CALLUM SKEFFINGTON

CALLUM SKEFFINGTON VERY LITTLE CONTROL

THE CORONAVIRUS HAS DISRUPTED THE world with rapid force, and as a global population we have been united by a pandemic that threatens each and every one of our lives. It’s a worrisome time for everyone, and the media seems to be ensuring that we stay panicked each and every day. At one point I was obsessively refreshing twitter threads and reading every piece of information I could find, to the point that my anxiety was through the roof. I have stopped paying attention to the COVID-19 news updates. Now I am only seeing snippets of information from Facebook articles as I scroll through my timeline and choosing to only read articles that are captioned with an aura of positivity.

It is very easy to succumb to the hopelessness of the circumstances we are currently locked into, but in every grey rainy day cloud there has to be a silver lining, right?

If you are in a position where staying at home is comfortable and safe, albeit monotonous and not ideal, it is important to remember that right now, there are those less fortunate who may not have a home to go to, or they are not be in a safe environment at home, or they are not able to stay at home because they are an essential worker who is risking their own health and safety each and every day to help protect us all.

I think we all need to find the simple joys in amongst this terrifying chaos. It is difficult, I know! It’s almost as difficult as it is to find toilet roll or pasta in Tesco’s, but sometimes we just have to hope for the best. At times, it seems that the world is plagued with more bad than good, but right now the resilience of the human spirit is proving stronger than this virus, as people share photos and videos of their new everyday life.

People are visiting hospitals and care homes, sitting outside their loved one’s window on the phone, or holding signs up, just so that those important to them know that they are still there, no matter what. People are singing from their balconies in Italy and Spain, dancing, playing instruments, and creating a community in a way that would have been impossible - laughable - before. More people are finding joy in the things that they once loved but haven’t had the time to do. Pollution is decreasing now that the roads are quiet and everyone is making the most of their one hour of government approved daily exercise in the outdoors; honestly I can’t remember the last time that I have walked so much ( definitely not since I got a car anyway).

I guess my point is, although the world has seemed chaotic and uncertain lately, in a strange way our lives have slowed down, and - hopefully you will agree - we are all appreciating the things that matter most to us. You may be missing your weekly appearance in the Kremlin, or you may be constantly checking Skyscanner for flights that may not happen. You might even be tempted to organise an orgy to get you through this lockdown but learn from the mistakes of a few quarantined men in Spain and wait until this is all over. For now, PornHub has given the world free premium access; use it!

When I was thinking of ideas for what I could write about in this issues column, there was only one thing I knew for certain; I did not want to talk about the coronavirus, and here I am rambling on and on about it. It just seems to be impossible to stop talking about it.

I could have talked about how I found myself in a consistent gym routine; it would have been a good follow on from my last column about New Year’s Resolutions. After five years of telling myself that I would finally start committing to a workout plan, and five years of failing to do so for longer than two weeks, I was proud that I had finally done it. I was going to the gym times a week; I had typed up several gym session plans in the note’s app on my phone, and I was feeling great, both mentally and physically. I didn’t think that I would ever say this but, I was enjoying my workout routine; that is, until all the gyms and leisure centres were shut down... due to the coronavirus. have been nice to share some of the trips that I was looking forward to. I was supposed to be in Rome at the beginning of April, exploring vineyards and being that mid-twenties mess who got far too drunk at a wine tasting amongst a group of older, more mature and certainly unimpressed travellers. That was before Italy went into lockdown, and my first trip of 2020 was cancelled thanks to the coronavirus.

After that, I was still clinging desperately to the hopes of a holiday at the end of may, but my trip to Croatia with my boyfriend has now also suffered. Our flights were cancelled now that Ryanair has decided that it is not feasible to open an airport in Zadar given that the airlines are obviously suffering due to the coronavirus.

There’s still my job. I don’t really want to talk about my job; I work for an insurance company, and yes, it is about as boring as it sounds. Talking about my job really would have made for a rather dull column topic. That is, if I actually was still working, rather than now being on an 80% wage package to sit at home aimlessly walking around my house asking my cat if she has ever considered taking out pet insurance.

The reality of this whole COVID-19 situation is that, unfortunately, we have very little control. We must follow the government’s guidelines, and we must protect ourselves and our loved ones. There are many reasons this is an overwhelmingly bad situation but striving to see the positives - any little thing that can be deemed a positive right now - well help ease the monotony of this lockdown. Sometimes I feel like my life is too repetitive, and there have been so many times I have wanted a break from adult life.

Now I may actually have the time to get back into painting like I have wanted to do for years. Working out from home is less than ideal, but it does mean that I can do so without being intimidated by the muscle men who are clearly judging me lifting a 15kg dumbbell.

Now may be the time to revisit hobbies and passions of the past, if the most you achieve is staying sane through this then that is okay too. Stay healthy, mentally and physically. Stay at home, stay safe, hope that this is all over soon, and make sure to be kind to all the essential workers who are carrying our country through this pandemic.