Lockdown Lowdown

Lockdown has been stressful. For people like me I have nowhere to go. My job has been furloughed and my uni has been shut. Apart from the essays for my first year to finish and the tidying up to help out, I’m stuck. I’m not exactly little miss go outside, but even I can’t stand being indoors constantly. Six weeks of my house and the local park have been boring. I miss my friends and hanging out with them, I miss going out clubbing, I miss having a laugh and gossip at work (even though I don’t particularly like my job), I miss going out for food, I miss bus rides, I miss shopping and I miss bowling and the cinema. But I can’t complain, some have it worse and this lockdown has allowed me to get some stuff done. So here are just a few things that have gotten me through lockdown...

 

Watching Criminal Minds

The TV is not great, shows that should be on have been cancelled and so all the great night-time dramas have stopped. So, me and my family have spent our time binge watching Criminal Minds! It’s such a good show and I highly recommend any fans of crime to watch it. Trust me you will love it. If you would like to hear more about this show I wrote about it in my ‘Good Quarantine Boxsets’ blog from a couple of weeks ago.

Writing my essays

I do hate writing them. But it does make me feel productive. I make a coffee, I do my hair (normally in a ponytail or a bun), I put on my revision playlist full of music that earns me my spot in ‘The Geek Hall of Fame’ and I get work done. There’s something rewarding knowing you’ve not wasted your day. That it counts towards your grade and you’ve done something useful. There all done now so that gave me a great sense of fulfilment during this long period of lockdown.

Dog Walking

I have never walked my dog enough. This lockdown has made me and usually my mom, it’s my exercise. We take him to our park just across the road and it’s a nice way to relax and allow him to run and go crazy. There’s nothing better to him than running the length of the park to catch his tennis ball! Plus watching his ears flap as he comes running back with the ball in his gob fills my heart with love.

Face Timing my bestie

When we decided to go to different unis, we made a deal to try and see each other once a week. Sometimes we went two weeks, but most weeks we hung out, went for food, went shopping or went clubbing. Through this lockdown I’ve seen her twice since lockdown in person first time she stood at the bottom of my road and we had a chat while she was on the way home from her bike ride. It’s weird to not see her cause she’s a big part of my life. I still message her everyday but it’s not the same. Second time is now they’re starting to lift the rules slightly I have seen her while social distancing, but it was weird going so long without actually seeing her in person. Face Timing her is one of my favourite things to do cause it’s the closest I get to actually seeing her and annoying her as good best friends do.

Reading

I’ve read more, I recently finished a book called The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg and it is one of the most complex but captivating books I’ve read in a while. That is the second book I’ve read during this lockdown and anyone who knows me knows it normally takes me about a month sometimes longer to read a book. I’m over halfway through this book and I only started it about two weeks ago! I definitely intend to read more.

Monopoly

Me and my family have had the same game of monopoly set up for about 3 weeks now. What’s the point in cashing up when you can get bankrupt instead? We sit, we listen to music and we hate each other when they ask for over £100 for landing on their property. Then we laugh when someone ends up jail.

 The Soaps

I don’t always get involved with the soaps. They’re just on as background noise. But not seeing them on everyday has made me realise how much I enjoy them. It’s weird not seeing these characters I love on the screen as often. I found myself wishing it was on more than two or three times a week. Especially at the moment cause there’s some really good storylines!

Making Tik Toks

I never thought I’d join the craze, but I did. It’s great. I love being creative! Some people who make them are so good. I enjoy them making them for my own entertainment. Never mind anyone else! It’s a great way of killing time, entertaining yourself and just being creative.

Colouring

My colouring book brings me great joy, to sit for an hour, listen to my music and use my pencils is so relaxing. Me and my sister will sit there for ages helping each other pick the right colours for each section, it’s always a good distraction. I’m no artist so my colouring book is the best!

Clap for Carers

Clapping for the NHS has been the most amazing thing throughout this lockdown. Not only does it do a great job of reminding me what day of the week it is. But it also brings us all together. It’s so amazing every Thursday at 8pm to see everyone come out of their houses, stand on their doorsteps and clap. I’ve said hello to neighbours I don’t often speak to, but we have a mutual respect for one another because each week we come out to take part.

Instagram Story Dear Diary

Each day I write a new Dear Diary and post it to my Instagram story. It asks me to name something I’ve achieved and something I’m doing to stay occupied. I found the template through an Instagram page I follow called Freeda (@freeda_en) they are a page dedicated to feminism. The best thing about their Dear Diary is it motivates me each day to achieve something I can write about. It also reminds you to take the small victories as a positive. The simplest things such as working on my essay or helping to tidy up can be achievements during a time when you can’t really leave the house.

Quizzes

A company me and my sister are big fans of, Yellow Elephant Promotions, have been continuously delivering their love quizzes which have kept us entertained. They’ve done Disney, Friends and High School Musical. Plus, not along ago I took part in a quiz hosted by Harry Judd. His was great it was basically on all my favourite things: McFly, Disney and Harry Potter! All he needed was a Doctor Who round! My cousins have gone quiz crazy! Everyday I’ve had a message to join the evening quiz. I don’t always but when I do it’s a good laugh. People take it in turns to be quiz masters and it’s a right laugh hearing everyone’s answers. So now my brother has decided we’ll join in and be quiz master, so I’m going to have to start preparing some questions.

 

Quiz Night with my friends

Wednesday has now become my friends quiz night. Each week we get together on zoom have a big catch up, have a few drinks and do a quiz. This is something we’ve started over the last couple of weeks and we look forward to it each week. I haven’t had my go as quiz master yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I have to start preparing soon.

Disney Plus

This is something I have been excited about for months. I knew this was somewhere I'd spend all of my time and I wasn't wrong. The beginning of March a year of Disney Plus and I absolutely love it. Re-watching all my favourite films from when I was a kid and re-watching all of them classic shows like Suite Life and Wizards of Waverly Place. I'm currently coming to the end of Hannah Montana and it has been such a joy re-watching it and remembering why I loved it so much as a kid.

 Spending time with my family

We live together but we don’t always see each other. One of us is at work, one of us is out, one of us is staying at a friends. We’re closer than some families but this lockdown has allowed us to drive each other insane more often. I love the three of them to pieces and I don’t know what I’d do without them most of the time. If anything, this lockdown feels like it’s brought us closer together.

That’s just a few things that I’ve been up to. That and sleeping more than my family appreciate! The only time I’ve gotten up early is a night I couldn’t sleep. I’m not perfect, lockdown isn’t the greatest thing for someone lazy like me. But I’m getting there, I’m doing okay and I’m trying to be as productive as can be. Let’s hope it’s over soon though.

- Courtney -