Finding the positives
Week Two of restrictions and I should point out before we go any further that not only is the country in
virtual lockdown, it also happens to be Lent. I don’t always choose to give something up for Lent, but
this year I chose to give up chocolate. Why on earth would I do that, you ask, especially at the
moment? As with so many other daft decisions I’ve made over the years, it seemed like a good idea
at the time. So not only do I have to work at home, with my husband (you know, him in the
“fun office”), with limited time outdoors, I have to do it without the aid of chocolate. Although that’s
probably a good thing as I suspect I’d be mainlining it intravenously by now. One more week to go,
kids, then I can face plant into an Easter egg!
virtual lockdown, it also happens to be Lent. I don’t always choose to give something up for Lent, but
this year I chose to give up chocolate. Why on earth would I do that, you ask, especially at the
moment? As with so many other daft decisions I’ve made over the years, it seemed like a good idea
at the time. So not only do I have to work at home, with my husband (you know, him in the
“fun office”), with limited time outdoors, I have to do it without the aid of chocolate. Although that’s
probably a good thing as I suspect I’d be mainlining it intravenously by now. One more week to go,
kids, then I can face plant into an Easter egg!
I’m sure we’re all seeing similar changes in the week and a half since we’ve been asked to make
changes to our lives. One of the positives to come out of it this situation is that we’re all making more effort to speak to each other regularly. It would be easy to drift apart from anyone who isn’t family during this period, as the opportunity to meet up has been taken away, however most nights, up and down the nation, people are settling down to chat to friends and family via all sorts of methods.
changes to our lives. One of the positives to come out of it this situation is that we’re all making more effort to speak to each other regularly. It would be easy to drift apart from anyone who isn’t family during this period, as the opportunity to meet up has been taken away, however most nights, up and down the nation, people are settling down to chat to friends and family via all sorts of methods.
I’ve had the dubious pleasure of trying to teach my parents how to use Facebook Messenger to video
call. Each call still involves a bit of swearing (them, not me) at the start but it’s nice to be able to see
them eventually. My friends and I have also started a Friday night drinks-and-chat call, which provides
much-needed entertainment, and that’s just getting us all to dial in!
call. Each call still involves a bit of swearing (them, not me) at the start but it’s nice to be able to see
them eventually. My friends and I have also started a Friday night drinks-and-chat call, which provides
much-needed entertainment, and that’s just getting us all to dial in!
My group of running friends has also been sharing some of the more entertaining running-related
photos that we have of each other. Not all of them involve actual running (we do more talking, eating
and laughing than actual running) but there’s lots of fancy dress, silly hats and fantastic memories in
those photos. We have so much fun together and hopefully we’ll be back to it sooner rather than later.
photos that we have of each other. Not all of them involve actual running (we do more talking, eating
and laughing than actual running) but there’s lots of fancy dress, silly hats and fantastic memories in
those photos. We have so much fun together and hopefully we’ll be back to it sooner rather than later.
In office news:
- the landing at the top of the stairs has been designated as the communal breakout area - this is where the squash and biscuits are kept
- I’ve been successful in my application for the role of office manager. I already buy the tea, coffee, milk and biscuits and am the only person who knows where the envelopes are, so I’d have been surprised not to get it
- a no-alcohol policy in the workplace policy has been introduced after someone (who shall remain nameless, but it wasn’t me…) suggested they might like a beer after lunch, so as office manager, I had to act decisively. I'm not having this place descending into anarchy; it's an office, not Ibiza!
We’ve coined a new phrase in the office this week: wealthbeing. You may spot the combination of
health and wellbeing in that word, and it’s important that we get the right balance of work and home life, to support said wealthbeing. It’s easy to think of something work-related and "pop upstairs" to action it, regardless of the fact that it’s 8:30 in the evening. And yes, I know it’s not as if you’d be doing anything else anyway, but if this is you, then stop it! It’s more important than ever to keep the distinction between work and home or we’ll end up stressed all the time if we feel like there’s no separation.
health and wellbeing in that word, and it’s important that we get the right balance of work and home life, to support said wealthbeing. It’s easy to think of something work-related and "pop upstairs" to action it, regardless of the fact that it’s 8:30 in the evening. And yes, I know it’s not as if you’d be doing anything else anyway, but if this is you, then stop it! It’s more important than ever to keep the distinction between work and home or we’ll end up stressed all the time if we feel like there’s no separation.
One of the positive changes for me since starting to work from home is the increase in my daily exercise.
Now that I don’t have to travel 45 minutes to and from the office every day I’ve got time to exercise before work. I’ve never taken being outside for granted, so I’m making the most of my daily exercise
allowance and if it's nice enough I'll also sit in the sun at lunchtime. Not done much of that this week
though as spring seems to be in lockdown too and it's been a bit parky out.
Now that I don’t have to travel 45 minutes to and from the office every day I’ve got time to exercise before work. I’ve never taken being outside for granted, so I’m making the most of my daily exercise
allowance and if it's nice enough I'll also sit in the sun at lunchtime. Not done much of that this week
though as spring seems to be in lockdown too and it's been a bit parky out.
Amongst the things to look forward to in the next week (I say this as if I've got hundreds of things
planned; it's mostly cleaning) is a virtual 5k relay race that a running friend of mine has organised. We’ll
compete in teams of three and each person will run a (socially distant) 5k and post their time, and the
team with the fastest combined time wins. Despite being very lovely people, we’re all quite competitive
(apart from me, but only because I’ve got no hope of competing) so this will be a hotly contested relay,
make no mistake. I’ll let you know how we get on...
planned; it's mostly cleaning) is a virtual 5k relay race that a running friend of mine has organised. We’ll
compete in teams of three and each person will run a (socially distant) 5k and post their time, and the
team with the fastest combined time wins. Despite being very lovely people, we’re all quite competitive
(apart from me, but only because I’ve got no hope of competing) so this will be a hotly contested relay,
make no mistake. I’ll let you know how we get on...
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