A whole lot of thoughts structured into blog posts
I was in my previous job for about a year and a half before I was furloughed in April and made redundant in June 2020 when the UK furlough scheme was being wrapped up. My role was in the IT sector, so only few jobs were affected by this in the pandemic compared to others. The disclaimer is, I did not enjoy that job. I loved my colleagues, but when we started working from home during the lockdown, I missed them and the work was much less exciting. From the day I started, fresh out of university, I was holding my head above water. I was getting by, but I didn't have the time, capability and support to go above and beyond.
Buying no new clothes for a year may not seem like a grand feat for a lot of people. This actually may be your norm. However, at the end of 2019, I found I had spent on the order of £500 just on clothes from fast fashion websites. This was around 3 - 4 items per month (remember when we had reasons to buy clothes?) and I can’t recall any being that remarkable. These were only the clothes I had kept, compared to the many I also returned.
You cannot deny 2020 is the year the world changed forever. We will never fully go 'back to normal' because that 'normal' no longer exists. That normal, however, was far from perfect. I want 2021 to be the year I embrace the many lessons have learnt from the last, even if they tougher and focus whole-heartedly on the positives.
CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) focuses on managing problems by changing the way you behave and think. It is one of the most effective treatments for anxiety and depression. This could be by identifying and challenging unhelpful thinking patterns, surfacing damaging habits and developing coping strategies to problem-solve more efficiently, just to name a few.
If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor' - Desmund Tutu In 2018 I was browsing in a Waterstones with my (white) ex. He picked up a copy of 'Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race' by Reni Eddo-Lodge which I had already read. He had a very disapproving look on his face and his body structure was identical to that of whenever I spoke about sexism. He was about to get defensive.
During my A-levels, I had a AS Maths module that I was greatly struggling with. After a dispassionate attempt in my mock set a month before my real exam, I achieved a whopping 3/72 (That's a U grade, Unmarkable, if you're wondering) which I completely deserved since I had understood virtually nothing all year. I've always been excellent at Maths, but the teacher I had just didn't click with me and I consider myself a hard-working individual but for the first time, I was stumped. Something had to change, and fast.
*WARNING: Spoilers ahead* Devs involves a Quantum Computing company called Amaya. "Devs" is Amaya's top-secret development project researching determinism and takes technological possibilities to a whole new level. The show follows Software Engineer Lily Chan (Sonoya Mizuno) who believes her employer is responsible for the disappearance of her boyfriend and co-worker, Sergei (Karl Glusman).
The coronavirus lockdown has made us find alternatives to gyms and exercise classes in order to stay fit and healthy whilst we're inside all day. However I must confess, I hate home workouts. I've given them a real try but find them miserable, gruelling and I just feel worse after. If this sounds like you, I thoroughly recommend yoga as an alternative.