It’s been a while since my last blog post and you might’ve noticed my blog looks a bit different. I’ve changed my blog template. I wanted something unique and I stumbled across blogflairdesign (formerly KateNDesigns) on Etsy. She has a variety of amazing and affordable blog templates for Wordpress, Blogger and Squarespace and I highly recommend. She kindly installed the template for me, made any changes I wanted and was really helpful if I had any queries.
2020 was an unprecedented year for everyone. Monday 23rd March 2020 is a day I’ll never forget as that’s when it was announced that we would be going into a national lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Last month marked a year of being in lockdown and for me, this experience has been an invaluable eye-opener. I believe we can all learn something from life in lockdown and as restrictions have started to slowly ease, I’ve had time to reflect on the past year.
1. You don’t need to be productive all the time
At the start of lockdown, there was this idea that you have to be doing something every day. It was as if it’s a competition to see who can do the most. Forcing that narrative can be quite damaging. I realised that it’s ok if you don’t feel like doing anything.
2. Work-life balance is important
Lockdown gave us a chance to reevaluate our working patterns. It’s possible to be productive at home and when things are back to normal – or should that be the new normal, the way we work will never be the same. Working from home is here to stay, giving people the time to cultivate a good work-life balance. Just recently, Nationwide announced that office staff will have ‘more control’ in choosing where they decide to work, once Covid restrictions are eased, with 57% saying they prefer to work from home full time and 37% favouring a mix of home and office-based working.
3. It’s good to set some time aside for your interests
This sort of links in with the last point. One of the things I got back into was drawing and painting. I realised that I never lost my creativity, I just didn’t have the time.
4. Supporting local businesses is so important
Sounds obvious but this pandemic really highlighted the importance of supporting local businesses.
5. Home workouts are actually quite fun
I was a bit sceptical about doing home workouts because I’ve done a few in the past and it’s just not the same as going to the gym. However, I became a home workout convert and I surprisingly enjoyed it…when I could be bothered to do them. I used an app called Daily Workouts; which offers targeted workouts and a full-body workout. There’s practically something for everyone. The workout routines are 5-30 minutes long so if you’ve got a busy work from home schedule, you can sneak in a quick 5 minute workout.
6. Loungewear is an essential wardrobe staple
Lockdown made me realise that I don’t own a lot of loungewear…and I’m not sure why. I have more going out clothes than staying in clothes in my wardrobe. I had to invest in some cute loungewear sets.
7. My skincare routine has improved massively
Prior to lockdown, my skincare routine was really basic - we’re talking face wipes, cleanser and moisturiser with the odd face mask thrown in for decoration. With skincare experts talking about maintaining a good skincare routine during lockdown and maskne (acne as a result of wearing face masks) becoming a thing, I upped my skincare game. I invested in a range of affordable and high end products which complements my skin and minimises breakouts.
8. It’s possible to dye your brows successfully
I couldn’t book an appointment with my brow lady so I became my brow lady…Thanks to Eyelure’s Dyebrow kit from Superdrug. I can’t recommend this brow tinting kit enough. It’s still one of my makeup go-to’s.
9. It’s possible to match your face mask to your outfit
There’s so many different face masks out there – plain ones, patterned ones, out of the extraordinary ones… you name it.
10. Retail therapy is a good mood booster
Retail therapy has been a good mood-booster during lockdown. It’s so versatile – you don’t have to buy anything. For me, browsing on my fave fashion/beauty/homeware websites, or even adding items to my Favourites counts as retail therapy.
11. Baking became everyone’s new hobby
I noticed a sudden influx in the number of people taking up baking as a newfound hobby and in particular, baking banana bread. The phrase ‘if it’s not on social media it didn’t happen’ is so outdated. It’s all about ‘were you even in lockdown if you didn't bake banana bread?’ I must’ve been in the top 1% of the population who didn’t jump on the banana bread bandwagon because I made chocolate chip and hazelnut cookies.
12. We’ve all been taking things for granted
I’ll definitely be appreciating the simple things a bit more and I’ll think twice about turning down invites.
Until next time,
C x
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