Teenage life under lockdown

This is a guest article by Shrewsbury student, Lucy.

For many people, myself included, 2020 was going to be ‘the year’. The year where I went out with my friends more often, the year where I am going to turn 16, the year that was supposed to be full of a lot of fun. However, that hasn’t quite become a reality as for the last 8 weeks, we’ve all been stuck indoors and our freedom to move around will be significantly curbed for the foreseeable future. 

Now surely, being in lockdown must be a walk in the park- just think about it, being stuck at home means endless day of wandering round, eating cake and sunbathing in the garden. However, the harsh reality is somewhat different to this idyllic image of forever eating cake in my garden. For many people, myself included, lockdown came as a massive shock, being in the same place all day is much different to the fast paced society that we were all living in just 2 months ago. 

Yes, lockdown can be seen as a chance to do nothing but eat all day, however, under all the negativity, I feel that there are some surprising benefits that many people may have overlooked. Quarantine could be a much needed chance for you to recharge your batteries and get some time just to rest and relax, taking on a much slower pace than we are used to living in. For many people, being separated from family, friends and boyfriends/girlfriends has provided a strange chance to actually become closer. Connecting online and really talking to each other without any external time pressures means that people have got to know each other better and bonds have become stronger than ever. 

I’m not going to pretend that being in complete, or even partial, lockdown is easy, it definitely brings out both the best and the worst in people. Many people may think of this as a bad aspect; however, I hold the belief that when something brings out both the best and the worst in you, you have a brilliant chance to learn more about yourself as a person, and also better yourself.

Personally, I have found this lockdown period to be largely a positive thing. Yes, I haven’t been able to see anyone I am close to, and I have definitely had my fair share of bad moments and meltdowns! However, despite this, quarantine has been a lovely chance for me to get on top of my schoolwork and spend more time doing the hobbies that I love, such as writing and dance. For me, it has also been a chance to conquer any negative thoughts, once and for all, without needing to rush off somewhere and do something else, I’m finally taking some time out for myself.

Putting things into perspective, my lockdown experience has been fairly easy – unlike previous generations, I haven’t been asked to go to the frontline of a warzone and fight while people are trying to kill me, I’ve just been asked to stay at home for a couple of weeks. I have the upmost respect for everyone working for the NHS, who are literally at the frontline of a war with coronavirus. And of course, we can’t forget about all the people who have done everything that they can to help keep us all entertained during this lockdown period, from the Cirque du Soleil streaming a free show, to musicians collaborating together from home to bring us a new song, to Captain Tom Moore raising over £33m as an NHS Appeal. 

We have to remain hopeful that just over the horizon lies a return to normality. But until then, all we can do is keep staying at home, keep positive and keep thinking of the better times ahead.