things you realised in lockdown that you're surprised you never noticed before??

[NoviceNewMN]

Working from home made me realise how low level subtly grindingly misogynistic alot of the men I work with are and how I am undermined every day without ever noticing when I was there - because it comes under the guise of cheerful chat that is blink and you miss it stuff. When you are out of it, life becomes lighter and happier.

I also never noticed exactly how much ££££ I spend on travel.

how i really must appreciate the fields around me before they are all changed into housing estates.

@profpoopsnagle

There are 3 sorts of Pom Bears. One that has both hands up, one with both hands down and the third is one hand up, one hand down.

Are there?!?! Mind blown!!!

I never realised about the low level stress traveling to work caused me (getting in the car before traffic, finding a parking slot, missing the traffic at the end of the day, etc)

I never realised how stupid my boss was until lockdown, she had a daily social meeting with all of us which she fully spent talking about kittens and how her dad or her mum would agree or disagree with our views.

I have found out that being a single mum with no family around had trained me for long periods of isolation only broken by social contact online. I bloody loved the lockdowns, was having catch ups online with a lot of people while organising my workload in a more efficient way.

How much the media manipulate us!

although appreciating fields is not related to lock down,
i cant think of anything,
except i really enjoying listening to live music, even sober and appreciate that!

How much I like being outside, while conversely also how much I like my house. And my kids. I know everyone loves their kids, but mine are actually good company.

How little I like other people.

That making the decision to work within walking distance of home was the right decision. For most of this year I've been going into the office on my own and I loved the separation of work/home but also loved the peace of having the whole floor pretty much to myself. I also built lovely work relationships with a few other people (in the same boat) that I wouldn't normally interact with. WFH was not for me (kids husband dog poor wifi = lots of stress).
I liked not rushing about all the time in the evenings. Kids activities have started again and one of them is out every night /day. Booo!😢
Also that I suit my hair a bit longer and that embracing the grey wasn't awful!

how i appreciate my work colleagues as we are all in the same boat, how to live life and do things, swim in the sea, because tomorrow may rain!

Must put Pom Bears on the shopping list...

That when you strip away people's ability to connect, that it's very difficult to rebuild that.

That you can make a cheerful, sunny 7 year old depressed by a couple of months of banning them from school, sport, playgrounds and social contact.

That a depressingly large amount of people don't know how to behave in the countryside.

Actually I didn't learn that, it's bloody obvious.

How expensive eating out and socialising is! Saved so much from not travelling, random shopping, and not going out during lockdown that now going out for meals and drinks makes me realise how much money I used to spend without thinking and that's all money I wish I had thought more about and tried to save.

How easy it is to learn a language online. I never really realized that before.

That we have the most brilliant neighbours.

That my parents and siblings are self-absorbed, that checking in to see how people are doing is a one way street with them, and that I simply can't be bothered with doing that any more.

That I miss spending time with my friends.

That as well as loving our DS very much I actually really like him as the young man he's turning into and that we can all spend 4 months in lockdown together quite happily.

That DH and I still haven't bored each other or run out of things to talk about.

I realised that I’m happy in my own company, and people are actually annoying.

How much harder I have to work to be active when I'm not commuting. How not being outside the house impacts my creativity. How mind-numbingly dull it is being stuck in my home town day after day. How nice it is to see my co-workers/friends and how much easier it is to do my job face to face. How you can actually learn to do press-ups by doing very little training each day.

That my job CAN very easily and effectively done from home.

(Yes I'm talking to you mr finance director from two jobs away who forced me to leave my job as my MH was stopping me from getting into the office every single day)

@BeenThruMoreThanALilBit

That wfh is great when you already have established relationships. But, if you’re new to the world of work, or joining an established team, Dave to face really does matter. We’re human, and to sit in our boxes behind a screen all day isn’t good for us. We need some real interaction to build relationships.

Me too. I need to have this to keep motivated. Totally lost interest in organisation during lockdown. Only now back in office am beginning to care again

@languagelover96

How easy it is to learn a language online. I never really realized that before.

Which language did you learn?

Hybrid working really really suits me- I do love some face to face interaction, stimulation, seeing colleagues, a couple of times a week, but peace and quiet on the others so I can think and write. Combination perfect.

Teaching online is disconnected and inadequate for most students unless they have amazing personal resources and/or a great existing friendship and family group within walking distance.

Socialising with friends and groups is much much more important for my teenagers than for me. For me, it's a fun addition to my life which I enjoy, For them its essential living and working skills, and isolating them exacerbated mental health issues. CAHMS waiting lists are longer than ever so mine are not unusual.

There are times in your life isolation and contentment are had from your home, other times you need to seek them in the world, there isn't one right solution but many.

@Abigail12345654321

That I never get bored or irritated with my partner.

Have realised how rare it is and how lucky I am.

That's really lovely.

That I can educate my child better than the state system- as in, more fulfilling, broader and substantial in about 2 hours per day. I am seriously reevaluating mainstream education now.

How much we really enjoyed being together and seeing only my mum for months on end. We loved being in the house together- me, DH, DD6 and DD3

How unimportant material things are. Last Christmas I could have just woken up to a stocking and a couple of books. We are now actively ensuring we are not saturated with gifts, including DDs Xmas gifts, to avoid waste and enjoy the day differently. We realised for the 4th year running, our DDs enjoyed roughly 30% of all gifts bought for them. The thought is lovely but a lot were gifts for the sake of gifts.

Also noticed the lack of police anywhere. In lockdown, didn't see any police for many many months, even though I live in a big city. Now they are out again in their flashing cars! Police are seriously understaffed.

How stressful and distracting I find other people at work. I really hate open plan offices. They are not for people like me.

Agree with everyone that if you cut commuting, more time to exercise. I have lost weight in lockdown due to being able to spend time on exercise/preparing good meals/not dashing about eating crap to keep going.

How easy it is to waste money when you're out and about and how much I actually don't need to buy.