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How I am Coping With The Pandemic

This is a stressful time to say the least. Everything is impacted by COVID-19 in some way, and it’s difficult to ignore what is going on because every social media platform you access, every radio & TV station, every email & newsletter you get, in some way, shape or form, reminds you of this terrible time we find ourselves in. Now now, before you bite my head off, I am not saying people should be oblivious to what is going on, I think it’s important to stay informed & updated on what’s happening in the world, but I also think it’s equally important to limit the intake of all this information. I don’t know about you, but it can get quite overwhelming for me.

Disclaimer: The views & opinions expressed in this post are my own. You don’t have to agree, but don’t come for me.

Now, I know there’s a lot of information out there about what precautions to take and what our responsibility is regarding flattening the curve & ensuring we win against coco-v, so I am not going to tell you all that, instead, I will tell you what I have been feeling through out this whole thing, and I will sum it up in 2 words: IT SUCKS! It’s not all bad, but man it sucks!

In all the years that I have been employed, I have never been so tired of working from home. This is something I used to enjoy and actually preferred since I was so productive when I worked from home with no distractions, but now that everyone else is also working from home, it is not fun at all.

Let’s also talk about the daily cooking: I am so tired of having to cook every single meal I consume. It was fun at first, I got to experiment and have fun in the kitchen since I have all the time in the world, but after a while, it gets annoying and honestly, I think my stove is shook with all the cooking it is not familiar with. I miss chicken licken hot-wings, mala-mohodu (tripe, if you’re fancy), pizza, & some kota, and I know I can make all that at home, but it’s just not the same.

All the online meetings, the emails, the calls, the training, it’s all so exhausting. Also, quick question, what is the protocol when it comes to going to the bathroom in an online training session? Normally I’d just walk out and quickly come back and sit down, but when it’s online, do I announce to everyone on the call that I need to relieve myself or do I just go? And what happens if I just go and they talk to me while I am not there? Honestly, it’s all so frustrating.

I am also one person who enjoys their own company, so much so that I actively & deliberately avoid people, so imagine my shock when I actually started missing human contact, I know, crazy right? I find myself yearning to socialise and it has got me wound up, but in the words of a famous poet, “we gon be right, we gon be o’right”.

It’s not all bad though. There are a few things that I have enjoyed during this lockdown period. I must say, it has been fun to catch up on some reading. I have a collection of Sesotho novels and I hardly had the time to read them before, but now I do, and I am enjoying them so much. I also revisited my love for baking. I have always loved baking, it was one of the things I used to do with my mom growing up. Since the lockdown, I have been experimenting with different recipes and ingredients – just yesterday, I made brownies with coconut flour for the first time, needless to say, they were a hit 🔥🔥🔥.

The whole ‘not being stuck in Sandton traffic’ thing has also been my favourite about this whole situation. A trip that should take me 30 minutes max, takes me an hour on a good day, and close to 2 hours on a horrible day, so not having to endure any of that has been refreshing. It also gives me the opportunity to exercise in the morning. I am not a morning person, so under normal circumstances, I’d go to the gym after work, because the thought of waking up earlier than I have to, is ridiculous to me. Since I don’t have to drive anywhere, I use that time to workout and eat breakfast for a change (which I hardly did because I’d rather sacrifice breakfast than wake up earlier – don’t judge me.)

I have also been enjoying the lockdown challenges on social media. I have personally not participated in any, but it is fun to watch the creativity we wouldn’t otherwise witness under normal circumstances. I know some people are saying to be productive & start a business, work on those body goals & to “use this time wisely”, and if that’s your vibe right now, go for it, go off ngwana mme, but if you want to simply survive this by binging Netflix and taking trips to the fridge & using social media challenges as an outlet or a distraction, that is also perfectly fine. The side hustle & body goals will have to wait, for now. The important thing is to come out of this with your mental health in check, everything else can wait.

The point is, it’s not all bad, but it is not great either, and it’s okay to feel anxious & frustrated. I have seen posts of people saying we should be grateful & not complain about how this situation is affecting & inconveniencing our lives, but the truth is, we cannot ignore that part. Yes, I am grateful to have my health, a job that I can do from anywhere, especially in these uncertain times, I am grateful for the safety of my family & friends, a roof over my head, and food to eat, but I am also riddled with anxiety & I am frustrated, and that is okay.

There is such a thing as toxic positivity – by avoiding negative emotions, we lose valuable information. E.g., when you’re scared, your emotions are telling you to be aware of your surroundings & take caution. Emotions are information, they give a glimpse of what is going on at any given moment, but they don’t tell you exactly what to do or how to react. Once you identify the emotion, you decide whether you want to avoid it or face it head on. Simply put, statements like “Positive vibes only” are dismissive and shaming, they minimize life’s real & genuine pain.

Anyway, I am rambling. What I am saying is, don’t feel bad about complaining & feeling frustrated. It is perfectly okay & human. You are allowed to be grateful & annoyed at the same damn time. One doesn’t negate the other, both feelings can coexist. After all, emotions are what makes us human.

What do you like & dislike about this lockdown? What is the one thing you miss the most? What is the first thing you are doing as soon as the lockdown is lifted? Let me know the in the comment section.

I hope you enjoyed reading this & I cannot wait to hear from you. Please feel free to let me know what topics you’d like me to cover next.

Stay safe, wash your hands and most importantly, STAY HOME.

xoxo, Refiloe 💕

This Post Has 20 Comments

  1. Seema

    Here to mark the register!

  2. Ntombikayise

    Love it love it love it.

    There are lot of I truly miss during lockdown but one has finds it quite difficult to express that apparently there are certain things one can’t miss when there are people sleeping with no food.

    What do I like about the lockdown 🤔 like you said first few days were great, had tons of baking and cooking recipes to do, had plans to start home exercises (Still planning on that), can spend the whole day in my PJs, one can easily do their work in peace (Before they started with their endless meetings).

    As the weeks went by the routine kinda got boring and tiring, now I find myself exhausted, I miss being outside, being able to come and go as I please.

    I am definitely doing my hair, nails 💅, getting Sushi, meal from my favorite restaurants, and alcohol 😂

    I am ready to go back to the office.

    Lovely Blog

    1. Refiloe

      Thank you for the love. ❤ I’m with you there, my nails are horrendous 🙈 I cannot wait to be able to move around as I please.

    2. Dimps

      The only thing I am really enjoying right now is having to spend time with my daughter more than usual.. and my family of course.. but yeeey! The lockdown must end already, I miss work so much, I miss my clients.. The only “work” I’m actually doing right now is house chores..
      first thing ama do after lockdown>>> Chicken Licken HotWings +Alcohol then the rest will follow😂

      Nice piece.. Pa-da-pa-pa I’m Loving it😊♥️

      1. Refiloe

        🤣 I’m so sick of house chores le nna. 🤣 I’m with you on the hot wings and of course bevs!!! Thank you boo 😘

    3. Hopolang✨

      I’m a home girl neh but ever since we were forced to stay in at all times my mental health has been Wilding😩
      The weight gain is mad and not really knowing if it’s safe to now go outside since they lifted the rules gives me sm anxiety.
      😂💁🏽‍♀️Also, I’d really like to get away from my parents (esp dad😬) for 24hours straight 😩😅😅 Ai, I jus…🚶🏽‍♀️🚶🏽‍♀️🏃🏽‍♀️🏃🏽‍♀️🏃🏽‍♀️

      Otherwise it’s all been good and we just thank God for life👏🏽✨

      1. Refiloe

        🤣🤣🤣🤣 I don’t think I’d be sane if I was stuck inside with my parents. Lol But yeah, going outside also gives me hella anxiety.

  3. Tumi

    I honestly hate not being able to walk outside freely, I find myself feeling very uninspired and anxious because I can’t physically be at work to read people’s faces when faced with a challenge. I’m enjoying every moment of spending time with my husband genuinely it’s like varsity again when we had all the time in the world to be in our little nest but everything else is getting frustrating by the day. I hate running but I just want to jog I can’t even bring myself to do the exercises on YouTube. Hai but we move.

    Nice piece babes. I relate to everything in this post especially the constant meetings 😫

    1. Refiloe

      I am also enjoying being alone with my love, it just reaffirms that I am with the right man. 😍 I get your frustrations, and honestly, I am feeling the same way. Don’t beat yourself up about not working out, it’ll happen when it happens. The important thing is to survive this period.

      Thank you babe ❤

  4. Lindo

    I miss liquor. 😥 First thing I’m getting after this lockdown is liquor. 🍻

    1. Refiloe

      🤣🤣🤣🤣 I’d expect nothing less from you sir.

  5. Lebo

    First thing I’m getting when this lockdown is lifted is the bevs, the liquor sphuzo se batang po! Because Wow! frustrations. I’ve also been very anxious lately wondering whether the company I work for will survive this disaster. But I’m taking it as it comes. Been trying to exercise in the house I just can’t be consistent… I keep gaining weight and the people in the house aren’t helping either ; its snack attack now and then. For some odd reason I miss being stuck in santon traffic 😩. I miss seeing people
    Phew!!!

    1. Refiloe

      🤣🤣🤣 Yasssss, I am here for the bevs. I really hope the company you work for pulls through hey, it really is a scary time. As for exercising, girl, we are in this together! I am trying also but dololo consistency, and don’t get me started on the weight gain 😫 It’ll be over soon, then can hopefully do some damage control. 😘

  6. Phuthi

    To be honest I enjoy being indoors, it gave me a chance to get to know myself better and a chance to work on things I have been procrastinating.

    1. Refiloe

      That’s great. That’s how I felt in the beginning, but it’s honestly getting to me now. I miss the freedom of moving around as I please. I’m glad you’re enjoying this time & getting to know yourself better. 🙂

  7. Fahd

    Hey Refiloe! Great post, I really enjoyed reading it. Where I am, we’ve been indoors for 6 weeks now and I just can’t get used to this setup… but I’ve accepted it. Nonetheless, I’m hopeful that we’ll be back on the streets very soon! Anyways, let me read the next one, cheers!

    1. Refiloe

      Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Yeah it’s really difficult to get used to but we have to make it work somehow.

  8. Wandile

    What I like is that it “bought me time” to learn things I’ve procrastinated before. What I don’t like about lockdown is the fact that freedom is almost taken away. Can’t do things on your own terms.

    1. Refiloe

      I can relate to that. I guess there’s a bright side to this whole thing, if it gave you the chance to catch up on things you used to put off.

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