After the November lockdown, the UK government came out with a tier system for England as different areas had different rates of infections, so needed individual rules about what we could and couldn't do. The lower the tier number the lower the covid number so the more you're able to do.

Lancashire where I live, went into tier 3 on December 2, 2020, the first day out of the second lockdown in November.

Then on New Year's Eve, we went into tier 4, meaning all non-essential shops, including where I work had to close, this tier is effectively a lockdown. As I work in non-essential retail, I am therefore furloughed again until further notice.

So this lockdown is due to last at least six weeks this time which is when the government want the schools to be able to go back. It all depends on the rate of infection with the new variant though and also the vaccine roll out and it's results so we shall see closer to then whether it will last longer for schools or non-essential retail etc.

Lockdown 1

March 23 - 09 August 2020 (for me)

I had therapy and spent my time journaling through all my past trauma. I was very anxious and depressed as I had been since late 2019 but it was exacerbated by not being able to see anyone. Going from seeing dozens of people a day to barely half that a week was a huge adjustment for me.

We all thought this initial lockdown would last about three or four weeks, then after a few months, we had no idea when it was going to end.

Lockdown 2.0

November 5 - December 1 2020

I was in a much better headspace for this lockdown due to all the hard work I did over the first lockdown and continuing with it when I was back to work. But also, we knew it was only lasting a month, so we knew we had an end date to look forward to.

I was much more motivated to get things done this time and went into it with an action plan of tasks I wanted to achieve. I didn't manage all of them, but I did manage to deep clean the kitchen, living room and bathroom, so that's defiantly a win!

Lockdown 3.0

January 5 2021 - an unknown date as of this being uploaded

I'm still very positive and motivated. Again I had a plan of tasks going into this one so that helps to structure my days and the weeks ahead.

Instagram and updating my blog are the main focus of my social media accounts. I also want to continue working on my mental health and heal myself further by building on the work I did in the first lockdown.

We don't know what this year holds for us as individuals or as a larger worldwide community, but we know it's still tough for countless people and will be for many months to come.

How can we help others? How can we be kind to those who are struggling? How can we look after ourselves and our love ones?

So, as we enter 2021, we all need to remember to give ourselves grace, be kind and considerate of others and look for things that we're grateful for in our lives.

How are things where you are?

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