The Pressures of Lockdown

I'm 2 months into my lockdown journey, with at least 1 more to go, and it certainly has been challenging. Not only has the physical aspect of being in isolation been difficult, I've definitely found the pressure of it pretty intense too.

Photo by Katie Meehan

The Pressure of Being Productive

The first day into isolation, I set out a list of tasks I wanted to complete. From sorting my wardrobe out to reorganising my paperwork, I had plenty of jobs to fill my time with. Similar lists were cropping up on social media and before long, my feed was filled with photo evidence of people's productivity. I felt like even though I usually spend the majority of my time at home, I now needed to join in with the new production pandemic. 

The 8pm Judgement

An incredible initiative which has blossomed through this is the 8pm clap for Key Workers. Personally, this is still something which I enjoy doing every week, but I put huge pressure on myself to get outside when I'm unwell. With my chronic illnesses, my health varies a lot, but I've almost crawled to the door to do the 8pm clap sometimes. I know a lot of others also worry about the judgement for not joining in for the clapping, thankfully I live in a lovely village so I'm sure if I didn't go out they wouldn't mind, but it is another internal pressure that has developed from lockdown.

Learn More

One last 'trend' is learning a new hobby or skill. Whilst I'm not against learning how to crochet or reading a new book, there's people taking this to the extreme. My advice is if you'd like to be productive, or try something new, set small, achievable goals. Or, break bigger goals down. This will then give you the least amount of pressure but then still the sense of achievement at the end.


I completely understand routine is important and productivity definitely has it's place within this. But what I'm trying to say is that we don't have to be over-productive. We are all going through difficult times right now which might not be the best time to put all these extra pressures on yourself. So be kind to yourself. Try not to compare to what others are doing. And, set small, achievable goals.


Stay Safe,
Kate x

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