Things I've enjoyed about lockdown

Lockdown has been many things. It's been difficult, it's been boring, it's been anxiety-inducing, it's been straining and it's had me crying at least once a week (sometimes more). And while this whole pandemic is far from over, and I certainly won't be rushing to any non-essential shops any time soon, it did feel like a nice time to reflect on the lockdown period. I'm a hopeless optimist after all, so I wanted to share some of the good things about lockdown. Some of the things I've actually enjoyed...

Making fresh lunches

Normally I don't think much about my weekday lunches - I either take some leftover dinner from the night before to work with me or pop to the shop for a ready meal. But during lockdown, I've been able to make fresh lunches every day! Nothing crazily exotic but there's certainly something to be said for a freshly made BLT sandwich versus a sandwich that's been crushed in your handbag.

Having no commute

I live in the city centre and work is approximately 10 minutes drive from my house so I'm being a bit of a princess on this one - it's hardly like I normally have to get up at the crack of dawn to catch 3 trains. But not having to drive every day, not having to deal with useless rush hour drivers and not getting road rage over slow school-run moms has been a pretty nice positive.

Having time to think

I don't know about anyone else, but my life is normally pretty jam-packed. Between working full time, seeing various groups of friends, spending time with my boyfriend, catching up with my family, and keeping my house spic and span, I don't have very much down time. Whereas during lockdown, I've had a lot of time alone with my thoughts. Obviously sometimes this has been a negative thing, giving me plenty of opportunities to go veering down black holes. But sometimes, it's offered peace and zen which I don't normally have time for.

At home date nights

This one should've been expected, having heard about each one of them on a weekly basis. We've done Italian, tapas, Mexican, Chinese, Indian, cheese and wine, Japanese, steak, Caribbean, Greek and a special birthday edition and not only have we had some incredible food, but we've also had pure quality time together. Something you don't get in the same way on a date night in a restaurant because it's less private etc. And seeing as we still won't be returning to restaurants for a while, it looks like we've got a few more opportunities to continue with our date night tour of the world.

Losing weight

I know this seems to have been quite the opposite story for most people during lockdown, but I've actually lost weight. I had already lost quite a bit over the last year, but lockdown has made me realise how many of my calories clearly come from eating out. I cook really healthily, I don't snack too much, I never go to like mcdonalds/kfc/nandos, I have pretty small portions and I don't order takeaways very often. But I do like going to nice restaurants, probably 3 times a week on average, but often up to 5 or 6 times a week. Even though it's not a big greasy takeaway, there are clearly more calories than I'm realising because not having that during lockdown has made a big difference (even with the frequent dessert deliveries).

Saving money

The financials for people during lockdown have largely gone one way or the other, with some really struggling and others finding that they're better off from not having the chance to spend money on the things they normally do. I very much fall into the latter category and I've not been furloughed or anything so all the money I normally spend on holidays, spa days, eating out, expensive cocktails, bottles of wine, bottomless brunch and clothes to do said activities in, has been nicely squirrelled into my savings.

Appreciating the small things

I've said it above and I've definitely said it in early-coronavirus blog posts where I struggled to come to terms with the foreseeable landscape; my life is great. My life is exciting, adventurous and non-stop. I go on holidays and city breaks all the time, I go out for exciting meals and to do fun activities and to visit new places. Having all of that stripped away for the time being was hard to deal with at first, but once I accepted it, I've been able to find some positives. Like 'exciting' is now looking forward to a bath and a glass of wine after a long day, rather than an exotic city break away after a long week. The marker has had to be temporarily moved but on the plus side, it's given me more of a chance to appreciate the small things that would normally pale in comparison.

Living with Ollie

My favourite thing about lockdown is undoubtedly Ollie. Living together has been an exciting adventure in itself, and I'm happy to say that no annoying habits have been unearthed (well, no new ones anyway - there are plenty I was already aware of). And I think it's a good sign that we're just as good together when trapped in the house for 3 months as we are when sipping sangria on a beach. It's been a weird time, but there's no one I'd rather have faced it with than the one I love.