As we start to come out the other side of lockdown, into our new ‘normal’, I’ve been thinking about how lockdown has been for me (and us as a family) and what I want to have changed for the future.

It’s fair to say that the Government enforced lockdown hit me pretty hard in the beginning – my premises was closed overnight, and I was faced with having to move everything that I could online….. or lose it all completely. In comparison, my husband works in mortgages, so he was ridiculously busy sorting out mortgage holidays and ensuring that all customers were taken care of. I really struggled mentally for the first week or so, and there were plenty of ugly tears. I wasn’t sure what the future held, and that was not a fun place to be.
I’ve managed to transfer some clients to virtual training, but I’m not as busy as I usually am. Some weeks I’ve struggled mentally (usually when I have a free day), but I’ve tried to be as positive as possible…. some days this has been easier than others. I’m itching to get back to the studio, even though I know it will be weird at first. My passion has always been training people, and this has not faded in the time I’ve been away.

My favourite quote throughout all of this is “we’re all in the same storm, but not all in the same boat”. It really resonates with me, and it makes perfect sense. I have friends who are working full time and attempting to home school their children; I have friends who have been furloughed and suddenly have more free time; and I have friends who are largely unaffected work-wise. Added to this the restrictions around seeing family/ friends and the issues with shopping and panic buying, and we can see how different it can be for everyone. We can’t say that everyone has the same experience throughout and, even coming out the other side, not everyone will have the same experience going forward.

One of the things I’ve loved seeing is the kindness being shown by so many different people. Early on we decided to put a note through the doors of a few close neighbours, so they knew we were available if they ever needed help. Our village has pulled together to make sure that everyone that asks for help can get it. People are raising money for good causes, and supporting their local communities in a variety of ways. This is something I hope continues.

Something else I hope continues is the way I’ve been networking for my business. I’ve never been a massive fan of networking (as much as I know I need to do it!), but virtual networking suits me better. I’m going to continue with it, where it’s available in the future.

As life starts returning to something vaguely resembling ‘normal’ I’m conscious not to slip back into old habits. I think we’re all guilty of taking things for granted, and this period of time has shown me that we’re a lot luckier than we think. This isn’t to say we can’t feel low, of course we can, and no-one can tell you that you can’t feel a certain way, but I’ll certainly be more grateful for all the things I can do.

And I can’t wait to hug my family.