I want to start this post by acknowledging that while we are all in the same storm, many of us have most certainly been in different boats - so however you feel about the lockdown restrictions easing, you're valid.
Lockdown 3 isn't quite over yet in the UK, but the sun is both shining, and staying around with us longer into the evenings, so after the roadmap announcement, I'm feeling cautiously optimistic. Lockdown 3 has certainly been tricky for me. I worked all the way through the first two lockdowns - remotely during the first, and physically back in the school building during the second, so being unemployed and at home all the time during this one has come with its own set of challenges. Having said that, it has been easier in that I'm not AS panicked about harming my fiancé since his risk level has since gone down since the prior two lockdowns, but it's also a lot easier to succumb to the lockdown blues when you don't have work to distract you - and there's only so many cakes you can bake to fill that gap.
However, we're almost through it, so if you're starting to struggle like I have during this particular lockdown, here is my list of things that have helped me during it:
The fact that Zizzi are posting some of their most renowned recipes over on their Instagram. I've dedicated quite a few of my dinner nights to making them, and they're all so easy to make, yet incredibly delicious. I highly recommend heading over and bookmarking a few of them - they're guaranteed to make your day. So far, my favourites have been the Strozzapreti Pollo Rosso, Casareccia Pollo Picante, and their Lentil Linguine Ragu. So, so delish.
On the subject of food, I've also loved making sweet treats. I've made a cookies and cream cake, giant Mini Egg cookies, chocolate chip pancakes with chocolate covered strawberries for Pancake Day, and decorated the Valentine's cookies mentioned in last week's post. I find baking so therapeutic, and what better than a hobby which provides you with something delicious to eat afterwards?
I've already mentioned these in my 'romantacising your life' post a few weeks ago, but especially now that the weather is improving - photoshoots. Take a walk, and have a photoshoot. I've been loving wearing Spring outfits again, and taking a walk to the local park or waterfront to take some photos - it really lifts my mood to be out in the sunshine, and feeling like a princess in my fancy dresses.
Note: I genuinely wear a mask constantly apart from the two seconds when we find somewhere extremely quiet, and I whip it off for the photo.
I opened my Etsy store a few days before the announcement of lockdown 3, and while I've only had a handful of sales, I've really enjoyed it, and I still genuinely love making art and improving my skills, even if the store isn't gaining traction. I'm currently working on some commissions and I'm honestly just so honoured that my friends would want my art in their homes - that's so crazy to me, and I'm very grateful. Stephen and I even designed a print together, which is so special to me and I love that we were able to showcase both of our talents on one piece. I've also recently been learning nib and ink calligraphy which is proving to be tricker for me to grasp than brush, but as I said, I love learning and experimenting, so I'm having a lot of fun with it. Here's a selection of the prints I've made during this lockdown - it's more than I thought so I'm pretty proud of myself! All of it is available for sale, along with everything else.
I know that I completed my Yale course a month ago now, but I'm 100% still feeling the benefits from it. I'm using my phone less, and savoring, (the use of thoughts to increase the duration and appreciation of positive experiences), more. I also took it upon myself to do my final rewirement which was 'daily acts of kindness' for the entirety of this year, well past the end of the course, and I really love it. Thinking of new and fun ways that I can show love and appreciation to my partner makes us both happier, and closer to one another, and it's the best.
I know we're all sick and tired of Zoom, and believe me - I understand. There are days where I can't think of anything worse than telling my loved ones that I miss them and can't wait to be able to actually see them one more time, but it really, genuinely does help me. There was a week during lockdown 3 where I had 4 zoom calls in one week, and while that sounds draining to me right now as I write this in pyjamas at 7pm on a Saturday evening, I feel like it was one of the easiest weeks of this whole pandemic. I know it can't replace the human connection that we're all missing right now, but we're almost there, and even if you want to sit and talk with cameras off, or watch a film together so that the zoom fatigue is lessened, do it. Please keep talking to each other. Get on Zoom and make those post-June-21st plans. Give yourself something to look forward to!
Last, but absolutely not least - the roadmap announcement gave us the hope that we needed that we could go ahead with finalising the planning of our micro-wedding, and I'm so excited about it. At the time of writing, we have 2 months to go - and it's coming around so quickly! The past few weeks have been spent making final arrangements, and switching a few things around so that it can still work on a smaller scale. It was of course really difficult to uninvite so many people but luckily, we have such angels in our lives that they understand. We've also been arranging a huge party for our belated reception which will be on our one year anniversary instead - so really, we get to have more fun for longer.
So there you have it. A short list of things that have really helped me during this time, please feel free to take of the ideas for yourself if you think they'll also help you get through the remainder of this pandemic. Even after lockdown is fully eased, remember that it's entirely okay to go at your own pace. You don't have to feel safe when someone else tells you to - it's been a tough year, and you get to decide when you want to lift the shutters for yourself.
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