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!

From a more practical standpoint, lockdown has taught me that you always need to have a backup plan that you can action with only a few days turnaround. Although nobody could have seen this crisis coming, my lack of a strong back-up at beginning of 2020 contributed in part to the problems I was facing at the beginning of lockdown. I had been in the process of filling up my emergency fund and buying a house when this all struck so didn’t have the reserves I should have done. Lesson learned. Had I got my act together and been more proactive about sorting this it may have saved me a lot of worry. A back up plan might be a pot of money you can dip into or side hustle that you know can earn you money if ever you lose your main source of income. It could also be a skill set that you know could find you work, such as being able to teach fitness classes (great idea 😉), playing an instrument or being able to make craft items to sell.

The final thing that lockdown has taught me is that it is ok to not be perfect or thriving all the time. At the tail end of last year, I told myself that 2020 was going to be the year I really went for it and concentrated hard on my goals. Aaaaaaaaaaand then this all happened. We can all be accused of showing the world our highlight reel and that’s why I’m trying to keep it honest with every blog post and video I put out there. I want to show my audience what it really looks and feels like to start a small business and not just sugar coat everything! GFT is being built by an actual human being and isn’t some big corporate brand, and I want to show people that.

So, the first half of 2020 may have been a big old mess but there are still 6 months of the year left that we can all use to focus on ourselves and our goals. What are the lessons you have learned during lockdown? Drop me a DM on Facebook or Instagram @gftcourses or send me an email on chloe@gftcourses.com. I’d love to hear from you!

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