Hello Orla,
It’s funny to think that at the beginning of this year you had so many plans. So much to do. In May and June, it was A-Levels, August would be celebrating those results, September a family wedding, and then moving abroad in October.
The world, however, had other ideas for how this year was going to go. You’ve always loved reading dystopia. Surprisingly, living in a world that seems like it’s an episode of Black Mirror or a piece of fiction is not as fun.
Home is where you are always at you are happiest but be prepared to struggle whilst being at home 24/7. However, also be grateful for that time with family. We are normally incredibly busy so enjoy the quiet. Enjoy the days you spend snuggled up watching TV, going on walks together, and working from home together. Enjoy the days you drive each other completely mad – you’ll be laughing about it in a few weeks.
PUT DOWN YOUR PHONE. Ok sorry for shouting but seriously you spend so much time on that thing. You spent lunch scrolling when you should have been talking to the people around you. Worry consumed a lot of your social interactions, I wish you hadn’t wasted that time.
Stop comparing yourself to others, it’s ok to mute or even unfollow people who make you feel down. Everyone is moving at a different pace – that’s the same in lockdown. Just because you spent the day in your pjs binging TV and eating junk food whilst someone else made banana bread and went for a run doesn’t mean that you failed.
Before lockdown, you were incredibly cautious, scared of putting yourself out there. I’m not entirely sure how you thought you’d get a career in writing without actually sharing any of your work.
If I could go back in time and tell you that you would co-found a journalism website in the middle of a pandemic and keep it going. Well, you wouldn’t believe it for sure. Be proud of putting yourself out there, be happy when you make new friends. Social media can be tough to deal with. Use it to your advantage, keep in touch with old friends and make new ones.
Don’t let yourself be alone.
Most importantly be proud of yourself, what you did before lockdown as well as what you’re doing now. So what if you’re not living abroad in the sun right now, you are healthy, happy, and doing what you love. Just have fun.
P.S
Download zoom on your computer sooner rather than later – trust me!
Words by Orla McAndrew
Image credits to Diane Helentjaris via Unsplash. Image rights can be found here. This image has not be altered.