Heather Large: Let’s concentrate on the positive

Life has changed significantly in just a matter of weeks. For me going to work now means walking into the living room and sitting at the half of the dining table that has become my makeshift desk, rather than driving 19 miles into the office.

I haven’t been in the same room as my family, who I would usually see every week, for more than a month and Sunday night drinks at the pub with friends have become a distant memory.

I’m someone who likes to plan weekends away or days out, so I have activities and events to look forward to in the coming months but the diary is currently empty.

Even pencilling something in for July or August or even September seems a little risky at the moment. No one knows when life will return to normal or if it will ever be the same again.

But as difficult as all this is, I know it’s for a very good reason and staying at home is the best thing we can all do right now.

A lot of amazing people, from doctors and nurses of the NHS to supermarket staff, are working incredibly hard keeping the country running.

The least we can do to support them is to stay indoors so their health isn’t put at any more risk, especially hospital staff dealing with sick patients.

So I regularly remind myself that this far from normal situation we all find ourselves in does have a few positives and try to make the most of the chance to slow down.

Neither my boyfriend and I are morning people so it’s been nice to start the day without the usual rush to get out of the front door.

There is no need to check Google Maps to find out how the traffic is flowing on the motorway and where there might be hold-ups.

I have time for a proper breakfast rather than just grabbing a banana as I leave the house.

Now I must admit I miss being in the office and at times while I’m typing away at my computer it feels too quiet. I haven’t yet found a way to replicate the background noise of my colleagues chatting as they work, that I am so used to hearing, at home.

But the coffee is definitely 10 times better than the brown liquid we get from the vending machine, even if the latter is free, and there are more options for lunch.

My ‘desk’ is by a window which lets lots of light in on sunny days which is nice and makes it feel quite summery.

The end of the day commute/battle with the M6 has been replaced with a leisurely walk around the small park just a stone’s throw away from our home.

Doing a few laps of the park in the spring sunshine is a nice buffer between the working part of the day and the rest of the evening.

At the weekends there is suddenly some free time to do those jobs that either keep getting put off or are more time-consuming.

I’ve managed to get on top of my digital photo collection, a task I had been wanting to complete for a while but I was feeling daunted by the prospect of needing to free up space on my Macbook first.

Once I got my head around how to go about doing that, because I didn’t need to rush it, it was fine and I enjoyed organising and looking through my pictures. And it’s made me look forward to the day when I will be able to explore somewhere new with my camera.

These are just little benefits that I try to remind myself of when it’s getting a bit too much. I miss my family terribly, I can’t remember the last time I went so long without seeing my mum.

There are also the worries, that I’m sure most people have, about the long-term impact of this pandemic.

But I’m grateful that I’m still able to work and that my loved ones are all in good health. I know I’m luckier than some.

So for now I’m doing my best to concentrate on those positive moments.

All we can do try to keep our spirits up and those of people around us until we get through this.