Lifestyle: Life Under Lockdown

Embrace, adapt, overcome.

Life under lockdown is um… novel. After the initial carnage of people panic buying three thousand toilet rolls each & stockpiling a million tonnes of pasta, it seems we are finally settling into some kind of new normality – if it can ever be called that!

First of all, I hope all my readers and followers are safe and well. I’m sure by now just about everyone has been affected by the pandemic in some way. It’s a difficult and challenging time for us all. Whilst limiting the spread of the virus itself is the first challenge, the extent of the knock-on effects in the wider world and the way we live our lives is unknown – and quite frankly, pretty scary.

But, I’m no expert in such matters. I wanted to write this post not to break down the pandemic, but to share some positivity and some ideas on how to keep busy during this strange time.

Taking part in the Great British Campout – one way to keep occupied during the lockdown.

It’s been 4 weeks since I was sent home from work and it’s taken me until now to adapt to some kind of routine and put pen to paper with some thoughts on life under lockdown. Having spent 2 weeks not working from home, or really having any idea what to do with myself, I now find myself much more occupied with working from home, a daily routine & a structured training plan.

I can’t fulfil any of my 2020 ambitions right now, but equally I can’t change the situation. What I can do is control the way I react to it. A lot of my subsequent decisions & actions under lockdown come from the concept of ‘Circle of concern and influence’ – what can I be concerned about vs what can I actually influence. We’re all concerned about Coronavirus itself & also the knock-on effects – and rightly so. But what can you actually influence? We can’t control the end date, when we return to normal or when the economy stabilises or when we can travel again. But we can choose our actions to stay physically well, mentally well & help others.

For as long as I can control my thoughts & actions, I’m going to choose to smile about the positive, as opposed to being upset about the negative. Right now I can’t run up a mountain in the Lake District or Scotland, but I can go for a local run. I can’t go fulfil my dream of cycling overland through Asia, the Himalayas & around the world as planned, but I can go ride across the Lancashire fells. The two are not comparable, but it’s the best I can get at the moment and that’s something to smile about.

To that note, here’s just a few things I’m doing to embrace the current situation & make the best of life under lockdown.

Keep busy. I’m making sure I do something productive every day, whether it’s working from home, exercising, maintaining kit, reading or planning, I’m being sure to do something to keep my mind occupied.
Being appreciative. Right now I’m just being appreciative of every moment outside in this lovely spring weather. I figure there is no point channelling thoughts on what’s wrong unless I’m going to fix it, I may as well focus thoughts on things I can appreciate or smile about.
Start everyday with movement. I’m keeping my body moving to prevent stagnation. Movement first thing in a morning sets me up perfectly for the day. In the absence of cycling to work, a quick run, cycle or garden workout gets my mind functioning & set up for the day. Well, that and coffee. (PE with Joe is a big hit in this household too)
Keep a routine. Making sure to get up on time & have a plan for each day. This one I like the idea of, but am struggling to enact. I love the freedom I have a little too much, I’m struggling keeping my discipline. Whilst I’m keeping busy each day, I don’t get up at the same time, or sleep at the same time, or eat at the same time.
Not beating myself up. It’s a global pandemic, not a holiday. It’s not a competition as to who can get the most done or learn the best new skill or run up the most stairs. Just making it through is a success. There’s always tomorrow. Don’t rush.
Exercise outside. You’re allowed. Run and ride locally (no driving to exercise, it’s not necessary!), embrace what’s on your doorstep. I choose exercise outside because of what its always given me; freedom, escapism. It keeps my mental wellbeing in equilibrium, so I’m going to continue pursuing that. I’m finding inspiration in exploring new trails locally. Pouring over the map, sketching out new routes, going to explore them.
Smile. Because why not.

Discovering ‘new to me’ trails in local woods.

It’s been 4 weeks of life under lockdown and so far I’ve missed out on a ten-day cycling trip around the north western Scottish Highlands & Hebridean way, an attempt at running the national 3 peaks and cycling the distance in between, running the Welsh 3000s & right now, my 18 month round the world cycle is not going ahead as planned either. Am I disappointed? Wholeheartedly. But its quickly dawned that dwelling on initial disappointment wasn’t doing me any favours. These things can be rearranged, they’re unimportant really. What is important is my mental wellbeing. To keep that I check, I’m focussing on things I can influence and doing things that that keep me happy each day.

Sure, I get people will be naturally disappointed about events, holidays and gatherings being cancelled amidst all the current uncertainty. I appreciate the loss of normality affects different people in a multitude of different ways. But for me the key to getting through this is by being positive. Challenging times can often bring the best out in people. There isn’t a lot we can do other than stay safe, look out for those whom we can & wait for all this to blow over. Life hasn’t stopped; we just have to adapt to this new ‘normal’ life under lockdown. Still go outside, just not as far. Speak to people over the phone, video call. Technology is great, use it. The outdoors is still there, looking better than ever, use it.

Enjoying one of many fabulous spring sunsets in the Ribble Valley.

I want to leave you with a quote… ‘Not all storms come to disrupt your life, some come to clear your path’.

Perhaps now is the time to make some societal or personal changes. The way you get to work, whether you even need to go to a place of work. How much time you spend exercising outdoors, the infrastructure for exercising outdoors. The ideology of living to work, or working to live. Our dependence on vehicles, online shopping, convenience – everything bad for the planet. Perhaps it’s time we put things other than ourselves first.