Surviving Lockdown

by Tosin Beckley, Employment First Officer – GRoW Programme

As the weeks go by I feel that I am starting to feel a little bit out of it. I almost want to scream at the top of my lungs just to shake off the frustration that is starting to build up inside me….

I just sometimes wonder if i didn’t have my nuclear family around me and if I was actually living alone (and I mean all by myself), how on earth would i cope????

I wish I could be a fly on the wall just to check on how people are living during these uncertain times, what could they be going through and what would be running through their minds?

Would I be able to cope at all if i was living by myself???

I have to be honest with myself, this lockdown is really starting to affect me emotionally, mentally and physically – I feel like my head is all over the place and there is nothing I can do about it….

I am thankful and grateful to be working and to be able to work from home however the feeling of no motivation or drive creeps in and I do ‘allow’ it to take complete control over me which is not good but at the same time I know I can beat it……having positive thoughts is definitely a good thing but when the negative comes in to play i ask why does it have such a strong hold on me or other people out there???

Gosh, I really miss going out, I miss socialising, obviously I miss my family and my close friends but I just miss the high street of Ealing, Uxbridge, Hayes!

by Heather Ette, GRoW Team Member

So as we enter Week #8 of Lockdown I thought I would share some of the ups and downs this period has shown me.  I hadn’t really expected Lockdown to affect me as much as it would most people because I didn’t think much would really change for me. 

I have been working from home permanently for the past 15 years now and am therefore used to being indoors most of the time, most days only really leaving the house to drive the kids to school and pick them up again.  I thought this would mean that Lockdown would be a breeze but actually I was wrong and this week it really does seem to be taking its toll.

I can’t quite put my finger on what is bothering me the most.  Is it the tediousness of staring at the same four walls or is it that weekdays are blending into weekends and in fact now being one and the same thing with nothing much to look forward to at the end of the week?  I was waiting with baited breath to hear Boris’s announcement on Sunday evening to find out how restrictions might be lifted and get some hope of some return to normality.  This is despite knowing that the only sensible thing is to continue to stay at home if we are to save lives.  I suppose it is natural to want to get back to the way we lived before but we all know that this is not something we can do anytime soon.  I didn’t think I would actually miss the school run but in fact I realise I do!  I also never realised how important it was to me to be able to walk around a supermarket at my leisure, being able to walk in whichever direction I liked!

I have felt better the past few days since the government announcement that we can now meet up with one other person from outside of our household.  It’s nice to know I can have some company on my dog walk and I’m sure my dog will be delighted too to see her little doggy friends again.

I think it’s so important during this time to try to look after your mental health.  It’s hard not seeing your family and friends and being stuck indoors.  It’s hard to try to homeschool your children, especially if they are not doing as much school work as they are supposed to be doing and especially if, like me, you constantly worry about how they will catch up when they finally return to school.

I’m having to remind myself that I can only do so much. I’m continuing to work every day, I’m continuing to cook and try to make healthy meals. I’m phoning and video calling my family and friends, checking in with people to make sure they are OK.  I’m outwardly remaining upbeat, positive and calm to keep anxiety levels low and in all of those things I think I’m doing a pretty good job.

How are you doing?

by Kaneez Fatima, GRoW participant

Due to the Pandemic situation, it is indeed a tough time not just for us but also for the nation itself. Government has declared the lock-down for all of our own safety. Hence, we all must adhere to the instructions given by the government “Stay Home & Stay Safe”.

First week of lock-down was difficult, as life seemed completely upside down. Nobody was going out of house for anything; everything seemed so still at one point. We never experienced that kind of feeling before. Kids were also was clueless that what is going on. However, we as parents have explained them the situation and the precautions we have to take in terms of protecting not just ourselves but also others.

Eventually, we are coping up good, being in the second week of lock-down. Kids are doing well and settled down, thanks to Sarah Rowlands Head-teacher of Altmore & Lathom Schools Federation and her management and teacher teams at both of the schools. They have been doing an excellent job in this tough time, from teaching pupils with their online classes to keep them stay healthy & active with the P.E. sessions, etc. All the teachers are available online and accessing kids work straight away and advising them just as in the classroom. As far as I am aware, that is the only school who has been that active for the pupil in lock down. Thanks to all the teachers and Sarah for their great efforts.

Moreover, let us take this lockdown as an opportunity to spend more time with our families. Usually we are so busy with our schedules and never get much time to spend together as a family. As a family we are doing great, we are studying together; we are having breakfast, lunch and dinner all together at home now. At leisure time, we are playing carom board and other board games, watching movies together and much more.

We as a family have come out stronger now working together. Rather than complaining about the lock-down, my opinion is to take it as an opportunity to spend more time with family. We should be thankful that we could still do that unlike the key workers who are at the front line and dealing with the situation throughout the nation.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the key workers throughout the nation including NHS Staff, Police Department, Fire Department, Teachers, and many more.

AS has five children aged from 11 months to 11 years – here she lets us know what having to self-isolate has meant to her.

I had to self-isolate, and and my family was quarantined for two weeks before lockdown even started. I was the first one in the GRoW team, who had to self-isolate along with my family for 14 days. It was a very strange feeling which I never experienced in my life before, neither my family, that we can’t go outside.  But soon the whole country joined us in this journey.

It was very challenging in the first week, cleaning, cooking, working from home, home schooling and looking after family with children from 11 years to 11-months old. My baby who just started walking around and wants to explore the whole world from shoe rack to bin and from vacuum cleaner to dustpan. On the other hand, I had to let my other children on their own, which was not very nice feeling for me.

I struggled to set up a routine of working from home while looking after family. Working from home was not something new for me but working with all my children at home and concentrating on my work was a real challenge. When I was trying to concentrate on one side the other was falling behind. I was trying my best that my children are looked after and still learning what they got from school and making sure I still that my work is also done on time.

But then I decided to setup a timetable for my children, which helped me a lot. I arranged activities, which they all can do together then planning the day along doing my work while they are still learning through any source.

After being in this situation I started comparing my normal life with this new one (due to COVID-19), I just realised that as the nature has pressed the reset button for us. As we were running so fast, without taking any rest. Everyone was so busy accomplishing their daily tasks like, they can’t stop for a single day, or even an hour. Then everything stopped. We are still living although in fear, but the life is going on. I think the world and humanity needed a pause for a while, to reset our directions from where we were going to, and to realise that there are people around us who needs our care. We can still be happy with what we still have around us.

For many people this will be a time when they will be with all their family members around them and caring for each other. Even I, for the first time realised that how have lovely neighbours I have, who were not only clean my garden for me because I don’t have time with young children, but also when I needed help while self-isolating. they always asked if me and my children needs anything, every time they were going outside.

For the first time, I heard birds twittering on trees during daytime, which normally I can’t because of motorway on the back. I also got a chance to know about my neighbours on both sides, who are pensioners and can’t meet their children because they are self-isolating. Whenever I am taking time out from my screen, I go to my garden and start having a short chat with them through our fence, to find out that they are okay and giving them the hope that everything will be ok.

This time will be very hard and challenging time for those like me, if you are having your loved ones fighting to save lives of others and themselves. By putting their lives and of their families at risk.

I really appreciate the work we as Grow Team are doing, by supporting and caring for people who needs our help in this time which bought fear and uncertainty in every one’s lives. But we should still take it positive by committing to be more kind to those who could heal by few kind words and sincere advice in this uncertain time. The skills we learnt and still learning during this time will enhance us as women even more, now we are not only expert in doing what we were doing but also became experts of digital world, and performing multi tasks at the same time, which many of us were very challenging under normal circumstances.

This is the time which we might never have again and will remember for the rest of our lives. We all should take it as a chance to slow down and look for those people around you. Even though every day is filled with a list of endless work to do, from breakfast to starting work and preparing lunch, learning and teaching to cleaning, dinner, play and many more. I know that for sure and hoping that soon “there will be a sunrise after this dark night, which will be even brighter” and with a chance for everyone to Grow once again and will never be forgotten, and we will be even more thankful for what we were having.