Things not to do in new Lockdown

jonteebee

What a silly dialogue.  Conversely,  I continue to shower every day and put on clean clothes too.  I find this self affirming, self respecting and it gives me a sense of control rather than allowing myself to be swept up in a tsunami of disregard, disrespect and just not caring which leads to feeling even worse about myself.  I learnt this one years ago when in a state of isolation, grief and loss (ages before lockdown which now resonates with that time) I had to stop and then start again.  So, coupled with not being clean and feeling fresh, do you stop cooking yourself a meal and revert to a pot noodle - or nothing?  No.  All that is saying is "you don't matter".  You do.  It's not rocket science and unachievable or difficult.  Just keep it simple - scramble some buttery eggs on toast, revel in a bubbly bath/long hot shower midweek in the afternoon (when were you last allowed to do that, eh?), Hard as it seems, change your sheets/pillow cases/duvet cover - so lovely to slip into after a !!!!!! day  Just give yourself permission to do it for YOU and absolutely nobody else and you will feel so, so much better.  JONTEEBEE  xx

lemondrops69

I couldn't do without a daily shower, if I didnt have one I'd feel so dirty. I love a nice hot and soapy scrunchy shower

PennyDD

I'm at home all day and drink plenty of water.  Consequently it needs to come out.  I'm going through toilet paper like I don't know what.  I'm going to cut down to only 2 sheets per wee and if it's yellow, I let it mellow. (Don't flush everytime)

Davesnave

jonteebee said:

What a silly dialogue.  Conversely,  I continue to shower every day and put on clean clothes too.  I find this self affirming, self respecting and it gives me a sense of control rather than allowing myself to be swept up in a tsunami of disregard, disrespect and just not caring which leads to feeling even worse about myself. 

....And you don't feel particularly inclined to accept any 'new normal' nonsense either, I'll bet. Well done.

tooldle

Davesnave said:

jonteebee said:

What a silly dialogue.  Conversely,  I continue to shower every day and put on clean clothes too.  I find this self affirming, self respecting and it gives me a sense of control rather than allowing myself to be swept up in a tsunami of disregard, disrespect and just not caring which leads to feeling even worse about myself. 

....And you don't feel particularly inclined to accept any 'new normal' nonsense either, I'll bet. Well done.

I agree. We might be in lockdown but i am still sat at my desk working. I might not be 'in my usual workplace' as such but I still have to behave professionally and for me that also includes making the effort. As tempting as it is to sit here in jeans and a fleece, i do make an effort for at least part of the week. It definitely makes me feel better to 'dress for work'. If i didn't, a large chunk of my clothing would be sat in the wardrobe doing nothing. 
I really can't think of anything that i an specifically not doing because of the lockdown other than perhaps meal times being not quite so regimented. The lack of commuting takes the element of rush away from the later part of my day. Equally though i'll often work on a bit to get whatever i am doing at the time to a place where i am content to leave it.
 If anything i have more time on my hands (no lane swimming sessions, no dog training club, and no visits to mum as her care home is closed). I've started to watch TV occasionally of an evening (something i never did before) and i have rediscovered my love of jigsaws. Another bonus is the plethora of free webinars aligned to my professional interests, all accessible from the comfort of my own home, in my own time. 

MrsStepford

I read in The Grocer, that sales of personal care products are down £380 million so ewwww

My husband has been working from home since March. He hasn't worn a suit since then, because he hasn't been to HQ. Besides which, it wouldn't be too affordable to have to dry clean the suits every time they were worn. 

I have bought him shirts, polo shirts, plaid shirts, cords, chinos and jeans and we have created a home office space for him in part of the sitting room, which happened early summer.

MovingForwards

MrsStepford said:

I read in The Grocer, that sales of personal care products are down £380 million so ewwww

Why is that ewwww?

I used to spend £10 a month on specialist shampoo, now I use baby shampoo and buy a bottle every 2 months. That saves me £111 a year. I'm using different soap now instead of shower gel, that saves me money each month too. 

Just because spending is down, it doesn't mean people are neglecting personal hygiene.

Sea_Shell

It's too easy to go into slob mode and just give up on what you look or smell like.

I've just splashed out on some of my favourite toiletries so I can pamper myself with "home-spa" days.

I've also still been doing my nails regularly, even though no one sees them (except DH)

I'd rather emerge out of lockdown a beautiful butterfly, than look like someone who's just crawled out of a cave.

😇

tooldle

On first reading, the figure seems huge. Taking into account the size of the UK population makes the change per head pretty small. 
Myself i know of a good few people who have stopped colouring their hair, since March. Beards seem increasingly popular.

thorsoak

jonteebee said:

What a silly dialogue.  Conversely,  I continue to shower every day and put on clean clothes too.  I find this self affirming, self respecting and it gives me a sense of control rather than allowing myself to be swept up in a tsunami of disregard, disrespect and just not caring which leads to feeling even worse about myself.  I learnt this one years ago when in a state of isolation, grief and loss (ages before lockdown which now resonates with that time) I had to stop and then start again.  So, coupled with not being clean and feeling fresh, do you stop cooking yourself a meal and revert to a pot noodle - or nothing?  No.  All that is saying is "you don't matter".  You do.  It's not rocket science and unachievable or difficult.  Just keep it simple - scramble some buttery eggs on toast, revel in a bubbly bath/long hot shower midweek in the afternoon (when were you last allowed to do that, eh?), Hard as it seems, change your sheets/pillow cases/duvet cover - so lovely to slip into after a !!!!!! day  Just give yourself permission to do it for YOU and absolutely nobody else and you will feel so, so much better.  JONTEEBEE  xx

Maybe its an age thing - for almost 50 years, I have had to get up, shower, dress smartly, do hair, make-up etc, slap a smile on my face and go to work!   I enjoyed my work,  but when I decided at the beginning of the first lockdown, that it was time that I retired, I thought at first that I would slow down gently - but becaue it was the spring/summer, I worked my butt off in the garden, in the house, etc etc etc.   With this latest lockdown - in fact since 15th December, I haven't spoken to anyone in person - yes by zoom, skype and phone, andkeeping in touch by email - I have decided that I shall only do what I feel like doing any day - I will always cook myself a proper meal - cooking is one of the joys of my life - but I'm not baking cakes, cookies or puddings.   I am wearing the same couple of pairs of leggings/tops which I shall gladly consign to the ragbag when I arise from hibernation but frankly, because I do matter, I shall do EXACTLY WHAT I WANT, WHEN I WANT - AND IF I DON'T WANT TO DO SOMETHING THAT I HAVE ALWAYS DONE - THEN I SHAN'T!    I am being kind to me (apart from not baking me any cakes or cookies!).   I shall feel better as the days get longer, as I can see more bulbs coming up, as I can find violets and primroses in my hedgerow - but now, I shall just be gentle with myself.   Oh - and who on earth eats pot noodles?   Certainly not I.