Hi @Bingo1234 ,
Thankyou so much for starting this thread!!
All I can do as a Sydneysider is empathise with you guys right now, and acknowledge that this must be an incredibly frustrating, exhausting, and weird space to be in, yet again.
I also really love the idea of sharing self care ideas- I know that lockdown taught me a lot about what I need to stay physically and mentally well, some things I already knew and somethings surprised me!
My favourite lockdown coping strategies:
I am also a passionate lockdown baker!! I often don't have time to cook as much as I'd like to 'for fun', and lockdown was a cool chance for me to experiment with some recipes I'd forgotten about, or had always wanted to try.
I had hits and total misses- I reckon I have now perfected my buttercream icing, can make some amazing soups and tray bakes, but my curries are still a bit hit and miss. What do you enjoy cooking @Bingo1234 ?
My second lockdown essential was caring for plants and my garden - I think @MB95 is another community 'plant parent' who can relate to this one? My gardening was also hit and miss, but I had more successes than failures which was nice! I did kill a few plants (grubs got into my pot plants and destroyed them, one plant grew some random gross fungus and I forgot to water one pot plant enough and it died) - but I also have some really pretty tangible reminders in my house today of that weird time.
My last one was getting some form of exercise in nature. That was anything from having a walk around the block, to discovering national parks that I'd never been to and rediscovering my love of bushwalking.
That one was a surprise, it really brought me a lot of joy. I love being out in nature, I love finding new things, and I also really love learning about the indigenous history and culture of my local area. It turns out there's heaps of bushwalks near me that also have some amazing middens/ paintings/ rock carvings, and that really gave me a sense of how fleeting our time on this planet is. If that makes sense. Plus, pretty things!!
I've started following heaps of bushwalking / hiking/ nature groups on social media and it always gives me a lift, gives me something to plan for in the future, and makes me feel heaps more positive about the world in general
Can't wait to hear other people's responses to this thread 💜
