We’re one week into Lockdown: The Sequel. How are you all?
Remember, we’ve been here before and we CAN do this again. But tell me, did you manage to get that last-minute hair cut and have you stocked up on loo rolls yet?
That’ll be a double negative from me.
I’ve not had my hair cut since February and I’m not, repeat, not panic buying.
I have six or seven supermarkets within a few miles of me so really, where’s the need?
And seriously, didn’t we learn anything from Lockdown 1.0?
That said, these are testing times for us all, especially for those on furlough, those shielding, those with no work, those with poorly friends and family. Now is the time to come together, while being apart.
We need to find ways to stay positive and strong.
The big positive this time around is that the schools are staying open, for the time being at least, and surely that’s something to celebrate.
With two boys in the final year of GCSEs and A-levels, I hope they can keep up with their schoolwork.
They need it for their brains. I need it for my sanity.
But then we’ve got the nation’s favourite, Joe Wicks, on hand again to keep our mental health in check.
Have you done Wake Up With Joe this week?
His “energy and mood boosting workouts” promise to help us find some positivity and energy.
I’ve done them this week. It broke me!
Sploshing
During Lockdown 1:0 I actually became a runner, a statement I never thought I’d make. I’ve even bought waterproof trainers so thatI can run through the mud and rain.
Sploshing about like a kid jumping in puddles is actually such a mood-enhancer and a lockdown activity you should most definitely try.
So jumping in puddles aside, what will you be doing during the next three weeks?
I recommend binge watching a decent box set while you still have the brain capacity.
Do it now before lockdown exhaustion sets in.
And baking is a given.
I may even push the boat out and upgrade my banana bread by chucking in a few walnuts or chocolate chips.
Seriously though, I’m also delighted that this time around we can meet up with a friend for a walk.
If there’s one thing that the last lockdown taught me, it’s that connection and people are everything.
Spending time with people impacts who we are and how we feel in a very real sense.
Hands up, I know I can get obsessed with work (as a freelance in this climate I need to be!) but if there’s on thing Lockdown 1:0 taught me, it’s that I need to make time for people and feel grateful that I have amazing people in my life.
I will appreciate them always.
I won’t flake on plans and I won’t allow myself to get too bogged down in the mundane.
In the meantime, my brother, who has been in Tier 3 for months now, has suggested a family Zoom quiz.
Like I said, these are testing times.
Rachel is founder Gossip Girl Gang, a networking group for women in business in and around the borough
