"Keeping safe, healthy and positive" - Hayley Lineker
"It’s safe to say that a lot has changed over the past year; the way that we lead our everyday lives due to lockdown restrictions"
The caution we have to take to protect our loved ones and the impact that this has had on our mental and physical health and our wellbeing.
This short story is to share with you, my lockdown life, the things I’ve accomplished over the past 12 months and the highlights which made it easier to carry on, despite the many cries and melancholy moments.
Early last year, my partner and I purchased out first home together, something we had been saving for and planning for quite a few years. Granted, it was a little strange making such a big investment under unprecedented circumstances, but it was something to look forward to and a project to keep our minds occupied. We moved in October shortly before the second lockdown was announced. Sadly, we haven’t been able to share this occasion with our friends and family, but hopefully it’s something we can look forward to celebrating at some point this year.
Soon after, I started my new job here at Warwickshire County Council. I was quite anxious about starting a new job at a completely new organisation, virtually. I had no idea what to expect or what was expected of me, but I am lucky to be surrounded by the friendliest team who made me feel extremely relaxed and welcome and always take the time to check-in with each other throughout the day. Now I feel like I have been here for years! I am so impressed with how much WCC leadership invest in their staff and care about their wellbeing and mental health. Adopting an agile and flexible working practice to allow you to work around your personal circumstances and maintain your wellbeing, by taking regular breaks throughout the day and taking time to exercise, especially with the limitations of lockdown. It makes you feel like a valued member of the organisation.
Starting a new job so soon after moving was the perfect opportunity to start my home office glow-up. With the agile and flexible working practices Warwickshire County Council have adopted and the uncertainty of how we will operate post Covid, I thought, what better way to benefit my wellbeing than to create a natural and calming environment to work from home. I have gone from working at the kitchen table to having my own little workspace. It’s still a work-in-progress but it has done wonders for differentiating work from home life, something I found quite hard to do when you’re spending dinner time in the same place you were working. It’s a shame the positive boost in my wellbeing doesn’t have the same effect on my house plants though, because I can not seem to keep them alive!
On 26th February, we will be welcoming the newest member to our little family, Margot, our Ragdoll kitten. I will have gained a new office manager; she has her pedestal ready for her daily duties. It will be nice to have a companion to keep me company throughout the day.
I look forward to the days of normality where we can travel, go on holiday and socialise with friends and family, but for now, focusing on keeping safe, healthy and positive is the goal.
