Content warning: coronavirus, grief, relationships with food, and body image
Tuesday 23 March 2021 marked the one year anniversary of the first lockdown in the UK being announced. One tumultuous and heartbreaking year on, we asked our contributors to share their reflections on their experiences in lockdown and what has changed in their lives over this time.
“Even in my wildest dreams, I would not think that this would be the world we would live in. A virus that came out of nowhere and would go on to kill almost three million people and leave even more devastation and heartbreak. In the grand scheme of things, the pandemic has been okay to me so far. Furloughed from my job and cooped up in a tiny flat without seeing my friends or family in over 13 months, I have gone a bit mad, but there have been some silver linings. I moved in with my lovely partner permanently and have made good progress not only academically but in my writing too.” Shawna Healey
“The first weeks of lockdown were blissful. I know it’s strange saying this as a journalist, but as someone on the autistic spectrum, part of me revelled in having an excuse to e-mail and call people instead of exhausting myself socially. It felt good at first to work on my own terms – but I soon missed the warmth of my favourite coffee shop when the hoards of Zoom calls crept around the corner! Lockdown helped me reevaluate my personal strengths and gave my networking skills the springboard I never knew I needed. It also gave me some space to believe in myself, co-create new opportunities (Empoword Journalism!), and develop my independence.” April Ryan
“This time last year, I had just had the news that my A-Level exams had been cancelled. As someone who has always relied on the last minute adrenaline of study leave and the last month of revision leading up to public exams, I was devastated and terrified. But also naively held on to some faith that somehow, maybe, my performance in Y13 might pull me through (even though deep down I knew it was unlikely). However, instead of holding onto the fruitless sense of panic many of my friends were overcome by, I let myself dissolve into the nothingness of the first lockdown and having no responsibilities for the first time in years. And even though I was right to have a sense of worry in the back of my mind (things would fall apart quite spectacularly for me a few months down the line!) I’m actually quite grateful for those days I spent waking up reading fiction(!) and going on bike rides in my local park. The whole experience felt so surreal. Absolutely terrifying, but surreal all the same.” Aarthee Pari
“My housemate and I made a pact that we would stay in Cardiff for the whole lockdown: “it’ll only be a month or two, we’ll stock up on food and we’ll be fine”. But when our parents started to panic we were both collected and taken home on the day of the announcement – one year ago. Our final undergraduate year was completely cancelled and now we’re about to graduate from a Masters programme from a school that we have never stepped foot in. It’s a confusing feeling. Should we be grateful for opportunities that the new virtual world has given us? Or should we feel guilt for trying to carry on through this when so many friends and family members are suffering from the impact of the virus? Whatever the answer, it is so important to recognise how well we have all done to get to this point together and one day (if not today) we’ll look back and be very proud of that.” Caitlin Parr
“For me and the families of the 125,000 people in the UK who have lost their lives to Covid, this year has been jarring. I have felt and witnessed the heartbreaking internal pain inflicted by this horrible pandemic. The suffering felt by people like my Grandpa was simply horrible. I don’t want to reduce people to a death toll statistic and hope we can remember the joy and laughs our loved ones brought us, even though my heart aches. Thank you to our wonderful doctors, nurses, hospital staff, and care-workers for the humanity and kindness they have selflessly given. It does not go unnoticed; our key workers have without doubt kept us going. Let us be sanguine about the next year. ‘And when great souls die, after a period peace blooms’ (Maya Angelou)” Rebecca Walker
“I would be lying if I said the past year of my life has been easy. If you’d have told me a year ago that I would have endured a global pandemic while attempting to get good grades in my A-Levels and apply to university, I think I would’ve been tempted to give up there and then. But this year has shown me how strong I am. I’ve lived through the pages of a history textbook for 365 days and the light at the end of the tunnel is glowing a little bit brighter; I’m proud of myself for how far I’ve come.” Eva Bailey
“As much as lockdown has been a horrible time for so many, at risk of insensitivity, I have definitely benefited from having time to myself. Last March, my relationship with food and my body was chaotic, being all I focused on. I couldn’t have pictured how far into recovery I’d be now, using my newfound energy to develop my writing, for journalism, or met the people I’ve been able to (virtually). I’ve gained a confidence that was foreign to me before and even though things haven’t always gone smoothly, I’m so unbelievably grateful to be where I am just now.” Lucy Dunn
“This time last year, I was incredibly lonely. My college life ended abruptly and my gap year in Australia seemed unlikely. I had no direction until I found Empoword. It gave me a network of friends and something to focus on. What could have been a very isolating year turned into a time where I could try so many new things. Lockdown has not been easy at all but looking back, I am in a way grateful for the time it gave me to focus on what I want to do with my life.” Orla McAndrew
“Where do I begin? 366 days ago my life changed, and whilst at the time I thought for the worst, it actually turned out to be a pretty amazing ride. I won’t lie, there were dips and bumps along the road – sometimes craters when things got really tough – but besides the social distancing, lack of human contact, and a complete change in career path, I am where I want to be. I have made friends for life here at Empoword Journalism (you guys know who you are!), I have started on the path towards a career I am incredibly proud to be a part of, and I have grown as a young woman – sadly not physically. If it wasn’t for lockdown, I wouldn’t be where I am now, and whilst it has been a turbulent ride, we are coming out the other side stronger than ever.” Madeleine Raine
Featured image courtesy of Debby Hudson via Unsplash. This image has in no way been altered. Image license is available here.
First image featured in this article is courtesy of Nathan Dumlao via Unsplash. This image has in no way been altered. Image license is available here.
Second image featured in this article is courtesy of Inaki del Olmo via Unsplash. This image has in no way been altered. Image license is available here.
Third image featured in this article is courtesy of Christopher Beloch via Unsplash. This image has in no way been altered. Image license is available here.