Surviving lockdown as an overachiever
In this guest blog, Liz Morphew shares how a Type A personality survives lockdown when there's nothing to do and nowhere to go.
I'm not great with downtime. Fact.
It's not that I don't love a duvet day / Netflix binge, a long bath, or lightly toasting myself out on a sun lounger, it's just that I feel a sense of guilt if I'm not using my time 'productively'.
I can categorically say I'm not a 'live to work' kind-of-person, but I am one to fill my time with projects, hobbies and social engagements. I suppose I feel my best when I'm spinning a few plates and dipping my fingers in a pie or two. I just love the buzz of being busy.
Going into lockdown was no exception, in fact I was actually excited to be at home, to finally have time to do all the little jobs I 'never get around to', to exercise, learn new skills, cook and to just 'own' my day instead of being a slave to the commute.
I was looking at this as a 'time to grow', an opportunity to mix up the daily grind and a time to be a bit more 'free' but the truth is, lockdown is anything but freeing. You're either entirely alone or fighting for an inch of space in an overcrowded house, day in day out. You're scared; on edge at the supermarket, worried about relatives, angry at those not taking this seriously. You deeply miss the people you care about most and yet the thought of another Zoom based quiz fills you with dread. You're exhausted but sleeping more than ever, and let's not even go there with the number of wine bottles you're adding to the recycling bin each week.
The truth is lockdown isn't normal. It's hard for all of us and there's no magic number of tasks on a 'to do' list that is going to make that go away.
As a Type A personality myself, lockdown has thrown my usual coping mechanism (keeping busy) out the window and I’ve had to adjust both my behaviour and mindset if I’m to stand a chance during this period:
One goal
Instead of trying to achieve three things a day I’m now aiming for just one with the prerequisite to be fully present throughout, no distractions and no expectations.
Reaching out to friends
As a vulnerability-phobe I can find it hard to reach out and ask for help, but letting down the ‘perfectionist' guard and having an honest conversation about how you’re feeling is not only a weight off your shoulders, it’s deeply connecting and has personally brought me closer to the special people in my life.
Rest
Rest has probably never made an appearance on my to do list and yet it’s one of the most important components to good mental health. It may not be exciting and there’s no tick-able satisfaction you get with other tasks, but allowing yourself at least one day of ‘nothing’ is incredibly rewarding and can actually energise and motivate you for the rest of the week.
Letting go of the list
At the start of lockdown I was in achieve mode; I’ve always understood this to be my way of keeping boredom at bay, but I’ve come to realise that this behaviour actually feeds into one of my deepest fears: wasting my time on this earth. Life is short and I vow to make every moment count, but somewhere along the line that has translated itself into: ‘fill up every single moment possible’. When you choose to live your life in this way you never really stop to smell the roses or appreciate the little things, it’s all about the end result, and the joy of the journey gets lost. I can’t say it comes naturally, but I’m starting to see the beauty in just ‘being’ rather than always ‘doing’.
I’d love to say I’ve figured out the secret formula to surviving lockdown but for the moment it’s just a case of trial and error, and doing my best to accept the current situation as it is.
We'll each have our good days and a handful of the teary ones, but there's comfort in the cliché 'We're all in this together' because, maybe for the first time ever, we actually are.
Stay safe and be kind,
Liz x
I hope you found this blog post helpful in some way and I’m always keen to hear your thoughts - let me know over on Twitter @RachelKellyNet
About the author
Since arriving on the scene in late 2011 with her debut EP ‘The Arrival’, the enigmatic and elusive Queen of Hearts has quietly carved out a niche for herself with just a small handful of carefully executed independent releases, cementing her status as one of the most exciting UK faces in electronic music.
The pseudonym of 30 year-old Liz Morphew, the combination of breathtaking fashion-forward visuals alongside cutting-edge productions has made her a mainstay of both music and fashion press, with single ‘Neon’ fronting campaigns for both Henry Holland and Topshop, as well as being featured on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, NBC’s ‘Do No Harm’, and Hollywood blockbuster ‘How I Live Now’.
A jazz trained singer raised on a diet of 80’s synth-pop, it wasn’t until she moved to London in her late teens and began writing with some of East London’s finest underground musicians that she realised her talent.
Crafting her sound alongside the likes of The Sound of Arrows, Monarchy, Dreamtrak, Diamond Cut, Mark Reeder and Devils Gun, the singer/songwriter released her debut album ‘Cocoon’ in 2014.
Never afraid to reinvent her style, sound, or hair colour, this captivating performer has manifested an eight-year career that any major label artist would be proud to own; touring the UK, Europe, Asia as well as the likes of Coachella, CMJ, Wireless Festival, BT London Live, Yahoo! On The Road and London Fashion Week under her belt.