As a French person, my experience might be a little different than yours, but I’ll try my best to tell you how I felt. Life in lockdown wasn’t that bad for me, I was in the countryside at my boyfriend’s parents place. We were 7 in the house but it’s quite big, so we had enough space.
My father in law is a doctor (equivalent of a GP in the UK) so he was on the frontline. In my opinion it was quite reassuring, because it helped us to stay updated on the situation and also stay calm and positive. My mom also works in healthcare and she has been a bit stressed and very exhausted by all of it.
Lockdown has allowed me to have some time for myself, thinking about what kind of life I really want and more importantly what am I able to do in order to be self-sufficient in the future.
I had enough time to read a lot, learn how to play chess, learn some gardening stuff and look for universities to achieve my diploma. I’ve also cooked a lot and started different sports programs which helped me loose 10kgs.
One thing that wasn’t easy was that I didn’t plan at all at first to be in this place when lockdown was announced. Maybe I would have felt more comfortable with my family or at my own place. I would have loved spending this time with my brother and sister that I don’t really get to see much.
I’m aware that my situation is far from difficult, and that for some people, it has been a living hell ever since it was announced. That’s why I’m trying my best to be grateful for the way it turned out for me and thinking about what I could change in my daily life now that lockdown is over, in order to act for a different future.
By Axelle Schneider