Lifestyle | Living in the new normal 2.0

I'll be honest with you, I had a completely different blogpost scheduled to go live today but it didn't feel right hitting publish on it. Since the news yesterday of England going back into a complete lockdown with non essential shops, pubs, restaurants and gyms closing, I've felt extremely anxious and worried about what's to come, especially when I lost my job through redundancy during the first lockdown. It's hard right now to look into the future and see a time where we will once again be able to spend moments with our family and friends in close proximity. I feel frustrated, nervous and sad that things seem to be heading in the wrong direction again and after a couple of tweets feel like perhaps I could have taken advantage of the looser restrictions throughout the summer and spent some of that time with those I wish to spend time with. But that's not who I am and I didn't feel comfortable doing so. I don't regret seeing friends at a distance and celebrating special occasions from a few metres away. I think we all know this could have been avoided, and I don't know about your social media, but I have certainly seen 'friends' hugging, drinking and holidaying together and felt annoyed over the last few weeks. I wish I could feel the same sense of freedom to be able to comfortably do the same but I don't and that's ok. How others interpret the rules is up to them, but I personally couldn't put my grandparents at risk. We now have four weeks to get it right, and I truly hope people do as they should and abide by the rules. If things are better by December I live in the hope we can once again spend time with family and that Christmas will feel 'normal', although what even is that anymore! 

So with that, what can I do differently this time that I didn't do back in March? 

Daily Exercise

I did exercise every other day during the first lockdown and even completed the Couch to 5K app! I noticed how positive I was during the days I would run and although I often felt knackered on the in-between days the adrenaline the day after worked wonders for my mental health. I'm going to try and do at least an hour a day of some form of exercise. Whether that's a Joe Wicks Youtube workout or a run in the garden I hope to get moving, If only to eat some sweet treats! 

Painting

I rediscovered my love for painting during the first lockdown and as things started to re open and my small business became my only job (curse you COVID for ruining my new 2020 job!) painting became less important. I have so many ideas how I can incorporate painting into my designs and I hope I can make some special pieces to potentially sell at Christmas! 

Christmas

Speaking of Christmas, what better time than to work on my Blogmas posts! I literally have no excuse now of not having the time considering we have ALL the time! I always loved doing the monthly blogmas posts throughout December but the stress of writing and posting can be a little daunting. Hopefully I can write, publish and schedule with ease before the 1st of December allowing me to enjoy the season in all it's glee. 

Christmas Presents

Finally, November can be the month I get everything done and dusted for Christmas presents. I love buying people gifts and I'm hoping to actually make lots this year. Being given the gift of time can be so useful for crafting. Plus, with my small business now becoming a true passion project of mine, a lot of what I make can co-exist with that! 

I hope you're all feeling ok with the latest news, I did mention it on Twitter but if anybody ever needs a chat then please reach out to me or someone you love. There was a quote I read that said 'Not everyone is in the same boat, but we're all battling the same storm'. So please don't feel alone. Things will get better, we've just got to ride it out. 

Until next time, stay safe x

My gorgeous Alice <3 

Living life in the new 'normal'

It still blows my mind how different life has become over the last 2 months. If you had told me this would be the state of the UK back in January I would have called you a liar. The country seems to be all over the place with varying views depending who’s doing the daily update.... let’s not even begin discussing Boris addressing the nation with what could possibly be THE most confusing instructions in the world. It seems when we think things are beginning to feel somewhat normal another change is made that makes the world seem uncertain again. This week has been highlighting World Mental Health Awareness, and I couldn’t think of a better time when it could be needed more. It’s not secret I’ve struggled with my own mental health, but if I’m being open the last few months have been tougher than ever. I’ve been taking certain steps to make sure I’m looking after myself and my MH during this time. 

I’ve made sure to take some time for me as and when it’s needed. This can sometimes be the last thing on your mind especially if you’re feeling anxious but it’s so important. Keeping busy has helped me to focus on something other than the continual negative news we’ve been receiving on a daily basis. I’ve been keeping busy by being creative and using my time on furlough to restart my crafting business. If you’re in need of cake toppers, cards or anything else personalised I’m your gal! Staying connected with family isn’t a new concept, especially with the introduction of Zoom to my life, but it is so important. My wider family and I have been talking on zoom every Sunday as a way to just talk, have a little quiz and to catch up. It’s been so nice to speak with everyone and ironically I feel like we’ve become closer than ever before. Now, for something I could never have thought to read on my blog...exercise!! Yeah I know, I hate myself for saying it too! But exercise has really helped me focus my energy on something positive. I downloaded the BBC couch to 5K app and find it easy to follow and quite enjoyable to do. Take it from someone who could run for less than 20 seconds at the start, the fact I’ve just ran my first 5K after 5 weeks should speak millions! Dare I say I’m actually finding it a little bit enjoyable now?!?! Again, I HATE MYSELF TOO! Finally, keep talking. It’s easy to want to curl up into a shell when times get tough, believe me I've been there, but making sure to keep conversations open with family and friends is so important. Sometimes a quick little 'I'm ok, but would like to spend my day sitting in bed playing Animal Crossing' is enough to get the message across and lets them know you want some time out. I've certainly been using that excuse on more than one occasion! Talking with family/friends also helps you to check in and make sure they're ok too. Times are weird for everyone and people cope in different ways, showing you care can help you feel loved and supported. 

This week I plan on taking some time to reflect on the good things I have learnt and the skills I have gained since lockdown began. Perhaps I will share them in a post soon! For now stay safe and stay positive. 

Until next time,