Tips to Survive Lockdown!

This was how I started in 2020, and still holds true! How I have survived the lockdown, and still surviving 😊

My Lockdown CHECKLIST!

Things that seemed to be mandatory during Lockdown. It became like cult habits. I do not shy away from admitting that I did all of these things to be “in the league” and relish the feeling that I am ticking off all the “lockdown required to-do list” It seemed like a test, a marathon, where I was running against myself.

• Dressing up for work (while working from home). In the beginning, it was like clinging to that old normal, that I am going to the office. But later on, it became my second nature. I would not discount the advantages it had:

o My family knew my work-day has started

o I knew that “I am at work”

o There was no panic if a meeting turned out to be a video call

o The formals are still intact

o I am out of my nightdress and not lounging in my pyjamas till 12 pm

o And the most important ways, I felt fresh, I was energetic and kicked off the feeling that I can not go out

• Gave me a self-hair cut (though it looked like that, suddenly the cobbler got hold of my hair). I hated the self-inflicted torture. I did not spare my daughter as well (son was in the hands of my husband) and to give her a nice haircut, the scissors went too far. Result: a bawling unconsolable kid who pronounced that I was the worst mother and would never let me touch her hair again. She wanted to be Rapunzel and I had crashed her dreams like that worst witch. Anyways it did take a lot of effort and encouraging words from my husband, that it was NOT THAT BAD. And the girl is looking cute!

• Every call had to be a “video call”. Now, this was tiring and left me fatigued. It’s not so nice to look at your dull skin, kohl-less eyes, plain lips and that cobbler done haircut while on a video call. I think because we are SO HARSH on our own, that every time we look at ourselves in the mirror, we hate ourselves.

• Madly rationing up on grocery (As if the world is coming to an end, and suddenly there will not be any food left on Earth) I did that and yes there was no space left. I was horrified after seeing the stock which had been picked up. It was that underlying fear that for adults it’s fine, what about kids. Of course, there has to be a sufficient amount for kids. And the definition of sufficient was indeed like full pressure on the cupboards

• Suddenly you have become a chef/ baker and you are doling out all the snacks which you could never think of cooking at home (homemade snack video were the top videos which you had searched for)

• How can fitness be left behind and you are participating in all the “Weird” fitness challenges and even posting those videos online

• When you have become everything from barber to chef to baker to fitness freak then how could the writer be left behind. You remembered about your long-forgotten website

• And how could I forget the “infamous”, DALGONA COFFEE? Haven’t tried it yet? Don’t put yourself in the epic fail bucket and go try it now!

Want to know how the character of my next novel is unfolding, follow me on Instagram