordon and Pepper, and Mr Spiers and Monty, for example. However, there is also a sad part to this story as we are coming out of lockdown, and things are looking brighter for us; it is difficult for the lockdown puppies. They are attached to their owners and homes, having spent so much time with them. However, some families are realising that as they return to work and their busy, usual lives; they don’t have the time to look after their puppies.

It was difficult to escape the virtual eyes of friends and family for long: Zoom

The haircuts have also been absolute shockers ranging from letting it all grow out, to chopping it all off! My personal favourite was the return to school; wherever you looked, there was sure to be a mullet nearby. At-home haircuts made some people even thankful that their friends weren’t allowed to see them by law. However, it was difficult to escape the virtual eyes of friends and family for long; Zoom. Most of us had never even heard of “Zoom” before in our lives, and all of a sudden it became the closest way to see the people we love. From quiz nights, to lessons, to parties; there was sure to be a Zoom meeting of some description that you could join at any time. Despite not being able to go out to eat, I still ate some meals which were definitely restaurantworthy. Watching YouTube videos and buying recipe books taught me to make some snacks and meals that I would never have had the time to learn to make without lockdown. For example, I think most households in the UK had at least 3 loaves of banana bread in the oven a week – well, at least we did. Just the relief of being able to find flour and sugar in the supermarket in itself felt like completing a milestone.