LOCKDOWN BLUES?

LOCKDOWN BLUES?

More than half of the global population has been on one form of lockdown or the other. If you’ve not spent the last five months on a remote island without technology or been on a voyage to Mars, then most likely you’ve been on one form of anti-coronavirus lockdown. Depending on where you are, it could have been a total lockdown requiring you to carry a permit if you have to go out and get essential supplies; food and medication.

It could be a partial lockdown where certain regions have been completely curtailed off from neighboring regions or it could be lockdown for certain days of the week and a curfew at night. Whatever the type of lockdown you’re experiencing leaves you with plenty of time on your hands. If sleeping was an unlimited data bundle, you would have exhausted the bundle!!

You can watch movies till your eyes begin to see double and you can just lay on the sofa all day, all night long wishing you could go out. If you’re not obsessed with working or you are an extreme introvert, you’ll discover that you have so much time on your hands. Or you can wish to be free to do what used to be normal things. At least, once upon a time, they used to be normal things; Like giving a high five, hugging, going to the hair salon, barbing salon, attending weddings, parties, going to the beach or just hanging out.

These used to be normal things. Right? It seemed so long ago. The first few weeks might have been exciting but after some time, fatigue or what I coined lockdown blues sets in. Even social distancing fatigue can set in. You need to get out of the doldrums especially when there is so much uncertainty about the path of the coronavirus. It’s not just about to disappear. They could be intermittent lockdowns in a bid to control the disease. Remember that even the economies of the world are on lockdown!

What do you do? First, don’t eat yourself into a stupor. You might have second thoughts after the lockdown. You’re not burning as much calories. Therefore, you should not eat as much. Otherwise, it will get stored as fat. Simple exercises like brisk walking, skipping or good, old house chores from morning till evening will burn away those calories! Ironing burns a lot of calories. Just saying! You can choose to iron clothes for the entire household! Ha ha ha!

Second, get into a routine. At the beginning of everyday, plan your day. You can journal your lockdown journey. You can try your hands at baking. During this lockdown, one of the most searched phrases in Google was “How to bake bread.” You can plant some vegetables or flowers and create a small garden. It also gives you a form of exercise. Since you can’t eat junk food, then make healthy meals for yourself and family. Those pile of books that need arranging; you can sort them out. Arrange your pile of clothes. Give away some of your clothes and create more space in your closet. If you have a younger sibling, this is a time to bond with them. Teach them some literacy skills. It’s also bonding time with the rest of your family. And if they are all in different continents with different time zones, try and communicate through whatever means suits you. By all means communicate. If your elderly relatives are not with you, give them a call. Extend your acts of kindness to those around you and in your neighbourhood while maintaining social distancing.

You can also go online and attend some free webinars or take some free online classes. Go to You Tube and teach yourself how to knit, crotchet, or sew. You can make face masks for your family. Sure! You can always buy them. It’ll be fun making them as well. If you’ve always wanted to learn a musical instrument, this is the time to go to You Tube and learn. You can learn to weave the hair attachments. And of Course! You can always start a blog! Grab you phone, take photos of your surroundings; what it looked like during lockdown and after lockdown. Submit your photos to a local newspaper. Write your story and submit to an online newspaper. Join a virtual book club. Tinker with an old car and get it working again.

Commit to an act of kindness and bake cookies or some other snacks to those that are less priviledged around you all the while engaging in in social distancing. You can pack some care packages like warm blankets food to those less priviledged around you.

Read books. There are many free online books to read on Amazon. Spend more time praying for your country and against the coronavirus. For your own mental health, stay away from all the news about the coronavirus. Give yourself a break from the news. Try your hands at drawing, acrylic painting or clay sculpture. Just do something. Everyday, get 30 minutes of sunshine. Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to depression. Yup! we are all in this together. One day, we will tell the story to our children and grandchildren on how we overcame the lockdown.

We shall overcome!!