When the first lockdown struck, I went from being incredibly busy with clubs, school, work and spending time with my friends, to not having much to do at all. Sure, I had homework to do and a few zoom calls, but apart from that, not much. In the first few weeks before the novelty wore off, I had so many plans: to sort out my messy wardrobe, improve my handwriting, learn to paint.
There are so many people for whom lockdown was the chance to do something great; people wrote books, started businesses, Taylor Swift even wrote two albums! For those who didn’t complete major projects, there were still so many who learnt new things such as baking sourdough bread or a new language. While these people definitely deserve celebration and applause, it’s easier to see others being more productive and feel insecure; feeling like you should have done the same.
The truth is, none of us could have predicted a global pandemic, and thus, none of us truly know how to deal with it. While some people saw lockdown as an avenue to start something new, a lot of people struggled with their mental health. Pre-existing mental or physical conditions exacerbated people’s lockdown struggles, and the rise in calls to mental health services are evident of this.
A lot of growth mindset/self improvement tips often say we all have twenty four hours in a day, but the way we can use these hours changes wildly from person to person. A person with depression may struggle to accomplish in a day what someone who is highly motivated can. Someone who lost a relative just won’t have the emotional capacity to get things done. Given that we’ve been social distancing for coming up to a year, lockdown fatigue is setting in.
It’s important to be kind to yourself when you’re struggling with lockdown, and to not feel guilty for not being incredibly productive even when it feels as though many people are. Someone’s joyful photo on social media wasn’t a representation of their life pre-lockdown and it isn’t now; would you post pictures of yourself crying? Be gentle with yourself, you’re doing the best that you can.