And so it continues....

And so it continues... 

Whilst lockdown in the UK begins to ease and we are able to see friends in small groups (at a social distance of course) and spend more time outside, life feels like, in some ways, it is beginning to get back to something we knew before.  However, the impact of the pandemic feels like the normal we knew is a thing of the past.  Building a new normal feels like the norm now and that it will be a long journey to get there.  But what will the new normal look like?  I was in Seoul last year on holiday (ahh, the good old days where you could actually take a holiday) and I was surprised at how many people wore face masks.  Before the pandemic, around 20% of Seoul residents wore masks and I understood why – the air quality is terrible and they had experienced multiple virus outbreaks previously.  Will our new normal look something like Seoul (hopefully with better air quality)?  Will face masks, social distancing and perhaps a slightly slower and quieter way of life become our future?  Hopefully it won’t include some people’s need to take a 10-metre diversion around you and look at you as though you have the plague!  I respect social distancing, but this is just taking it too far.

Whilst I’ve now worked from home for 3 months and would like some social interaction in the office, I have got used to it.  I also feel incredibly lucky to still be working.  The uncertainty has, in all honestly, played on my mind more than at any time in my life and like most of us, I don’t know what the future holds.  But I wake each day, say my daily mantra which I have for years, ‘Today is the first day of the rest of my life’ and hope for the best!  Unfortunately, being a control freak doesn’t bode well with so much uncertainty, and with changes now happening in my workplace, I’ve taken up deep breathing and yoga to help calm my mind.  After totally losing it at work the other week, I realised that it’s ok to be human and feel stressed with everything that’s happening.  Whilst not a panacea, breathing and yoga are certainly helping.  Fingers crossed this continues!

I also look around and feel grateful for the things I took for granted for so long, such as connecting with friends in-person, rather than Zoom, although I’m incredibly thankful for such technology that allows us to connect virtually (imagine lockdown 30 years ago!).  Or, a leisurely walk in the park on a beautiful day (this is the best weather I’ve experienced since moving to the UK over 11 years ago!).  I also like the forced downtime.  Time to think (perhaps a little too much time sometimes!), time to read a good book and to do things that just didn’t get done before because I was always too busy.  When lockdown began, I had ambitious plans of renovating my flat.  I had all this time and wanted to save money, so I could do it all!  Initially, I was very pleased with my progress: windows repainted – check; a few walls repainted – check, and that’s where it ended...  My enthusiasm unfortunately waned to the point where a couple of walls are half-done (I will do them soon!) and only half the shower is re-grouted (again, I will do it soon..).

And of course, running and exercise generally has been the ultimate saviour in all of this.  Living in a small flat with no garden in west London means that I crave to get into the park every day.  Unfortunately, I got to the point where I was over-training with my running.  Before lockdown, I had been following a busy but well-planned triathlon program which meant I trained every day, but with a variety of activities during the week.  Once lockdown began, swimming stopped and my gym closed, I found it really tough to be honest. Clearly swimming was out, but I tried (still am!) to switch from a gym-based strength training session to a home-based approach where I have limited equipment.  And I wanted to get outside and be in the parks.  So, I just ran more!  Every day in fact and ramped up my mileage way too quick.  At first, my running improved, until my hamstring decided it didn’t want to play the game and I’ve been treating it delicately ever since.  I’ve also pulled back on those miles a little and am avoiding hill sessions!

Whilst the pandemic and lockdown has not been easy, I keep reminding myself every day that firstly, this is not the worst thing I’ve been through in my life, secondly, no-one has been untouched and everyone is dealing with different stresses and anxieties due to the pandemic and finally, I remind myself of something my brother told me after our father passed away – nothing bad ever comes out of a tragedy.  He and I were just reminding each other the other day to focus on the positives, try to turn what feels like a negative into a positive and find ways to make our future better as a result.

I can’t wait for the day where we can get back to a more normal Serpie routine, particularly the handicap which happens to be my favourite.  And I need more practice on the stopwatch!!  Hope to see you soon and in the meantime, stay safe and well.