Needless to say, the current state of affairs have imposed sheer havoc on society as we know it; indeed, this post is not intended to detract from that, for I know that I am very fortunate to be able to sit at my desk and talk about a few positives that have come out of Lockdown given that so many have not only lost their livelihoods, but loved ones also. That being said, it's only human nature to dwell on the negatives and reading What Cat Says' blog post has inspired me to share a few of my own positive lockdown outcomes to shed some light on the matter. As usual, be sure to let me know any thoughts in the comments below. 
G x 

What has become rather apparent these past few years is that I take the 'non-stop' approach to life a little too far, particularly when it comes to my studies. At times, it feels as if I have spent the past couple years rotting away at a desk as I attempted to learn the rhyme schemes of 40 odd poems, 6,000 bits of Spanish vocab and heaven knows how many trigonometric identities. That, combined with having to make an, albeit unsuccessful, Oxbridge University application (which ought to be a fifth A-Level in itself) among fifty other odd activities that I signed myself up for meant that the melting pot that is my mind was beginning to go into overdrive. Following the cancellation of A-Level exams, however, I have been forced to take a step back and I have had the time to do absolutely nothing. Though at first frustrating, the need and ability to wind down is something which I have come to really appreciate. 

As well as having the time to simply kick back and relax following three years of what can be described as continuous stress, I have also had the time to pick up some of the hobbies that I had to sacrifice in the name of GCSEs/A-Levels - be it picking up some Latin, writing more blog posts or learning my driving theory. On the whole, this period of lockdown has made me take a step back and realise how much of my learning was completed with the sole aim of attaining a certain grade, instead of to gain new skills and open up my mind. There is, of course, nothing wrong with the former way of looking at things, but I believe I will get a lot more out of university if I spent perhaps a little less time than I did at A-Level solely on my studies and invested it into learning other skills - just some food for thought. 

Speaking of university, I have also been using this lockdown period as a time to learn how to cook and complete other mundane household tasks; granted, I may be book-smart but when it comes to any form of practical skill, that's where the problems begin! For somebody who wasn't initially too fond of cooking, I must say that I've been enjoying myself a little too much when trying to make bell pepper pizzas or a chickpea stew! 

​In addition to getting a little more adventurous in the kitchen, the lack of gym facilities in my home has meant that I have had to get a lot more Creative when it comes to workouts. That's not to say that I don't, of course, miss the dumbbells, the barbells or even the godforsaken treadmill; that being said, however, I found myself doing the same exercises at the same weight at the gym over and over again due to not having much time with so much on -  and anybody who is mildly interested in fitness will know that if you don't challenge yourself, you're not going to see results! As well as getting a little more creative in my day-to-day workouts, I have also taken up yoga again before bed and I think I forgot how calming it was, as well as good for improving my flexibility and what have you not. For that, I've been quite happy to finally see some progress and I can't wait to implement some of the new things I have picked up over lockdown back into the gym.

The above taken into account, the greatest thing that lockdown has taught me is to undoubtedly be more appreciative. In retrospect, I took so many aspects of my life - be it travel or my relationships with those close to me - for granted and, as with most things it seems, it's only when those things are stripped away from you that you realise how important they are to you. As much as I love my photography and getting creative with the camera, I want to come out of lockdown and live in the present a little more, focusing less on, say, how to get the perfect shot for my Instagram stories.

Having said the above, I will by no means sit here and pretend that every day of lockdown has been rosy; I too have had days where I didn't even want to get out of bed, particularly when all of this began. Moreover, I recognise that many people are currently in a far worse position than I am and my heart goes out to every single one of those people; it is not about coming out of lockdown in a better position than you were in - quite frankly, sticking this whole period out is an achievement in itself. If you are ever feeling in a bad way, please don't be afraid to reach out to a professional or those that love you - everybody is aware of how difficult the current situation is! On that note, I hope you enjoyed a slightly more uplifting post and let me know if there are any other positive things that you hope to take out of this period.