It’s no secret that lockdown changed lives and has permanently left its mark on us. We had plenty of time to reflect and review our life decisions and extra time to make plenty more!
What did people actually do in lockdown?
Homeworking more than doubled (gov.uk) with many never going back to the office. The increase in flexibility at some corporations compared with others meant it became an employees market and ‘the great resignation’ ensued. 400,000 additional people found themselves unemployed in the UK with unemployment benefits claims doubling (parliament.uk). Many took this as an opportunity with 726,000 new UK startups opening in the first year since lockdown and 4.4 million in the U.S. (uhy-uk.com).
In the midst of people leaving businesses, starting businesses, leaving families and starting families, I realised my own behaviour and lockdown story were quite crazy. When the first lockdown was announced, I’d been living in London for a year in a one-bedroom flat and I found myself without access to a garden or balcony.
I was sorting through my wardrobe last week and found so many items I’d purchased second-hand from eBay in that period. Was I crazy? This was absolutely unlike me. The things I had ordered were more like what a child would wear on their first day to nursery: overalls, bows, very conservative for someone like me – a big city girl. Previously I’d be in central London,12 nights in a row. Lockdown ground my life to a halt. Everything became silent and I had to become silent.
Mental Health
Anxiety rates in the UK increased from 5% to 31% (NHS, 2022) and for me, that fear manifested in some truly bizarre purchasing habits and fashion choices. On the one hand, I was living healthier than ever before. I began my habit of extensive walking, home cooking and lost the final bit of weight I’d been trying to shift. Whilst 36% of people reported gaining weight, 30% said they’d been exercising even more (ipsos.com). It was extremely positive in terms of my physical health, even if it wasn’t as beneficial for my mental health. The BBC even reported on studies showing lockdown had changed many of our personalities – becoming more ‘ourselves’ without social cues.
Relationships
The impacts on relationships were felt by many – a fifth of respondents reported their relationship deteriorating (London Met, 2021) and many others were ‘fast tracked’ with couples moving in together to avoid separation. I got into a relationship with a guy in lockdown who would have usually thrown up too many red flags for me to consider going for drinks with. We found ourselves driving through the countryside looking at properties for sale in places I never knew existed, where the only social activity was visiting the local pub. We were planning our new life: half the time there and half in my flat in London. I hadn’t had a traditional Christmas in 20 years but in 2020 I found myself in a Santa hat, Rudolf jumper on and carving implements at the ready for a giant home-cooked turkey. I’ve never worn a Christmas jumper in my life!
Did the changes last?
Now the city has re-opened and I’m finding myself going back out, trading sleep for fun and being the happiest I’ve ever been. I’m very sure lockdown was a stepping stone to me getting to this place. However, I find myself needing to purge the side-effects – piles of Christmas decorations and clothes fitter for a child than a professional woman and breaking up with the unsuitable boyfriend. Many are still struggling to get those pre-pandemic jeans on and loneliness is still at an all-time high. Yet, one in three young people were happier in lockdown (cam.ac.uk, 2022), 83% of people had more time to do enjoyable things and 70% of those surveyed reported at least one positive and lasting impact of the pandemic.
Lockdown was a much-needed experience that helped me get to the point of realising the important things in my life. What helped me get there was experimenting with different ideas, thoughts and ways of life. I allowed all the different parts of me to surface – some that had been suppressed for years and all this helped me gain the confidence to pursue what I really wanted to do. It helped me to be far more open-minded and to find the small pockets of joy in what was a frightening and uncertain time.
We don’t need to be forced into our homes with nothing else to do but reflect. We can look at the way we live our lives now, where we spend our time, who with, and whether it truly aligns with our values and what we want. This is the goal of coaching: to help individuals realise what they want from life and take actionable steps to achieve it – no lockdown needed!
