navigating uncertain times, including covid19

What I realised was important to me during COVID:

I realised that consistency and routine were important to me. As much as working throughout the lockdown was hard, it was helped me anchor myself and forced me to do the small habits that I need to in order to maintain my wellness (getting out of bed, showering, eating routinely etc). 

I also realised how important my friendship group was, I hadn’t realised how much time I actually spent with my friends until I couldn’t see them – how much I missed hugging them (!!!). 

Tips, tricks and strategies that help me navigate uncertain times, including COVID:

Being completely honest, one of the best tips I have is to just acknowledge when you’re feeling like crap and that it’s okay for that to happen. It’s not a huge thing but it’s something I wasn’t able to do a few years ago and I would constantly push through my boundaries for work and relationships and would burn myself out constantly. Having regular sessions with my therapist via Zoom was great, keeping those in place and accepting that I needed to have those sessions more frequently also helped me.

Words that describe my experiences before, during and after COVID:

          Before: Present | Steady | Manageable

                    During: Near-constant | Vigilance | Tired

                              After: Ongoing | Flaring | (Still) tiring

          During the ‘Circuit Breaker’: Worry | Uncertainty | Confusing

 What decision makers and service providers need to know/do for people living through uncertainty and tough times:

Even though COVID was (and is still to a degree) scary, I felt like I was supporting a lot of my friends and family through their worries. To me, this shows the skills I have learnt over the years of having lived experience were useful to not only me but my community in that time of uncertainty.

Our experiences of uncertainty should be valued and used – not simply as a showcase or a case study, but as a model or guide. To influence policy and processes.

by Bernie, LELAN Team Member from SA