Chronicles of Lockdown

It’s no secret that we’ve all had various struggles this year (without mentioning the C word), and we have all had our own ways of navigating. Here in Melbourne, we have endured some of the toughest lockdown restrictions worldwide and in many ways, we will emerge better equipped from this. We’re still locked up in our homes and it has become kinda normal, as has the fashionable matching masks we have to wear or we are slapped with a monetary fine.

Our lives have revolved around the Sunday press conference from the Premier hoping for the easing of restrictions, and the morning ritual of waiting for the daily number of new infections to be announced, praying they have dropped whilst we brew our excitable morning coffee. And now, we are sensing a glimmer of hope that our house arrest monitors will be removed soon and we can somewhat return to some normality.

As it has almost been eight months, the thought of returning to a normal existence is stirring a sense of great anxiety. I don’t know about everyone else, but I certainly do not miss juggling work, going to the gym, clashing social agendas and other commitments, running purely off adrenalin. Oh, and that anxiety you have waking up on a Sunday wondering what the hell happened after another night on the circuit.

After asking around, many have agreed that when we are allowed out, our social anxiety will be at its peak. We have spent months indoors (please note we are exhausted of Zoom catchups) and the idea of being thrust back into a revolving cycle of socialising is just a little…daunting. Lockdown has allowed us Victorians to truly evaluate what is important in life, so I have compiled a list of what life will be like for us after this storm passes.

1. Social Interaction

We’ll take anything right now. Please give us just one visitor to our home. I am absolutely done with Zoom but that is all we have (apart from a social walk), and it has genuinely saved our livelihoods. As summer begins to simmer, I envision a season of us out every night making up for the days lost in Iso. But in reality, being among a crowd is going to be completely overbearing and I’ll crawl straight back to bed to binge watch TV.

For many, lockdown has been a major cause for anxiety and depression. Living alone or being separated from family/friends has a profound effect on mental health, causing spiralling negative thoughts, feeling trapped, or a sense of panic.

For me, lockdown has been a strange sense of relief having suffered crippling depression for over ten years. It’s been an incredibly comforting break from the pressures to continue pushing myself to the brink, keeping up, forcing myself to socialise and to just be busy. So, the thought of emerging from lockdown is actually quite terrifying to return to an existence of doing too much at the hands of societal expectations.

But one thing that the majority of us could agree on is that we have learned to take a seat back and enjoy things in moderation; we have learned to cool down and enjoy what is most important to us. If you’re in need of some tips to cope with feelings of anxiety, please scroll to the end of the article! I got you.

2. Dining Out

A sensitive topic for us Melbournians. Our restaurant and bar scene are the veins of our city and hot damn it has hit us where it hurts. Thankfully, we have come together and support local businesses with takeaway, Providoor (a delivery service providing us with Melbourne’s top restaurants), and pop up cafes.

We’re done with the socially distanced coffee order down the street and we’re ready to splash out in style. And yeah, we’ll be ordering that bottle of Veuve, thanks. I would love to say that I will emerge this newly blossomed chef that is going to host some of the most epic dinner parties, but the truth is, I just want a medium rare steak from the local pub and to swap out that daily exciting visit to the supermarket to buy something I definitely don’t even need.

3. Exercise

At the beginning, I was all over my local gym’s iPhone app pumping out 55 minute daily circuits online. Sure, I felt like a proper pleb copying a pre-recorded video in the bedroom window for all to see, but I figured I’d be back in the studio pretty soon so ya know, I didn’t want to arrive back frumpy among all my fit mates. That was March. Fast forward to September, the gym is genuinely some foreign concept that has been left behind in the 80’s. Recently, I found this cool website called YouTube that has tonnes of free workouts, I can pause if the postman arrives, I can do it in my pajamas and…it’s free. Jackpot.

When looking back, I wonder why we put ourselves through a daily hour of sweaty mess to emerge sore, in need of a decent wash, a sweaty patch on a newly cleaned car interior and great, my fake tan has rubbed off on my socks. But I won’t lie, get me back on that Pilates machine I’m in need of a proper stretch.

4. Travel

This one hits heavy. If you ask anyone in Melbourne right now, they will provide you with their exact itinerary for their next holiday. We’ve had many months dreaming and planning this, and nobody is going to hold us down in 2021. Currently, we cannot drive further than 5km, unless you have a permit, intimate partner or it is for essential services. Heck, we would almost be desperate for a vacation at a caravan park on the Murray River right now (ok…maybe not).

One thing for sure is, we are not taking travel lightly EVER again. We’re putting Mykonos back on the map next year. Yeah, we will even consider going to North Korea.

5. Work

Secretly, I had been waiting for the day that we could work from home. Looking back, that daily anxiety to rush, sit in traffic and not be a minute over 8.30am was just a shambles. Coordinating that with gym in the morning, making sure you have packed spare socks and a towel for a shower, oh and also ensuring a change of clothes for that dinner you have booked after work.

Whilst we may be working harder than ever from home, we are also able to not wake up in a fluster we have missed that alarm, are able to schedule in that lunch time walk, oh and not have to wait to use the microwave in the communal kitchen when you’re absolutely famished. All in all, we’ve also gathered a lot of dust on our work clothes, which we are hoping still fit.

Tips for coping with anxiety during lockdown:

- Limit the amount of COVID coverage you watch/read about

- Focus 30 minutes a day in reading/something you have a real interest in

- Keep a daily routine, e.g wake up, shower and go for a walk each morning

- Re-frame your mindset from “I am stuck inside” to “I can focus on bettering myself at home”

- De-clutter your home to help de clutter your mind

- Start a quarantine hobby e.g. painting

- Schedule a teleconference with a professional should you need further help whilst at home.

We all cope in various ways and it is super important to recognise when you need to put your hand up and acknowledge you are not ok. In the meantime, refer to the above points and start planning your post-lockdown party outfit. It’s going to be a good summer.