Covid-19 – Week four: beginning 30/03/2020
The week started on a bit of a downer, after a weekend announcement about the timeframe projection of the lockdown got blurted out. When the lockdown was first announced it was presented as a measure for the coming three weeks. A few weeks on, some pressure from the press and it’s clear this is the ‘new normal’ a new way of living for some time yet. So, we better get used to it. Has anyone else read The Yellow Wallpaper? I think I might become the woman running around in the wallpaper soon.
The past weekend saw people fined for going out in their cars to places of natural beauty, to parks, nature reserves and the beach. Breaking lockdown by being out unnecessarily in their cars. Are we emerging into a police state, where we have lost liberties, we have taken for granted? But on a serious note I can see their point, we need to social distance to stay safe, so limiting our exposure to the outside world is an easy way to try to regulate this. If only people would listen without needing the threat of prosecution. I should say at this point, it is on the news that the instruction is police by consent and fines are only to be used if required: I think this sounds more reasonable.
But a week on, it is clear that the measure is not enough. The car parks and parks have been crowded this week, as a result the car parks are now closed off. But the crowds still come, just on foot and need to be dispersed by the police. Didn’t they hear the memo: A lesson to all: no fun, no outings, no spring-time jollies!
Not that I have much time to partake in the outside world during the week as I am still working from home. ‘Working from home will effect mental health’, they said. ‘Will it’, I like so many others laughed during week one. Could we really become video conferencing addicted, pining to see and hear people? We have the technology, but we miss the physical contact: what is to become of the water fountain, mug, or tea meet ups? Well, a problem for another week. There are more pressing issues in my work environment, I am missing my computer chair: even if I wanted a new chair, it would not fit with our dining room table. By missing I mean my shoulders are clicking like a rusty chain, my neck is stiff like old metal and my back is aching like a forgotten bike: maybe I am to become the tin woman. Well at least then I can escape to OZ. To ease my posture symptoms, I try some desk yoga, rather effective, who knew?
In the early days of working from home, I know, nostalgic already in week four of working from home. Anyway, in the early days our working days were filled with video meetings, adjusting to a new way of working and in the blink of an eye it was time to sign off. Now things have settled down, I rather miss all the virtual contact and explorative conversations about new software. However, what I am about to say makes no sense, but it couldn’t be truer. This week, there are days when I dread the next meeting, a day on video conferencing is a tiring one, full of awkward moments where people interrupt each other accidentally as we can’t read gestures, or more annoyingly the video freezes. At the end of which my sense of achievement is at an all time low. Yet, a day void of video conferencing is much worse! It feels quiet, a little too quiet, even when my playlist is in the background. The clock seems in standstill even though my tasks are completed, and the working day is through.
Working from home, home working, working remotely whatever you call it, it is the new normal. But how productive are we? As even those with the best intentions get distracted in the house. The challenges of everyday life at home from work, school, housework, social time, and everyday life. It is inevitably going to have teething problems.
I join a webinar on home working. Colleagues talk about difficulties of having the kids at home, trying to focus them on work when they are anxious about what is happening. While for others, they are faced with constantly having to remind parents that working from home doesn’t mean they can ring every five minutes. I guess I am lucky that I don’t have the same worries, but it is still not easy. The session helped me realise I am not alone, empathise and sympathise with other people’s current situation. So, what can we do? There are the following tips:
• Be realistic
• Accept being less accomplished
• Avoid perfectionism
• Talk things over
• Keep a sense of humour
Well at least we have the last one sorted.
Whoever said working from home was easy? It’s just an alternative way of working. The stresses and pressures remain, with the added fun of the internet dropping in and out as neighbours hog the internet. However, there are things I do love about my new working arrangements, for one having Lady’s company, stroking the dog is so therapeutic when you are having a stressful time. Then there is having control over the room temperature – I am sure my work colleagues will appreciate this too. Lunch time has got better, having access to healthy fresh snacks. And lastly not having to commute, enabling me time to do lots more on a morning. Before work today I manage to put a wash on and hang it out on the line, exercise in the house and complete my normal dress and tidy up routine. One thing I have promised to myself is not to start work earlier, as I am finding it therapeutic feeling like I have already succeeded at house life before work life starts for the day. However, finishing on time and sticking to time frames has proven more difficult. I guess there is one thing for it – we will all have to just embrace it: welcome to the new normal.
I face another one of many ‘new normal’ dilemmas, which I know is and won’t be the first pre, during or post pandemic dilemma as we slip back into old habits. Reverting back to the good old days when we had free movement outside of our homes to explore, visit, drive somewhere, anywhere, and just for the sake of it. Today I did it, I typed ‘have an adventurous weekend’ at the end of a work email. Doesn’t sound that bad, does it? Wrong, it is a spiral of woulda, coulda, shoulda, a sure way to start lockdown woes. I hover, should I press delete on the uplifting sociable element of the message? Then an idea struck me, switch it around. A quick reordering of the sentence and I can remind the world, okay one colleague that things will go on after this and we can make the most of our situation.
My new email read: ‘I so want to type, I hope you have an adventurous weekend, but know that this is hard to do in the current climate, but as it won’t be forever let’s just pretend in the present, dream about the future and relive our past memories. Although a better thing to say might be, I hope you have a lovely family orientated weekend, with plenty of chill time staying safe at home. I am sticking to my guns, I cannot wait to hear about your adventurous weekend, you know I might even go swimming in the bath!
So, remember wherever you are this is an interim situation, we may be in a changed world, but we will return to familiarity again and have outdoor adventures so get planning for when we do.’
Tuesday evening arrives and I have a Friday feeling. I thought it was confusing all those weeks ago when I first started home working. Now I have lost track of days, with work the only distinguishing factor in my week, I actually feel a sense of relief when I have that end of the weekend feeling. These are confusing times social isolating. I just don’t know how good I have it. What about people who have been furloughed or laid off? At least I have work to keep me in some sort of routine. And there is always my daily walk through the cemetery to keep my mind going. Trees are my first focus of the week, the way they twist, turn and – I know they’re just trees, but their natural beauty is beyond distribute. Later in the week my focus changes to the names on the graves and not in a morbid way. I am looking for the unusual, looking for inspiration for character names, stories – love, betrayal, of who knows? I was in the cemetery after all. One interesting tombstone read the word ‘SPARK’ all in capitals, the stone accompanying it was weather washed. Who was spar? Male? Female? Age? If you haven’t guessed it, I am going to escape into a world of my one creation and write my way through the pandemic. At least I don’t live alone, otherwise I might start talking to myself, everyday like a Lord of the Rings scene ‘my precious’.
On one outing the wind roars through the trees, I can see the waves crashing in the sea. I do miss the beach, the sea, the – okay not the seagulls. The beach is just a bit too far for me to walk to and under the current regime driving to non- essential places and leaving the house for non-essential outings is off the cards. So, I just stand this morning enjoying the sounds of nature and escaping into my mind. Anyone else started this type of escapism?
Luckily, I did have something other than work to focus my mind on. This week we start back to Scouts via virtual Scout meetings. It is lovely to see our young people online, under adult supervision of course, enjoying a Scout night together. We start with hellos, letting our young people socialise, the chat box and video is full of greetings, waves, and excited reunited faces. The evening flies over with a scavenger hunt around the house, with Scout’s feet in the sinks, bowls and baths, Scouts in unexpected summer outfits and collecting unusual items, it is fun for all – of course us leaders joined in too. A definite great start to what, when we return from Easter break, will be a new adventure for Scouting.
This week also sees a vastly different April fool’s day. But I don’t feel much like celebrating with tom foolery as everywhere screams about Covid-19 deaths, of children fatalities and cases in Europe booming. Although, hope comes in the form of the Nightingale hospital in London forecast to open within the week: it is fitted with ventilators and intensive care support to help with the inevitable numbers of ill, set to increase as the peak of the virus is predicted any week now.
Friday came, but the weekend feeling is void. My partner and I used to forge plans: a drive out to explore somewhere new, a trip to an old haunt with the dog, a shopping excursion, a… The new normal means the only distinguishing factor in my day is work. And I guess for that I am so lucky, as so many out there must be feeling more lost without work to keep some normality to the week. Then of course there are those self-isolating in their homes. Being grounded all week and weekend isn’t so bad after all? I can still sneak out once a day for a walk/jog at the cemetery. But at least the young people will have a new phrase for 2020. In the future when people say, ‘oh you’re so boring for not coming out with us’, the reply will be, ‘that’s so 2020’.
Then there is the Friday five pm press conference to bring us back down to earth. Numbers are looking a bit scary this week, as last week ended over 1,000 people had died in the UK and that is way behind Italy who have lost almost that in one day recently, bringing their total to 10,000 dead. I think I agree with the people on social media ‘2020 has a virus and needs a restart’. No current cure so stay at home and stop the spread by staying safe. Clinical trials, time frames of a few months. Fear from people who have lost their sense of taste and smell, suggestions it is not permanent and is not on its own a diagnosis. Should DNRs be followed? People reported dying alone in hospital, pregnant women giving birth alone. ‘The deadly hour is now upon us’, when I hear these words, I feel like I am watching a war documentary rather than corona news. Oh well, just a typical press briefing these days, death, despair.
Saturday comes with no coffee shops, no restaurant meals and limited take out, the virus really is a killer of capitalism as well. DIY stores shut this week, but no panicking if you haven’t got your supplies yet you can always buy online and click and collect. I am not immune to a bit of online shopping, as if we weren’t already addicted to the online marketplace. 1,601 people in a virtual queue is nothing to laugh about. But maybe preferable to the queues outside of shops, as the numbers inside are limited. Maybe we’ll all save some money during this time as the queues grow outside of the shops and the virtual queues online reach unheard of numbers. So, although we might all go stir crazy, our bank balances might get some time to recover.
Shops, shopping, supermarkets – oh dear, need I go on. So, we set out to get our weekly top up shop. We drive around the car park at our local Aldi as the queue snakes around the car park and yes, the shop is open. At another supermarket, the line is similarly snaked, but the gaps between people look larger as the line is separated by hazard tape on the ground two meters apart. At the entrance people are given hand sanitizer and wipes for their trolleys, while at the tills a plastic screen is between the cashier and the customer and people are encouraged to pay by card to limit exchanges. While at other shops there is only around ten in the shop at one time, elsewhere people were not let in during restocking of shelves.
We decide in the end to try another Aldi, with only ten in the queue we join it. As we stand outside in the cold, we feel a little subdued, by the slowness of the queue that is now snaking the car park. With the queue outside growing and the people waiting looking cold, let’s hope they don’t catch a cold or worse!
We survive the shops, but I can’t escape the fact that I have low motivation. Therefore, we haven’t planned our meals, exercise or leisure time and with no gyms or Slimming World classes for support, the stern talking too I have been giving myself is clearly not working. The refrigerator light is giving me a lovely glow, with all the regular top ups I am getting throughout the day. And my support network is similarly helpless. The dog is content to walk leisurely on our daily outing and my fiancé has taken on the role of feeder, chocolate tempter and all-round encourager to enjoy rich foods. A role I should add I thank him for, as we enjoy our meals and sweet snacks.
But there is a silver lining. We live in a digital age and it hasn’t taken long for people to move there classes online. There are online classes for exercise, diet, wellbeing, faith – the list is endless there is so much to do and all from the safety of our homes. This week also saw dating websites add a new video feature, so now people can date over the internet. Let’s move on before we all get any ideas about what that might turn into – naughty.
When Saturday dawns, I am happy to see the faces of my friends and co- weight losers at Slimming World. We are all ready and talking about one thing, rebuilding our focus. I leave the session feeling fuelled with new ideas for the week ahead.
With Sunday evening, I am happily greeted by the feeling of ‘oh no, the weekend is over’ while also really thinking and feeling ‘oh no’ where has the weekend gone?’ But time is moving so fast, there is so much to do. The weekly shop takes longer, completing two shops to ensure my parents are stocked up too, then dropping their shopping off. Preparing and running virtual Scouting, video calls with friends and family. Taking the dog out, tidying …the list goes on and makes me wonder, how could I ever have worried about how I was going to fill my time.
But at least we all have the Queen’s address to the nation at 20:00 to look forward to. I feel reminiscent of Christmas, the time of the year the Queen normally gives her address. Yet something is different, the Queen summarises the good work, the national effort, and the patriotism of the nation. It also draws parallels to the Queen’s speech she gave with her sister, aged 15, when they spoke to evacuated children. We will meet again, don’t know where, don’t know when. There it is wartime situation in peacetimes, and I can’t help but feel under house arrest. Homosapians are foremost social creatures, with lockdown loneliness and nostalgia was inevitable. I bet there were few houses not tuned into the Queens speech and although, we have, and are all feeling blue, we will stay home stay safe.
