So how is your lock down guilt?

Work in (very slow) progress ….

I can’t be the only one, can I? Along with sadness and anxiety I have felt a pervasive sense of guilt over these last awful weeks. Social media is full of so many people doing wonderful things with the unexpected time that lock down has given some of us. Learning mandarin whilst home schooling and organising daily zoom meeting for friends and family …. I feel like such a slacker!

There is the endless list of ‘shoulds’

• I should be making lots of art (but my artistic mojo seems to be pulling a lot of ‘duvet’ days).

• I should be writing my next book (but writing complete sentences seems like an uphill battle some days).

• I should be stitching dozens of pairs of scrubs and flooding Salford with cheerful laundry bags (but … well no excuses on this one really).

• I should be sticking to my healthy diet and cooking wonderful dishes from those lentils I stockpiled (but lentils really don’t tick that comfort eating button do they?).

• I should be taking my government prescribed one hour of exercise each day (but why break the habit of a lifetime?).

• I should cobweb (but again, why break the habit of a lifetime?).

• I should wash the filters in my vacuum cleaner (yes, that actually crossed my mind in a particularly depressing moment).

• I should, I should, I should …..

But the reality is that some days I just want to curl up with a tub of Ben and Jerrys and watch Netflix. Some days I do want to work on my art, some days I do want to work on my book, some days I do want to eat healthy food (but to be honest there aren’t many of these) but even on those good days those little feelings of guilt still creep in …..

It can’t just be me, can it?

Staying well and staying sane(ish), Leah