LESSONS IN LOCKDOWN

'My family is what has really kept me going' Giselle Ashcroft, 33, Dubai

Lockdown for my family started before the local mandate. For us, cancelling our flight to the UK, the day we were supposed to fly, was the catalyst to be cautious for this "new virus" people were talking about. That was in March 2020. Within a few weeks, we had city-wide restrictions, a night-time sanitisation programme and then complete lockdown.

I didn’t take up new hobbies, though I had so many intentions to do a course, get fit and healthy and all those things you wish you had more time for, but with a little one at home who needed entertaining while we couldn’t go outside, those things just never happened.

Managing my own emotions was sometimes a challenge. The industry I freelance in came to a halt, meaning no real solid income for a good year. Thankfully my husband has a great job but it was the loss of purpose, or feeling of not being useful while having all this time and drive to do something productive with work, that I found difficult.

My family is what has really kept me going. As much as I would have loved to have given into the lockdown, the lack of work and potential time to be lazy, I had a toddler to make sure we got up each day and keep us on our toes, laughing and playing.

We did get bored of the lockdown routine and missed spontaneous days out, but as our restrictions ease and we all find a new "normal" these are slowly coming back. It is just that you have to plan them right.

Ultimately, I have learnt to stop being so harsh on myself. No one knows what they’re doing. So if you need a day to do nothing because you can’t go out, are fed up of "groundhog day" then do nothing. You are fine. You will be fine. Things will open up again. The work will come back. We’ve just got to ride it out.

Background image: A deserted street leads to Dubai's Burj Khalifa during lockdown on April 24, 2020. Bloomberg

'I enjoyed the first lockdown but this latest lockdown has been much more testing ' Sophia Goslitski, 27, London

I live in the UK, where lockdowns have been fairly strict – the longest was six months but at the time, I was doing a Pilates teacher training course, which kept me busy. As summer approached, I started painting, initially just making birthday cards for friends then on to bigger projects.

I hadn’t been as creative since leaving university and found painting really cathartic. I also did a weekly yoga session over zoom. During the latest lockdown I have been homeschooling my 5-year-old nephew so am developing a new skill as a teacher!

I genuinely enjoyed the first lockdown; it was a novelty to be able to spend so much time with family and not have the interruption of work. I am a model, so my industry essentially shut down for a while and it gave me a chance to create a routine every day and study.

The sun helped in the summer, being able to go for walks and spend time outside. This latest lockdown has been much more testing, the weather and novelty have worn off and having to homeschool every day and not knowing when my nephews will return to the classroom is challenging.

It’s been difficult not being able to plan ahead. I am 27 now and feel that a year of my life has been taken. I miss travelling as that was a big part of my life before. However, the positive has been spending so much time with family. Although being around children can be stressful, they also lighten the atmosphere and ensure that the conversation isn’t solely based around Covid.

I have learnt that life is unpredictable, and the most important thing is family, and good physical and mental health. We have been fortunate, but the terrifying daily figures show how many have not been. It is still an uncertainty but with the vaccines we now have hope.

Background image: An empty carriage on the London Underground during lockdown. Mark Chilvers for The National

'The lack of freedom made me feel trapped, but I have tried to focus on what you can do' Jessica Goodchild, 33, Melbourne

Melbourne was in the longest, most stringent lockdown anywhere globally with a staged isolation period for nine months from March to November 2020. We only had two weeks of reduced restrictions in June and then went into a what I would describe as a prison sentence for nearly five months! This meant we couldn’t travel more than five kilometres from our home, were allowed only one hour of walking exercise per day and all non-essential businesses were closed.

The hardest part was not being able to travel! Seeing, experiencing and learning about new cultures and destinations is part of my DNA and pure enjoyment of life. The lack of freedom made me feel trapped and not being able to see any family and close friends was the hardest test yet.

But I have tried to focus on what you can do and not what you can’t. To pass the time, I started a painting by numbers project with a friend virtually over Facetime, continued writing a travel book and learnt meditation. I got up every morning to go for a walk and watch the sunrise.

Knowing that everyone was going through similar challenges and it was only temporary helped, and supporting others, such as elders that needed food supplies brought to them.

I’ve also learnt the importance of slowing down and being more present. I took this time to process some past traumas that I realised I’d never actually dealt with and to heal from them, like how much I miss my mum, who I sadly lost two years ago, and how difficult it is to be apart from the rest of my family who live in the UK.

Lockdown is a different experience when you’re on your own, but it is empowering to have made it through solo too!

Background image: Police patrol a beach in Perth, Western Australia, during lockdown restrictions on February 1, 2021. Getty Images

' I began to see this as a time to enhance my relationship with myself'
Zahra Qasim, 23, Kurdish region

The lockdown in the refugee camp where I live with my family was very strict, especially in the first few months when the virus spread rapidly. I started living with two mindsets – one was excited to enjoy the holiday, while the other was worried about life.

As the days had passed, I got lost between the boring routine and the frustrating news of yet more cases of coronavirus. I started to live inside my mobile phone and lose the desire to communicate in person. Then, I realised that life had given us a chance to discover and define ourselves and found inspiration in the quote by philosopher Paul Tillich that "loneliness expresses the pain of being alone and solitude expresses the glory of being alone".

I began to see this as a time to enhance my relationship with myself and started writing my ideas and feelings down, which helped restore my inner peace. I tried to turn my negative energy to the positive and made time to dance and exercise every day. I caught up with friends online and started to record regular one-minute videos talking positively about what happened in my day.

I learnt that every situation has two sides, positive and negative, and we choose which way to look at it and determine how we want to live.

Background image: Security forces stand at a checkpoint during lockdown in Sulaimaniyah, in the Kurdish autonomous region of northern Iraq. AFP

'The hardest part has been disinfecting everything that comes in the house'
Sruthi Pandiyan, 20, Chennai

The lockdown here was quite strict and we weren’t allowed outside without a good reason. At the very beginning, my street was completely isolated because my neighbours were affected by the virus so even groceries and vegetables were distributed separately to each house. One nurse was appointed to check people's temperature and provide medication if needed, as well as an ayurvedic powder called kabasura that helps to boost immunity but tastes really bitter. For me, the hardest job every morning was drinking that kabasura water.

I was very lazy at the beginning of this lockdown but as the time went on, my sister and I started to do more dance, Zumba and aerobics as well as a bit of baking. I enjoy painting, so I re-decorated my bedroom, where I spent a lot of time on Zoom, browsing YouTube, watching television and catching up on the news.

Our three dogs have helped us to get rid of quarantine stress and it’s been good to spend quality time with my family.

The hardest part has been disinfecting everything that comes in the house - my mum wants us to clean every vegetable and grocery we buy to minimise the risk of catching the virus. She also prepares a lot of homemade medicinal drinks to keep us healthy.

A lot of people in my community have volunteered to help provide food for the homeless and I feel that I have learnt more about people during this crisis. I’ve also tried to boost my studies by doing a soft skills programme while taking care of my physical wellbeing by doing yoga classes.

Background image: A man cycles on a deserted road during lockdown in Siliguri, West Bengal, on September 11, 2020. AFP