Really? Another Lockdown

Hey guys,

I know I’m putting it lightly when I say that this year has been tough for a lot of people. It’s been much more than that, but accurately describing what this year has been like would require words that probably aren’t allowed on the Our Warwick platform.

This year we have gone from struggle to struggle and as a student it has often felt as if we have been left behind or forgotten. So what’s the point of me telling you all this? If anyone know this it is us, people that are living through it right now. I think my main motive for this blog post was to show people that they are not alone. If you head over to social media it often feels as if the world is continuing on normally, but this is a privilege afforded to few people. Life is hard at the moment, and has been for a while- you are not weak for struggling! It would be very tone death of me to write a post about how excited I am for lockdown and the current state of our country. If I am honest, the prospect of entering another lockdown is honestly terrifying to me, so I want to explore some tangible things that have/ hopefully will keep me from completely losing the plot.

1. (Arguably the most important step in all of the steps I will detail) I have sought professional help to keep my mental health in check. In other words, I started therapy. I think we’re actually really lucky to be at a uni that is able to offer us such services for free because Lord knows I would not be able to afford it otherwise. It is not the best of circumstances as it is online via Microsoft Teams (a software I never wanna see again after uni), but I really treasure the time that I get to truly purge and reflect on myself (I think I want to delve a lot deeper into my experiences with therapy in a separate blog post so keep an eye out). With all services being online there is virtually no waiting list anymore so I’d highly highly recommend signing up, even if it’s just for a couple of sessions.
2. I’m forcing myself to leave my flat. It can be really easy to stay in your room and wallow about the situation that we’re in, but ultimately that will do no good- trust me I’ve tried! I am fortunate enough to have a new job which has forced me to leave the flat multiple times a week. This has made a huge difference in my mood and means that I actually have an opportunity to get some human interaction. Please give yourself excuses to leave the house (safe and socially distanced of course). Even if it is just to take the bin out or post a letter, something is better than nothing!
3. Try things that push you out of your comfort zone. Today I auditioned for a play, something that I have not done in literally like 2 years. I was shaking at the prospect of it and genuinely contemplated cancelling but I stuck with it and guess what? I GOT THE PART! I think that just shows home important it is to go for things, especially give our current situation. There is no predicting what may happen next so you might as well do everything you were too scared to do.
4. Relish in doing nothing. This is a lesson that I most certainly have to learn. I’m the kind of person that will take on 589444793 projects at once just so I don’t have time to really think. But I’m realising that sometimes it is good to simply do nothing.

This is most certainly not an exhaustive list, but they are just some things that I have learned/ I am trying to learn. If anyone has any tips for me please do reach out. I know there are a lot of us in the same position at the moment, but it is also very easy to feel like you are the only one going through adversity. I am always just a message away if you need!

Olamide xoxo