It was only a few days ago that I felt a sense of calm inside me, it’s like my body had finally adapted to this new lifestyle. A life where we’re not travelling at 100mph, a life where we’re not constantly at someone’s beck and call. The pressure is off, for now, and I am taking all of the positives I can from this. 

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As a self confessed workaholic, my career is my one constant. Lucky for me I’m still able to do my job remotely, if I didn’t I think I would go crazy. This lockdown life has taught me a few things about myself…

 

• It’s okay to slow down and breathe. I am so used to the fast pace of marketing that sometimes I’m on autopilot and do the simplest tasks without thinking - not the best approach. Dealing with communications and strategies around Covid-19 has been an eye opener for me. I can’t turn to Google and ask ‘How to write communications around Covid-19’ because even Google doesn’t know the answer to this. There is no right or wrong answer, we just deal with it the best we can and support others out there the best we can. For any business that is still operating the only thing you should be thinking about is how you can support this pandemic. What can you do to make people’s lives easier? Is it through content, through your product or service offering etc? Once you know the answer to that, make it happen.

• Have you ever seen nature look so pretty? We’re lucky to have a Greenway route behind our home and if it wasn’t for these daily walks I think cabin fever would have set in. I’ve lived here for 8 years and never knew this existed. In the last three weeks I have noticed the blue skies, blossoming pinks and grassy greens. I don’t think I’ve ever seen these colours look so vibrant. The roads are quiet, my car still has a full tank, and we’re all a lot more kinder to one another.

• The little things. My Nespresso machine would only ever be used at the weekends as a treat, now it’s being used daily. The fact that I can have breakfast at home and am able to work in my sweats makes me smile. Technology which keeps me in touch with my loved ones is a bonus - imagine if this was 20 years ago, I don’t think dial-up and a Nokia 3310 would keep us sane! I am grateful for my health, my home and just being able to message, call, or facetime my family and friends when I need to. Since lockdown, I haven’t worn make-up; for someone who can’t leave the house without foundation and highlighter this is a big thing. I can happily do video calls with work and guess what?! No one notices or even cares, they’re only interested in how well you are. 

 

Maybe this is what we all needed. Some time out to see life for what it really is. My phone used to be full of photos of events, furniture and other mundane work stuff. Now it’s full of my daily walks, food, and old family photos. My mind is still running at 100mph but it’s beginning to realise that there’s more to life than work, it’s ok to take some time out and not feel guilty. 

 

We don’t know how much longer this will go on for and coming out of this on the other side will definitely bring with it a new way of living. But for now let's make the most of this downtime, learn some new skills and check in on those we can’t be with right now. As we've pulled together now, we will pull together on the other side.