Lockdown 3.0. The Final Series of 2020

It’s funny now thinking back to March isn’t it? How we all thought the government was overreacting and how this whole ‘pandemic’ was going to last two weeks max!

Little did we know nine months later and we’d be in lockdown again.

Lockdown 3.0 arrived on Christmas Day here in Ireland, and didn’t even bring a gift! A lockdown that was announced days before Santa came, days before loved ones reconnected after months apart, only to be told it will be for 24 hours only.

This lockdown hit harder than the last two, this one stole the sliver of magic we had left, and presented us with a certain melancholy I think we all felt deep in our hearts.

As with all sequels, they tend to get worse as they go along, plot lines become a tad ridiculous, the audience gets frustrated with characters, and budgets seem to dwindle. Like all bad movies, we hope this one is the last in series, and the last time we see Bruce Willis, I mean Micheal Martin ‘save’ the day with their heroism.

All movies good or bad provide us with some food for thought, some reflection on what we would have done differently, how we would have made it better, and how we would have gotten rid of the baddie in the first one (insert name as you see fit).

In May this year, lockdown 1, I wrote my 20 thoughts on 2020, and they included things like creativity, the importance of health, nature, Netflix, anxiety and kindness to name a few. As we end 2020 this week, I want to add more to this list and end the trilogy of 2020 on a high.

Small wins

Got out of bed today, check. Got dressed, kinda check. Showed up for work (WFH), check. Stayed sane today, kinda check.

2020 has made me realise that it’s the small things that can actually mean a hell of a lot. Getting out of bed when you feel crippled with anxiety is not only an achievement, but it’s a super power! Showing up for work, regardless of work attire (pjs) is not only doing yourself proud, but also showing your company that you fought through adversity this morning to be there for them.

None of us have ever experienced living in a pandemic so pat on the back for making it this far! This year has thrown twist after twist at us, with no ‘Indiana Jones’ here to help us get out unscathed.

If I can take one thing with me from this year, it’s that I am so damn proud of myself for surviving the year, surviving covid-19, and so many obstacles thrown in for good measure. If you’re reading this, I am so damn proud of you too!

Relationships

I have been fortunate to live with my parents during ‘Final Destination’, I mean 2020, and fortunate to be able to be there for each other, support each other, and vent to each other. This year I will never forget our covid-19 diagnosis as a family, our separate rooms for weeks, our struggle to get better, but also our TikTok dances, and our movie and game nights.

This year has changed the dynamic of many of our relationships, good and bad, and has shed a light on the important ones, the ones that will help us thrive past 2020.

I didn’t meet my Romeo this year, and I think I can say for all singletons, F you 2020, but it did make me realise what type of Juliet I am, and what Romeo I deserve, so it wasn’t all bad!

Self-Knowledge

Was it just me, or has everyone dug deep this year and figured shit out? I started a gratitude journal in May, started reading every day, done yoga, granted it was only once, but still pat on the back, remember small wins!

I have been incredibly mindful this year, observing my feelings like Riley in ‘Inside Out’, sitting with sadness while waiting on joy to return, trying to pacify anger, while disgust got the better of me. All in all I have learnt so much about who I am, and what I want my future to look like.

Even if you haven’t given yourself the once over under a psychological microscope, you have come to know that you can survive anything that life throws at you, even one of the hardest years in living history. You are your own iron man/woman, and anything is possible, well once you have that cool shiny red and gold suit on.

This year we have all felt a bit like George Bailey in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’; fearful, scared, wanting this year to be over, wishing Covid-19 never existed. Now I want to be your Angel Clarence, and show you that this year although hard, has brought so many blessings in disguise, and even though I wish things could have been different, I am thankful it made us take our foot off the pedal and embrace what’s really important to us.

With gratitude and pride,

Lisa D x