It’s Time We Eased Up In Lockdown
During lockdown, as its popularity has grown, Strava has become a hotbed for humblebrag. Where once we would fill our Instagram feeds with plane wing pics, swimwear shots and #bottomlessbrunches, we now have to find new ways to boast.
Why? Because lockdown isn’t very photogenic and there’s only so many photos you can take of a cheese plant you’ve kept alive by watering biannually. If you think about it, banana bread doesn’t even look that good. Which leaves one last alternative. Lace up. And leg it. Smash those segments, clock a few PRs and post it all on Instagram. Maybe add a pic of your fresh Nike’s too.
Yes Shakespeare wrote King Lear and Isaac Newton made gravity famous, both while in lockdown, but did either of them run a sub 25 minute 5km. I think not. In fact I bet their step counts were piss-poor.
What am I saying? This is exactly the problem. Because the vast majority of us have more time on our hands, be that through not working or not commuting, we’ve been indoctrinated into thinking lockdown is the perfect time to be more productive, start those things we’ve always wanted to start, finally get into some sort of ‘shape’. I’m as guilty as the next person, often thinking I need to come out of this whole lockdown business better than I went in. And it’s a competition that few, if any of us are going to win. My housemate and I have a friendly challenge to see who can run the quickest 5km, and when I say friendly, I mean he’s currently winning and I really want to beat him. But that’s enough competition for me.
If lockdown has taught me anything it’s to enjoy the simple things.
In the past two weeks I’ve started enjoying the Slow Run. I still get my running fix, but I’m not thinking about time at all. I appreciate my surroundings more, the weather because I’m British, sometimes a new playlist or the simple fact I’m not in front of a screen. Not every run is about a pushing myself to exhaustion for a small virtual sticker that says PR on it and the 5 or 6 thumbs up I might get. If you’re a runner, try it if you fancy it. If you’re not and you’d much rather be baking, or watching TV or eating Doritos from your bed, do that.
With Mental Health Awareness Week this week, during a time of great anxiety and uncertainty, find the small things you appreciate and take the time to enjoy them. Forget success, whether that’s a PR, 10+ likes on Instagram or whatever success looks like to you. Lockdown is a time we should be trying to find happiness, not validation. Who cares what everyone else thinks?
