The other day I was on a zoom call for a history class when I heard an explosion. I looked to my right to see a meter of red-orange shooting upwards like a rocket, attacking the kitchen! The room thickened with smoke as I yelled at my brother. We both ran over to try to fix it, but neither of us knew what to do and we couldn’t think properly under the stress. Meanwhile, my teacher was nonchalantly talking about the suffrage movement in the U.S. meters away. I ran over to my laptop to search up what to do, finding out to put the lid on the pot, which gets rid of the oxygen - duh! The thirty-second encounter with horror left scars in our kitchen, our beautiful marble top counter being burned with two pot rings and our cupboards blackened. The repair costs would be more than $10,000!
The stovetop fire is probably the most eventful, exciting thing that’s happened for me all of lockdown despite its danger. It sparked a sense of impulsivity and an adrenaline rush - rare feelings amidst the circumstances. We’ve been in lockdown for seven weeks and the novelty has far faded. It sometimes feels like a Newton’s Cradle going back and forth, having this sense of perpetual monotony. It also feels like living in real-life Groundhog Day - our own time loop reality! Lockdown affects each person uniquely, and naturally, everyone will respond to the experience in their own way, however, there are certainly some common themes to explore. Here are three ways lockdown has affected us.
Lockdown has affected school
Lockdown gives us freedom when it comes to school, though with freedom comes responsibility.
In lockdown, the most crucial ingredient for success in school is discipline. At home, no teachers are telling us to do work or school bells and timetables to manage our day. To complete our studies, we need self-motivation and self-discipline, which can sometimes be difficult - constant temptations are calling our name, like our phone, television, pantry, social media, or gaming console. There are distractions like family, notifications, or house chores breaking our concentration. Being at home can cause productivity to decrease while studying - sometimes time seems to disappear! A whole day will pass but it will feel like we didn’t achieve much.
When it comes to online lessons, who knows who’s paying attention when so often our microphones and cameras are on mute! The teacher says, “how are you” or “it’s lovely to see you all today,” and all that follows is awkward silence and pixelated profile pictures staring back. It can be easy to accidentally miss an online class, though at least they can sometimes be rewatched in your own time if they’re recorded.
Given we are self-motivated and disciplined, lockdown can be helpful to our learning. We can utilise the benefits of online learning, such as being able to individually manage our time. Through online school, we can discover more about ourselves as learners and use this knowledge to develop healthy, sustainable study habits. These sorts of insights and practices will help us after lockdown too.
Tips for learning in lockdown
There are two things I’ve found that have helped a lot with my learning.
Creating habits
I developed my lockdown version of a school day, waking up at a similar time, eating breakfast, reading, then sitting at the same desk to begin my study. Having this consistent routine has been very useful; it minimises the opportunity to decide to not do school.
Studying with friends
My friends and I would sometimes set up a time to study together, usually for the same subject. Working through tasks together makes schoolwork much easier and disciplines us to complete it. It also made school more enjoyable and less lonely, though sometimes calls with friends may decrease productivity and concentration; we can easily become distracted by one another, interweaving between school and personal conversation. Overall, it’s a helpful method of learning, especially if you find it difficult to stay focused on school on your own.
I’ve also discovered a couple of productivity hacks for making learning more effective and efficient.
Getting into a flow state
A flow state is where you become fully immersed in what you’re doing. It feels like there is nothing else besides you and your activity. It takes 10-15m of complete focus to enter a flow state - there can’t be any distractions. Other things that help include playing certain music, eliminate internal distractions by journaling, or working at your peak time. This flow state boosts productivity while making the activity more engaging and fulfilling. It can feel more satisfying than watching television or playing video games.
Output is much more important than input.
Teachers set tasks to help us learn. Sometimes I’ll be so focused on finishing a task as fast as possible that at the end of it, I’ll realise I didn’t learn anything. Similarly, sometimes I may already understand a certain concept but do the corresponding task just to say I’ve done it when in fact, it’s not helping me. Now, before starting a subject’s work, I try to recognise how each activity will benefit my learning and be more aware of my progress. If there are ten math practice questions available (all on the same concept) and after doing five I’ve gotten the hang of it, I’ll probably move on (whereas in the past I’d do all of them for the sake of it).
Lockdown has affected our mental health
Lockdown boxes us in; we’re continuously in the same environment with little to no change. It is taking a toll on our mental health, as proved by many studies showing increased rates of anxiety and suicidal thoughts in young people. Here are a few ways in which lockdown negatively affects mental health.
Lockdown is lonely and isolating
The detached, lonely feelings that come with lockdown is the hardest part. The irony is that during lockdown many of us go on social media more due to having more time and being desperate to feel connected, except social media can be more isolating. The highlight reel of social media never stops, whether New Zealand is stuck in lockdown or not. We scroll through our feeds, seeing several fun events, excitement and ideal lives, increasing FOMO and feelings of dissatisfaction, inadequacy, and loneliness.
There’s not much to do during lockdown and we can easily become bored
When we’re bored, we’re more likely to waste our time with meaningless activities like going on our phones, watching movies, playing video games, using social media, snacking, and online shopping. These activities don’t add any value to our life. They also cloud our minds, making us feel more lazy, foggy, and draining energy.
In normal circumstances, we’d be more likely to spend our free time doing more positive activities like going out with friends, visiting new places, doing school activities, or working a part-time job. These things give us new experiences and skills, encouraging progression in our lives. Normally, external events are also stimulating us. For example, we’ll be excited one week about meeting up with friends, then nervous another for our driving test. We’ll feel accomplished when we try something new then inspired when we hear a classmate talk about their experience overcoming a struggle. Outside of lockdown, there’s more movement and flow in our lives. Currently, every day, week, and month feels the same.
Introverts vs. extroverts
Extroverts are more likely to suffer in lockdown - they draw energy from being around others. They feel replenished from going to events, meeting friends, chatting with strangers, being in the spotlight of attention… The complete opposite of lockdown. On the other hand, introverts may find these overstimulating. Introverts draw energy from within, so being alone in lockdown is less likely to take a toll on them mentally, and for some, may even be enjoyable.
We’re surrounded by the same people 24/7
While we can appreciate being able to spend time with those in our bubble, only being able to see one another for such a prolonged period can become difficult. More tension or irritability can arise when we’re under stress with school or work.
The uncertainty increases anxiety
There’s no planning with covid. Lockdowns periodically bite us in the butt, and suddenly we all get stuck inside our homes as life shifts online. We have to live week by week, anxiously monitoring the news and case numbers, dreading Bloomfield's announcements. We never know when life will return to normal. This lack of a timeline contributes to making lockdown feel so unsettling.
The power of exercise
Exercising has completely changed my lockdown. Exercise is shown to improve our mood, help fight depression and anxiety, reduce mental fatigue (which largely comes from spending so much time on technology) and reduce stress. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t notice many benefits on my mental health, however, during lockdown, I’ve noticed a distinct difference between how I feel when I’m working out lots compared to not. My mood is elevated, I feel more motivated, and my mind becomes fresh. I’ve also noticed the benefits seem to be more significant when I exercise outside compared to inside. For example, going for a run in the neighbourhood feels better than exercising on the floor in my bedroom. Even just going out for a five-minute walk, soaking up some sunshine and breathing in fresh air can give a boost for the day. Exercise is important for our mental and physical well-being. Be inspired by Ronald Chen, the seventy-two-year-old running 15km-20km every day, creating interesting shapes with his trails like a Kiwi, a Tui, and the Australian map!
Lockdown has affected our relationships
Friendships
We don’t get to see our friends. Through our phones, we can stay in touch and check in on each other, but there’s no exciting element of going out to do activities, going to each other’s houses, or joking and laughing around with one another. Zoom calls, Netflix Party, or Instagram story replies are great options, but they can feel very surface level. Connecting with others online is just not the same.
Romantic relationships
Lockdown - especially one this long - can be very overwhelming and challenging for people who are dating. Partners have to support one another’s heightened emotions and work together to adapt to the changes. For long-term dating couples, lockdown could amplify pre-existing issues, while conversely, it could present an opportunity to work on and strengthen a relationship. An important factor is which bubble each person is in.
One day I saw a young couple outside standing two meters apart. They were waving at each other, blowing long distance air kisses, and laughing in between the tears rolling down the girl’s face. This is an incredible phenomenon that could only be seen during a Covid lockdown. This couple is lucky to be living close to each other, being able to meet from a long distance; for couples who live far away, they can only video call or possibly send gifts with online shopping. All these methods of connection can be quite fun and romantic at first. However, as time goes on, lockdown puts more and more of a strain on dating couples spending lockdown separately; it’s like being in a long distance relationship, except they’re forced into this challenging, uncertain situation with no chance to prepare. Loving couples long to be with each other yet have no idea when they will be able to as lockdown is continuously extended. If they’re struggling to adapt and make it work with one another, it can create tension, possibly leading to a breakup. Lockdown forces us to live in a socially and physically distant world. This goes against the human desire to be close to people - especially those we care about and love deeply.
For couples spending lockdown together, it can greatly improve or greatly weaken relationships. Living in the same household and being together 24/7, couples will inevitably get to know one another a lot more. They may realise their compatibility with one another, possibly discovering they’re not meant to be or possibly discovering that they are! Lockdown acts like an accelerator for relationships, speeding up the dating process.
Conclusion
I wonder how lockdown would be if we didn’t have technology and social media - how would it be different and how would it work? Currently, our whole lives revolve around the internet - even more so than usual - as we use it to stay in contact with the outside world and to feel a glimmer of connection with our friends. By now, most of us are longing for freedom and to go out and live our lives. I guess in the end, lockdown will just be one chapter of our lives that we’ll look back upon when we’re older and share stories about to our children. We might as well do our best to make the most of it and trust everything will work out.
Comments