Lockdown And How It Changed Us

When #Lockdown started in my country I was terrified.

I was scared of the virus, of course, but it was more the fear of the unknown.

What would happen to us?

For our first lockdown, only one person per house was allowed to leave to get groceries, and preferably only once a week, so we took turns leaving so that we could get used to it and also to alleviate the cabin fever that was brewing.

I took this virus very seriously, as I still do, and when we left we started a routine.

Whoever left would have to ensure that every inch of their body should be covered with clothing if possible, we would wear gloves and of course a mask and we had hand sanitizer in the car for when we removed the gloves and drove home.

When we got home we were supposed to wash every single piece of clothing immediately and we would then get dressed in a clean robe before entering the house and showering to get rid of those germs too. While we showered, the others would wipe down all the groceries with disinfectant wipes before bringing them inside, we also wiped down the steering wheel, door handles and gear shifts, phones and keys.

After all of this vigilance, I still got COVID-19.

I wasn't hospitalized, luckily, and I got better within the quarantine period.

However, there are some lasting side effects.

It has been more than a few months since I recovered but my sense of smell is still horrible. I think that petrol smells like bacon and sweat is the worst and strongest smell that I have the pleasure of being able to smell. Some things just smell like nothing, while others are much stronger or just completely different.

Since the initial lockdown, going to the shops, or anywhere with a crowd, has become unbearable for me. I have never been an anxious person, but going outside of my normal area, where there might be a crowd, makes my stomach clench in knots now.

It makes me super nervous to be close to anybody that I don't know, queues are just terrible, especially when others don't use the social distancing rules.

I have become a complete recluse and some of my friends and family have told me that I'm overreacting, but I've seen what this virus can do, I've felt it and I do not want to take any chances.

Disclosure: I am not up to date with the vaccines, however I am hoping that they work and that they will be here soon.

Thanks for reading xx