Dear Steph,
It’s January 2020 for you and you’ve just finished framing your vision board for 2020. Your year has just begun and your board contains images and statements like ‘lose weight’, ‘go on holiday’, ‘save up’, ‘get a better job’, but you have no idea what’s about to happen!
You’ve been hearing on the news about the Coronavirus in China, well, get used to this being the daily topic for the foreseeable future!
Things are definitely different in April, a mere 4 months from where you are now!
At the moment, you’re scared of being made redundant because you’ve just been told your company has been sold to a competitor. You’ve been told you’re ‘at risk’ and you’re looking for jobs. There are no jobs out there for you yet, but it’s ok. Don’t stress. Now isn’t the time to change jobs – not yet! I know you feel low and lost right now, but businesses aren’t stable at the moment, people are only just starting to realise exactly how much you do, and better things are coming.
You wouldn’t believe it, but right now, you’re not working. Don’t panic though, you’ve still got a job and you’re (thankfully!) being paid 80% of your salary to stay at home. Yep, your wish has come true, although it’s not as amazing as you always imagined. You will be asked to work from home for a bit, but after that you will be ‘furloughed’. You won’t have heard of this expression yet – and yes, you will panic when you hear the term thrown around in *that meeting* later, feeling like you’re the only one in the room who doesn’t know what on earth is going on, so let me tell you now that ‘furlough’ is just a fancy word for your job being put on pause for some time (and believe me, you’re not the only one sitting in that meeting that doesn’t know what it means!)
You will be asked to stay at home in ‘lockdown’ and I cannot emphasise this enough, it is so important that you do! Thousands of people are dying every day. It’s devastating. But the community has never been stronger. There are rainbows everywhere and spirits are high. People are rallying together, communicating more than ever and checking in on each other. You even text your neighbours now! Every Thursday night people cheer, bang pots and pans and blow airhorns to thank the NHS. You always took your health for granted and never really thought twice about the NHS. You’re lucky and privileged that you’ve never had to spend time in the hospital and have never been directly affected by any health issues, but your views will change very soon and you will be so appreciative, not only for them, but of almost every area of your life.
While you’re at home, make sure you keep busy. Get off Boohoo and PLT. You don’t NEED new clothes. They’re not important. You’re soon going to realise how much you enjoy reading again, you’ll finish 3 books (which is amazing considering it’s the first time you’ve picked a book up in a couple of years!) and you’re going to finally redesign your blog and even get your own domain! You’re going to spark your creativity again and guess what… you’re going to actually stick to a diet and lose a stone! You’ll find it difficult, because good things never come easily, and you will be so tempted to cheat, but you will do it. You can, and you will. (I mean, you’re not quite into the whole ‘fitness’ thing just yet, but one step at a time…)
Do a few jobs each day to keep yourself busy. Get yourself a new hobby. List that pile of old clothes and unused make up on Depop. Keep on top of the housework. Get dressed every day and get up early. And for goodness sake, stop comparing yourself to people on social media! They might be isolating in a bigger house, rocking a better body and nailing the latest make up trend, but we’re all in this together. They are no different and no better than you. Keep in touch with friends and text them back straight away. I know what you’re like, you read a message with good intentions of replying later, but stop being so narrow minded. You don’t know how your friend is feeling on their end of the phone, and they may be reaching out to you for their own mental stability – of all people, you should know how that feels!
In a few weeks’ time your entire outlook on life will change. Your boyfriend will ask you a question which makes you realise this. He will ask what you want to do first when this lockdown ends. Your priorities will have changed, and in that moment, you will realise that going shopping, eating out and going to the cinema aren’t important. They’re not an essential to your life and you can live without them. In that moment you will realise that it’s not things or places that matter, it’s people. You will realise how much your family and friends mean to you. Of course you love them, and you’ve always been there for them and appreciate them, but now you will realise that they are what makes you you. They are your priority in life and they are everything. You would do anything right now to be with them (especially your parents, so give them the biggest hug next time you see them, in case it’s the last time before lockdown starts!) and they are the first people you want to meet up with when this all ends.
At times it will feel like it will never end. It will be an emotional rollercoaster and you will have lots of highs and lows. You will feel accomplished one moment, that you worked hard on the garden and finally sorted out that spare bedroom (which both look great by the way!) but you will also randomly burst into tears for no reason at other times. You will unfortunately lose a relative, you will overthink everything (as usual!) and you will have some very strange dreams, but you will get through it…
It will end, although at the moment I’m not sure when… but you will be that much stronger for it.
After every storm comes a rainbow.
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