Habits I've Changed During Lockdown

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3 months ago, I wrote a post on some things that I was beginning to learn/do during lockdown, and that I hoped I would remember to ingrain post-lockdown. When this blog post goes up, I will have a mere 6 days remaining of the most non-Summer holiday of all Summer holidays, and prepare to return to work. When I do so, here are 7 habits which I learnt during lockdown that I will absolutely be continuing with.

I will start with those that I referenced in the post I wrote way back in May.

1. "Go Outside More"

I've spent so much time in my garden during lockdown - not only have we sat and eaten lunch outside, I've also just found such beauty in our garden. If you've been reading my posts over this time, you'll notice that a lot of my images have been taken on pebbles, or benches, or near the most gorgeous buddleia bush - all of which I found in my back garden, and had managed to mostly ignore while I was living my fast-paced pre-lockdown life. I absolutely want to continue having picnics in the garden, and just simply remembering what a good place it is for photoshoots for both myself, and my artwork. See this post for the prettiest examples of this.

2. "Burn my bras"

This one is so funny to me now, because I definitely thought I was joking when I wrote this, but here we are in August - I still absolutely adore my bralettes, and have not gone back to bras. One of my favourite moments of 2020 was going in for my wedding dress fitting, (having been brainwashed by television that you need a nude bra on for those), and realising that my dress actually fits and looks better without one. My biggest flex yet.

3. "Cook more"

I have absolutely loved cooking during lockdown, and I already see myself continuing to love it. I definitely see cooking as much less of a chore, and more of a creative outlet now. I've loved trying new ingredients, and making meals which I had never even considered prior to this, like salmon cakes and prawn soba. Check out last week's post for some of my latest quick and delicious creations - these will be especially good for when we do all return to work physically and dinner time is fast approaching, after a long day. I'll touch more on this later in the post, but for when we have decided to order a takeaway, we have avoided big chains, and only ordered from local small businesses since March. The food is delicious and we've found so many little places which weren't on our radar before lockdown. Such an important thing to do to support small!

4. "Keep up with my hobbies"

This one kind of encompasses a few of my changed habits. I have still been doing brush calligraphy, and I absolutely love it. I'm so proud of myself for learning this skill over lockdown, as even though this wasn't the intention, it has allowed me to make some of my own wedding stationary. It's the cutest thing to be able to put my own personal touch on some of it, and I love it. I recently bought some metallic brush markers, and a black sketchpad. I'm feeling much more confident in my skill level now, and this allows me to experiment much more!

This one is kind of in line with keeping up with my hobbies, but prior to lockdown, my partner and I always had the TV on - for next to no reason, other than for 'background noise'. We barely watch TV now, and much prefer putting on an album and sitting next to each other doing artwork. It's so much more fun to sit down together and focus on our own creative outlets while introducing each other to a favourite playlist/album/song of ours. Such a cute, bonding experience!

When I wrote that post in May, I also mentioned that I had read 5 books during lockdown alone. I have now read 8 more since then, bringing my 'during lockdown' total to 13 books. This leads me to the first changed habit when I didn't write about back then.

5. Reading at home instead of on my commute

I always, always listened to audiobooks and podcasts while I was on the bus into work, but considering that I've read 13 books, and still haven't been on a bus since March 20th, I would consider that a changed habit. I've become much better at scheduling out moments of my day just for reading. I especially love reading before bed as a way to chill out and relax my mind away from my phone before falling asleep.

6. New exercise routine

Prior to May 31st, I'd been doing the same exercise routine that I'd done daily since I was about 16. Since then though, I've mixed it up with four Chloe Ting exercises, which I do as a 12-step routine, (3 sets of 4 exercises), every few days. I've also been throwing in some yoga as a warm-down and I actually feel like my workout is a) doing something, and b) I feel better mentally after a workout, instead of seeing it as a chore.

I've linked the four exercises with time stamps here if you want to switch up your routine, too!

30 seconds Russian Twists: 10 minutes in.

30 seconds High Knee: 2 minutes in.

30 seconds Leg Raise Clap: 00:54

30 seconds Reverse Plank Knee Tuck: 01:50

Repeat 3 times!

7. Changing who I support/supporting small business

Throughout this lockdown period, I think so many of us have really learnt that our money has power. Who we support really matters. Without mentioning names, I've been boycotting places which treated their workers badly during lockdown, or large companies who have more riches than any one person should ever have.

Instead, I've been supporting lots of small businesses. I've always supported sellers on notonthehighstreet, as I absolutely love how much that the sellers do in terms of personalisation, and they're just some of the loveliest sellers ever.

I've done an entire post on Cherrelle and Cheryl candles here, but again, I have to recommend them - their candles are absolutely stunning.

I've also been using Etsy much more. I recently purchased an anti-microbial mask from Out and About Official on Etsy so that I have a spare mask for when I go back to work, and it's such a gorgeous design plus it's super comfy.

During lockdown, I've also kept up with drinking my 2 litres of water a day, but I needed a new water bottle for work so I bought this stunning pink one from Heart and Soul Wedding

Two of my friends also have Redbubbles where they sell their incredible artwork. You can support them here and here!

As well as where I spend my money, I've also reconsidered who I support with my time - who you follow on Instagram, who you subscribe to on Youtube - all of that affects you mentally, and it's worth looking at who you follow every now and then. Make sure that you follow people who make you feel good about yourself, and who align with your values.

Some new favourites of mine have been Emmas Rectangle and Stephanie Yeboah! I find them both so valuable to have in my feed, as they speak out about important matters such as BLM, sustainability, mental/physical wellbeing and so much more!

Have any of your habits changed during lockdown?