Lockdown Learning
It has been a cold day. A bit strange at this time of the year. We are in May already. May… it’s almost summer. What happened with spring this year? What did I do in the past few months? It just flew by so fast. This pandemic changed my life and turned everything upside down. I stayed at home for more than 2 months, without meeting anyone or doing anything. It seems nothing happened during this lockdown. But it only seems. Actually a lot has happened, but different things. I didn’t get any of the usual simulations but many new ones. This results the feeling of nothing happened when actually a lot has happened.
I was expecting at the beginning of the lockdown something like: I’ll have a lot of free time what I’ll use for cool things. Like a long holiday with myself! Never had such, but in my mind it felt good. I thought i’ll learning how to cook, read books, write articles at least once a week, think a lot about life and myself, accomplish online courses, work out every day, and this list could go on. What actually happened: I redefined work, workplace, work life balance. I redefined what home, family, relationship, friendship means. I wasn’t reading books, writing articles, doing courses at all.
Redefining home
Before the pandemic I met a girl. I got a couple of rejections from her but finally she said yes, and we went on a date. Everything was going well for a month or so, and the COVID reached our country. The fear appeared in our life and the virus infected our thoughts and minds. We decided to make a bold move, moved in together. It was a kinda risky idea at this stage of a relationship, but at that time it felt right. After 67 days of living together it still feels right. We live 4–5 days in my flat and after we move for 4–5 days to her flat. I couldn’t stay at one place for weeks or months, especially when neither of the apartments have a balcony or garden. This frequent moving was inconvenient at first but we got used to it in a few weeks. I realized home is not a place. Home is a feeling. I can feel myself at home at anywhere as long as the place gives me the feeling of security, stability, comfort. I don’t know where will we live after the lockdown, maybe we’ll move further from the city or closer to our families. It doesn’t matter to me anymore since I think home is not a place, not an apartment, it’s a feeling.
Redefining work
I never worked from home. I didn’t think it was possible, especially in my role. I work with people and processes. I was a bit scared of this at first. Eventually it turned out just fine. We figured out new ways we communicate with each other, created new platforms, events and forms to share information. Our productivity didn’t decrease, my teams still can perform quite well. I might write a separate article about our experience in this transformation. I quite like this situation for now, so do the people I work with. Maybe it’s the way to go in the future. At least for me. Workplace does not necessarily means an office, it can be at any place, at home on the couch, in a park under a nice tree or in a cafe. I just need my laptop and a headset, all done.
Redefining hobbies
I thought I’ll have way more time for my hobbies, but it is just not the case. I felt bad because of it at the first few weeks. I was failing to meet my expectations. I realised I made these expectations for a brand new way of living, it’s totally ok if i don’t meet them. Quic retrospect and refine the expectations. I was going to the gym multiple times a week. After the lockdown I had to find new ways of working out. I found online classes, without any equipment. I was skeptical about it at the beginning, but it turned out to be super effective. I have never ever worked out this hard in my life. I thought that to do sports effectively you have to leave your flat and you need equipments, actually it is not the case at all. I picked up old hobbies like renovating my flat and my car. I was planning to do these for years, now I’m really eager to do these tasks. I feel motivated, I feel the energy, and I create tiny goals which makes easier to push forward and not to stop. I learned it is useful to question the status quo sometimes, for example working out means going to the gym, or you have to leave the flat to do your hobbies, hobbies consume much time.
Redefining lifestyle
Living in a big city just got a new perspective. I moved to the capital for many reasons: job, better healthcare, more people, more friends, possibility to easily buy things I need, culture, entertainment. I get zero of the benefits of a big city since the lockdown, but I get all the negative effects. I’m in a small flat with no garden or balcony. There are many people everywhere which now gives me anxiety. All entertainment facilities, healthcare facilities are closed. My friends are staying at home, not meeting anyone either. It’s impossible to avoid public transportation. I started to feel the positive aspects of living in a small city or village. More nature, less people and so on. I’m seriously considering moving out from the capital if this situation last long, and I can work remotely from anywhere.
Redefining needs
I realised I have consumed so much. I spent on things what I didn’t really need and gave me the illusion of happiness. Happiness doesn’t come from consuming and buying. So little is enough to live a happy complete life. Happiness comes from your mind not from your wallet. I don’t eat out anymore, we cook our meal. It’s actually quite fun to cook. Way easier than I thought, I can eat what I want, when I want. It generates little extra work of course, but it’s cool to plan forward a week and research for recipes. I can save up tremendous amount of money by not eating out. I don’t buy unnecessary clothes, gadgets, which I thought I really need. I’m perfectly fine without it.
This lockdown changed my life so fast and so drastically. But in the end of the day, change is good, it helps us to put things to a new perspective and to evolve someone better.
