
Chloe Reynolds
Lessons I have learned in lockdown
Today marks exactly 13 weeks since the UK was put into lockdown, with an announcement due from the government in three days time as to what the next steps are to get out of it (which we are hoping will include opening the gyms). The last few months have been really tough for all of us and now the end is in sight, I wanted to reflect on some of the things lockdown has taught me personally.
The first thing I have learned during lockdown is that I am a lot stronger than I thought I was. I spoke about it in this YouTube video but if you haven’t watched it, I lost about 65% of my monthly income due to COVID and falling between the gaps in the government help strategies. I live on my own and what I was receiving from my employer was not enough to pay my bills. 5 years ago this would have been enough to throw me off massively and send me into a downward spiral but I managed to have a bit of a cry about it and then dust myself off and look what I could do to rectify it. I managed to get some temporary work at a supermarket and have been doubling down on my efforts to grow GFT.
Another positive thing I found out about myself is that my mental health is in probably the strongest position it has ever been in. I struggled a lot with mental health issues as a child/teenager and it is only really in my 20s that my mental health has become stronger. Of course, I have had a few wobbles during this time but on the whole, I have dealt with it positively. I have been able to see that this is only a temporary thing and also been able to look big picture and see the opportunities I have had because of quarantine that I wouldn’t otherwise been given. For example, I’ve been able to spend a lot more concentrated time working on GFT that my pre-COVID schedule simply didn’t allow!
