As we begin to ease out of lockdown, or atleast the UK’s poor attempt at a lockdown, and begin to restore some areas of our country to more normality I have found myself reflecting on the little silver linings I found during lockdown.

I am lucky enough to still have had full time work throughout the whole of lockdown, and so whilst I didn’t have loads of spare time there were still times when I had more free time than usual.

My lockdown silver linings

1. Much needed “me” time
   
   One thing I really came to appreciate, particularly at the beginning was how much free time I had to just “do me”.
   
   Since lockdown started I’ve found myself with more time in the mornings before work, after work and on the weekends which whilst it can get a bit tedious not being able to see people or go and grab a coffee, it has had some benefits for me!
   
   I have fit time in for exercise daily, I’ve baked more, I’ve finally started getting through my stack of what is now 10 books to read, I’ve gotten into a better routine, I’ve done some colouring to help me refocus my brain, I’ve started yoga – the list is endless.
   
   I’ve found that these positives in terms of my development, along with having a great support network and thankfully still having work, have really helped me to keep my sanity and to see the silver lining on this cloud.
   
2. Appreciation for what I have
   
   God I miss being able to see my family properly, and being able to see all of my friends for cocktails or a day out.
   
   I also really miss being able to pop out for a coffee, or go somewhere nice for lunch/dinner, or being able to go swimming, or popping into Newlook for a cheeky purchase!
   
   I am lucky that I live with my brother, his fiance, and their two children currently – so I haven’t been lonely. However, I have really come to appreciate some of the people and the things in my life. I think it has brought clarity in what makes me happy, what I deserve and what I want to be doing with my time.
   
   It’s also highlighted some friendships that hold the most value – and also those which I possibly find myself having to put in double effort. There are people that I am so looking forward to spending proper quality time with after this, and I am sure as hell going to be making the most of my evenings and weekends!
   
3. Getting fit!
   
   So fitness wise, lockdown has actually been a blessing for me. I’ve been able to focus a bit more fitness wise, despite having an injured foot which has put a stop to all cardio.
   
   I’ve now lost around a stone over the course of about 3.5 months, and am looking a hell of a lot better than I was last year. So on both mental and physical counts there has been SO much improvement. One of my friends actually commented “you’re looking slim tills” – which whilst I’ve never been considered overweight, was nice to hear after I’ve been putting in so much effort to just tone it all up a bit and lose some weight I put on after a rather crap 2019.

So, those are my three lockdown silver linings… What are yours? Share below!