Broke Girl in the City’s Lockdown Diaries: Week 12
Last week I decided to write about #blacklivesmatter instead of publishing my lockdown diary. It has been an incredibly emotional and distressing time. I bought Why I’m no longer talking to white people about race, by Reni Eddo-Lodge and watched When they see us on Netflix, recommended by a colleague. Heartbreaking. I think a brilliant watch on Netflix is Dear White People. The storytelling from every angle is so on point.
June 15th: Lockdown Announcement
Tomorrow the government have said that they will make another June announcement about shielding. It has been really stressful not being able to go out anywhere or go to work. I have lived out of my bedroom for three months. Whilst I have got into a routine. I went for my first walk around the park; something so simple a few months back was quite a challenge. My world has got so small suddenly. I felt quite emotional just walking around the park, and so my housemate said she will start going with me the next week. I think you forget how amazing the sound of the wind in the trees sounds, the backlight as the sun sets in the park, and people congregating. Simple things bring so much joy.
Shielding during lockdown
Shielding for over 2 million people in the UK has meant that until 1 June, we haven’t been allowed to go out of our houses. I was sent a shielding letter to say that the threat to me was severe. I couldn’t go to the shops or meet anyone. I even had to minimise any interactions with the people I lived with. It hasn’t been easy.
Reinforced messaging saying that you could die if you leave your house does have a psychological effect. I have severe asthma, so I have an ingrained fear of your environment. As I have an ‘invisible illness’, I get to hide this from the world most of the time. So having to tell people I am in the most vulnerable group has been the first time I have ever thought of myself as ‘disabled’. Even when we ease lockdown. For anyone else in the shielding group, the world will remain scary for some time, as I am sure it will be for many other people. I think we need to go easy on ourselves and realise we are doing ok.
My Top 3 Tips for Lockdown: Week 12
I offer my 3 Top Tips for surviving lockdown this week. The news is overwhelming. The world seems overwhelming. I wanted to share my Top Tips for lockdown this week.
1. ACCEPT THAT YOUR BEST IS GOOD ENOUGH
It has been an incredibly stressful week. I think that while outside pressures may seem overwhelming, sometimes you have to admit to yourself that you are doing your best. We are living through incredibly difficult times. Most of my friends tell me that they are tired and fatigued. Emotions are running high, and we are living through a global pandemic, not being able to see loved ones, friends or family. Zoom, facetime, and calls don’t make up for human connection. You are doing great!
2. KNOW YOUR TRUTH
I have been on tenterhooks waiting for the next government announcement wondering when I can be allowed to go to work. Many people will have their opinions on Coronavirus. What’s going on, what should be allowed, what they think of the government’s plans and what you should be doing at this time? Only YOU know your truth. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
3. KEEP COMMUNICATING
I think this one for me, has been the trickiest. Something that is important is to keep communicating. Whether this is to people at work, friends, family…loved ones. I can easily slip under the radar, but this is the time when we need to keep talking. Keep communicating right now. It’s more important than ever.
That concludes Week 12 of my Lockdown Diaries!
