Here is a small list of things that I want to do differently, or just continue to do when lockdown is lifted.
1. Try to achieve a good level of work/life balance.
There are many ways that teaching from home is stressful - my favourite is the absolute dread of not knowing what my day will look like when I wake up. Will I have twenty five student submissions to mark today or zero? The unknown can be hard. However, I'm still not finding it as difficult as being in school. Why? It probably has something to do with the fact that I have less of a commute time from the bedroom to the kitchen table where I work, and I see a lot more of my fiancé than I normally would. I'm also incredibly strict with myself as to when my cut off time is, because you have to be right now. It's tricky to leave work at the door when you're already at home, but work has to be left at work somehow, especially now. I really want to continue to master this when I can travel to work again.
2. Be grateful
On May 22nd of this year, I will have been writing in my weekly grateful diary for 3 whole years and it's helped with my mental attitude so, so much. There will be a post on the kinds of things I've written in here over the years coming next week, but I just know for a fact that lockdown has made me even more grateful for everything and everyone, and I'll be going into post lockdown life with an even greater attitude of gratitude.
3. Go outside more
I miss nature. I grew up in East London, and for the first 23 years of my life, had always lived within walking distance to a bus stop or underground station. When I met my fiancé, and realised that he and his family walk everywhere, I was mortified. Firstly, I had to go get flat shoes because I've lived in heels since I was 15. (I now have quite the collection of ballerina flats, and haven't touched heels for the entirety of lockdown!) and now I'm changed and I miss going on outdoor adventures, not anxiously going to get groceries in a mask, sprinting back and showering the outside world off immediately. I love going on (albeit, shorter ones than my second family) peaceful walks through a park, a nature reserve or garden, and I miss it.
I also want to listen to birdsong more if I can. Are we hearing their beautiful songs more now because of the lack of planes or are they really just loving lockdown life and can't stop singing about it? Either way, I love it and want to hear it more often.
4. Burn my bras
This might read to some of you as a joke, but honestly, I want to stop putting my boobs in bra jail. I haven't worn one for the entirety of lockdown. I just don't see them making a comeback after this. I don't miss them, and I'm currently planning how to stop wearing them altogether and make the switch to cute bralettes!
5. Keep up with my hobbies
I've read/listened to 5 books while we've been tucked away from the world for 7 weeks, and while that is still a pretty low number for me, I am reading far more regularly than I was prior to this, and I want to keep that up. I'm currently listening to 'Us' by David Nicholls if any of you are looking for a lockdown read. Some of you will already know that I've started to learn brush calligraphy, and I'm absolutely loving it. (Sneak peek of my calligraphy on the thumbnail of this blog!) There will be a whole post on that at the end of the month, but I find it so therapeutic, and beautiful. It's something that I 100% want to continue learning and practising when everything is back to normal.
6. Cook more
Prior to lockdown, I wasn't really inspired by food or cooking. Honestly, it was just another chore which stood in the way between me coming home at the end of a long day and going to bed. During lockdown though, I've really enjoyed cooking - especially since this is a really important time for us to be putting healthy food into our bodies and cook fresh food. I've loved making flatbread, pasta bakes, tacos, spaghetti bolognese, tricolore, chocolate cake, all of it. The works.
So those are my 6 things I want to do more of/continue doing when we can hit the play button on the world again.
Is there anything you want to do differently after this? xo
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