Plan your personal lockdown exit strategy

What do you mean, plan my exit strategy?

The UK lockdown rules have begun to ease and now is the time to plan how you will exit strategically. The smart thing to do is to plan your lockdown ‘exit strategy’. Why? Read on…

Why?

Never before has life been so pared back. For 10 weeks we have lived a simplified life and for many this has resulted in much less stress and anxiety. This has not been experienced in our lifetime and may never happen again.

We have had to get used to grey roots, long hair and grown out manicures. Nobody has noticed our cars which have remained on our driveways. Those expensive handbags and shoes have been gathering dust.

Many of us have had more time for self-care and exercise. Many have connected with their children and partners as a result of the gift of more time. We have all seen the positive impact on the planet and on communities up and down the country.

Be mindful about your future

So be careful to hold on to the pieces that you have enjoyed and benefitted from. If you have felt the benefit of working from home, then hold on to that. If you have felt good about socialising less, then ask yourself why you did it in the first place – peer pressure? Fear of missing out? Be courageous and find ways to maintain that part of your life.

There will be some who will understandably rejoice at schools re-opening and at being able to mix with others if this is something they benefit from. But remember we are all different and we have different needs as individuals. So if you have found peace in some aspect of lockdown, plan your lockdown exit strategy carefully.

Sit down with pen and paper and reflect on the past 10 weeks. What have you enjoyed? What will you hold on to?

Take control of your future

Only you can take control of your own life, only you can decide to stop being a passenger and take control of the direction you go. Make sure you are among those who can say, ‘my life happened deliberately.’