It has been a bit of a mixed year for me as the first lockdown, my mental health was OK but I was not getting out to exercise as I was too tired after working from home but I did a lot of arts & crafts. The 2nd lockdown was harder on my mental health as I was having issues with work, my health, my husband had lost his job & we had issues with our neighbours. For the 1st lockdown, my mum had to isolate so I had to make sure that she had enough food. She was underlying health issues due to my mum being in remission from Breast Cancer from July 2019. Also she is over 65 years old.
The lockdowns have given me a chance to do some arts and crafts which I wouldn’t usually be able to do. In normal times, I would be travelling to London for work & that would normally take 1 hour & a half each way. The lockdowns have given me back some time which I wouldn’t have had. It has also meant that I have been able to spend more time with my husband as he lost his job twice within the lockdowns. He has been an amazing support & I don’t know what I would have done without him. I am not the easiest person to live with especially in the 2nd lockdown.
I tried to make sure that I didn’t watch too much of the news as it wouldn’t have been helpful to me. My mum messaged me to make sure I was OK everyday and I would check with her to see if she needed anything and was OK too. Cafes when open have been a bit of a lifeline as it gets me to talk to other people & it gives me an excuse to get out of the house. I am not one for going out for the sake of it. On the 1st lockdown, I ate more comfort food as I think I had a bit of boredom even though I was working from home. On the 2nd lockdown, I was able to eat healthier.
I have done a lot of crocheting of small blankets and I have been doing lots of colouring and scrapbooking which is really nice as I am able to look back at the art work I have been doing in 2020. I also try to do a meditation class for 25 mins a day if I have time.
I wrote two poems about the Pandemic called Masks and Tasks and Lockdown Poem:
Lockdown Poem (May 2020)
Sitting on the sofa
Silence on your mind
Lockdown is in session
Clapping for the NHS
The posties, the binman,
The carers, the supermarket staff
Masks of PPE are the reminder of 2020
2 metre distance between each human being
Ghost towns in UK streets
Masks and Tasks (20th September 2020)
The mask can be suffocating
It can hide your identity
The more you wear it, you become a hidden number
You sanitise your hands, but your hands are sticky and worn
The tasks we have to do for the awful pandemonium.