Even for the optimists amongst us, it’s been difficult to feel positive about this past year. Yes, there have been some fun lockdown activities to break up the days, but, for the most part, this time has brought with it a long line of missed opportunities, fear for ourselves and loved ones, and a longing for the life that we were living before. Luckily, as lockdown restrictions continue to lift and life gets on the trajectory back to the real normal, we’re finally in a position to put these negatives behind us and start picking out some of the more positive lessons from our time indoors. No, we aren’t talking about your new skill in breadmaking (though that’s definitely a positive, too) but rather the lessons under the lockdown surface. Here, we’re going to look at what those are and how you can use them to make hay even when the sun isn’t shining. 

Image by Alexandr Podvalny: CC0 Licence

Lesson # 1 – A lesson in spending time with loved ones

If there’s one universal silver lining to imposed lockdowns, it’s the realisation of how important it is to take time socialising with our loved ones. We’ve all been guilty of making excuses not to meet up in the past, but all of that is behind us now. With some of us having been without family for over a year, we’ll probably be knocking their doors down as soon as possible, as often as we physically can. 

Lesson # 2 – The ‘life’s too short’ mentality

In true bucket-list style, lockdown has highlighted the need to embrace opportunities whenever we can. Luckily, for those of us with indoor-style bucket list items like writing a book or learning to knit, lockdown itself has worked wonders, but dreams like learning to fly or travelling the world have been put very much on the backburner. Now that these options are finally on the horizon again, we certainly shouldn’t hesitate to book flying lessons with a company like Aero Academy or arrange for someone else to fly us to that country we’ve always wanted to visit. After all, if the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s the fact that we never know when we’ll no longer have the option or ability to do those things!

Lesson # 3 – The importance of a work/life balance

Work/life balance has always been a wellness buzzword, but few of us have ever taken tangible steps to achieve it. In light of enforced flexible working, many of us inadvertently started to balance things better, allowing parents to spend more time with their kids and generally opening the floor for downtime that seemed miles away pre-2020. By continuing to prioritise a decent work/life mix, parents are guaranteed to find some pretty precious times, all of which ultimately stem from lockdown. 

Life has been incredibly tough for everyone throughout social restrictions, and we’re still very much in the thick of it. But, as things change for the better, ask yourself – am I making the most of what lockdown lessons stand to teach me?