
Life After Lockdown Diaries – Let’s reach out to each other.
You might have noticed my absence recently from my blogging diaries. I managed to catch the office lurgy and have been fighting whatever new thing that is going around despite dosing up with vitamins for months. With COVID-19 infection rates going up, most of us are now on high alert. I need to keep well because I am in the most vulnerable group. I have been battling ‘this thing’ with casseroles, hot drinks, Lemsip tablets, and 24 hours in bed this weekend.
I talk about self-care in my blog, but I consciously have to build it into my routine. Most of the time, self-care doesn’t come naturally to me. I live inside my head a lot of the time. I would love to take a tablet in the morning so I didn’t have to remember to eat. Insomnia returns with stress. Then I spend the day after drinking coffee to keep going. I love to relax over a bottle of wine with friends or colleagues. All of this is the opposite of self-care.
Self-care is taking time out for yourself | It’s making sure you are well-fed and hydrated | Getting lots of sleep | It’s about putting yourself first | Prioritising yourself
Self-care is putting you and your health first, both mentally and physically.
More than ever, we need to keep ourselves mentally and physically well. Recently it was Mental Health Day, which promoted mental health care for all. Whether you have a pre-existing mental health condition or have been triggered by the pandemic this year, we must find ways to nurture and soothe ourselves in stressful times. Chamomile tea really helps with stress.

Let’s look after ourselves as well as each other…
Use the BOLT App if you do not want to use public transport. I have used it recently when people have been piling onto the tube as bars have been closing early.

London Lockdown: Top Tier 2
London Lockdowns as we enter Tier 2
As Coronavirus cases have continued to rise again, it was only a matter of time before 9 million London residents moved into another lockdown phase. On the Track and Trace app, my area has now moved into a ‘High Alert‘ Level.
It is now illegal to meet in groups in an indoor setting unless you live together or have formed a ‘support bubble‘. So, it is now illegal to meet friends and family, which has thrown up many questions regarding our rights on a personal level versus the state. If you look at the guidelines, there is no limit to group size when meeting or gathering for work purposes, as long as workplaces are COVID-Secure, even for people like me who are extremely clinically vulnerable.
“Infection rates are on a steep upward path with the number of cases doubling every 10 days.
Matt Hancock
Anyone who lives and works in London will have seen bars packed as people scramble to drink for one last night before the more stringent measures come into effect this weekend.
It will be interesting to see how this is managed across the capital. I have my doubts about how much people will be policed and how much people will abide by these rules.

5 Top Tips for local lockdowns
I know my friends in Wales and Leicester have all been subject to local lockdowns. Where they have been able to go to work or see friends and families. I have family in Dublin who are now under a new lockdown and friends in Wales and Manchester. We need to keep supporting each other as the rates are rising again, which is a huge cause of concern for all of us.
- Keep in touch with people as much as possible
- Eat, drink, sleep and repeat!
- Check in on friends and loved ones
- Use this time to focus on doing something you have always wanted to do
- Try to keep as healthy as possible
Do you have any questions for me?
Let me know if you have any questions for me. Or if there is anything you would like to see more of in this blog?
