On Easter Saturday 2019, I was sitting in a hot tub somewhere just south of St. Hilary drinking wine from a solo cup and watching the sun set over the sea with eleven of my friends. Fast forward exactly a year and I’m sitting on my own garden wall at 1 am. I’m eating cold spring rolls out of a plastic bag because I’m so desperate for a change of scenery. Although we’re receiving messages of hope from a few angles this week that we’re over the very worst of the Covid-19 peak, it remains that life isn’t going to get back to normal for quite some time.
So whether you’re still working hard in essential services, on the grind in the home office or Netflix-ing your way through furlough like there’s only season three of Stranger Things between you and a complete mental breakdown, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Even the trashiest celebrity news outlets are running headlines that could horrify even the bravest of us. So it’s important to take care of yourself mentally so that when all this is over, we can take on what’s left of 2020.
With this in mind, we’ve put together a handy little plan to hopefully keep you feeling breezy. Even when Donald Trump is threatening to inject the general populace with disinfectant (no, really).
Lower your expectations
We’re not talking about swiping right on any old beanie-wearing art student on Tinder, here. But it is time to just take a moment and let yourself breathe. Social media is full of people getting their side hustle on and talking about using this lockdown productively. Which is great – if that’s what you want to do, that is.
If you don’t walk out of quarantine able to deadlift 300 kilograms, speaking a new language or making an extra grand a month from your newfound love of needlepoint on Etsy, then you’ve not failed or wasted the time you’ve been given. Sometimes all we can do is batten down the hatches and survive. We’re living in unprecedented times, and if all you feel ready for is a Simpsons marathon, then own it.
Ditch the diet
“I’m going to be rolling out of this lockdown,” my friend Alice told me over the weekend. “I’ve eaten three Easter eggs in two days. I’m comfort eating.”
It’s easy to jump on the self-hate bandwagon here. Instagram has been a sea of people talking about the gaining weight over the quarantine period. It’s somehow difficult to shake the idea that it’s somehow not alright to slightly alter your eating patterns when we’re living through an unprecedented global calamity with a death toll in the hundreds of thousands.
It can be daunting, wondering how you’re going to stay fit when gyms have shut their doors across the country and it’s been difficult to get hold of some fresh food items. But as long as you’re getting the nutrients you need to stay healthy, it’s fine to walk out of this a few pounds heavier. Comfort eating is about comfort, and we all need a dose of that these days. It’s going to be an indoor summer anyway, and let’s be honest, it’s 2020. All bodies are bikini bodies, so jot that one down.
Get creative
Admittedly, there are a few better ways to spend a Sunday afternoon than indoors at your desk. But it remains that social distancing is here to stay so it’s a good time to get back in touch with your creative side. Whether that means dusting off your watercolours, hitting up Bon Appétit for some weekend dessert inspo or just settling down to write that poem you’ve been drafting in note form on your phone for six months, it’s good to stay productive sometimes! The changing pace of life in 2020 means it’s easy to turn your free time into me time.
There are thousands of tutorials and communities on Instagram and YouTube. These can guide you through even the most advanced creative practices so it’s easy to find different ways of working. You can also use them to learn something new and reach out to other people doing a similar thing! What’s important is that you’re staving off the boredom and doing something you enjoy. If you’re stuck for ideas, check out 5 ways to boss it during a pandemic for some tips. But once again, there’s no pressure to come out of this thing with the next Harry Potter on your hard drive.
Stay social
It’s not the easiest thing to do when there has to be a cool two metres between you and your nearest and dearest; but it’s still no excuse for going through this thing alone. With services like Skype and Houseparty it’s easy to call in on your loved ones without putting them in danger. It’s still a weird time, adapting to this new normal, but it’s always better with friends.
Media management
It’s important to stay up to date with the news in times like these. But it’s also important to make sure that you’re not staying too up to date, you know? It’s easy to become obsessive. There’s a voice inside us that keeps saying forewarned is forearmed; if you consume enough articles, keep your eye on the death toll, and stay abreast of the opinions of every last government minister and health pundit you’ll be able to keep yourself safer. The real effect is more chilling, as many people are citing sensationalist news articles as having more of an effect on their mental health than the current climate of isolation.
It’s safest to get your health updates only from reputable sources such as the NHS and WHO. It’s also good to stick to government sources for changes to lockdown and testing in the UK. It can be easy to forget that the more horrifying a newspaper article’s headline is, the more clicks it gets. And then the more ad revenue will be garnered by the publication. Just because there’s articles everywhere saying we’ll be wiped out in a week, it doesn’t mean we’re all going to be wiped out in a week. It just means that someone, somewhere is making a mint off how scared we all are.
Fancy a change?
There’s a lot of stress and pressure around looking your best. But it’s also safe to say that a lot of us don’t have the best time mentally when we know we’re a bit rough around the edges. Salons look like they’ll be shut for six months, so it’s likely that a season of 90’s-style DIY hair and beauty is on the cards. Which means it’s time to get creative!
One of my friends is using her furlough as the opportunity to have the Clementine Kruczynski hair she’s always dreamed of (and her city job wouldn’t allow). Although you’ll never walk out of your bathroom looking as fly as you do when you walk out of the salon, it’s never been easier to change up your look using semi-permanent dyes that won’t damage hair, and give you a fun pop of no-commitment colour that’ll perk up your next Zoom meeting.
Lockdown is also a great opportunity to stay not looking your best. I’ve been using my new, weird work-from-home life as an opportunity to grow my roots out. There’s a volcanic disaster on my head, with dark brown roots and peachy ends; and nobody knows except for me and the Papa John’s delivery guy. I’ve ditched the foundation and my skin’s never been happier, so it’s a great time to reset and relax, too.
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Written by Hannah Parkes Smith
Illustrated by Francesca Mariama
