Bad lockdown habits you will need to quit

[hamstersarse]

I may be alone in this, but there are certain habits I have developed in lockdown that really won’t translate well back in the real world....a certain deterioration of social acceptability has developed, given I’m not ‘under public scrutiny’ so much...

Mine include but are not limited to:

• wearing clothes that perhaps need a wash, sometimes for many days. You can’t smell over Zoom

• shaving. Or lack of.

• talking to myself / the dog

• drinking wine on my own

• there’s something about my online shopping habits that seem very unhealthy. Buying ridiculous gadgets or ‘happy but useless objects’ on Amazon willy nilly so I’ve cupboards bursting with crap

• browsing the internet when I should be working...this is out of control for sure, and I’ve no idea how I’d cope in an office again where it’s not acceptable to have tabs permanently open with mumsnet, news, Twitter, wayfair, Amazon etc.

All of the above pretty much in rotation......

I too have claimed the word feral.

And I'm going to have to learn to deal with other people again. My natural reticence has deteriorated into a self-pitying mass of misanthropy.

I can only articulate myself via the written word here - MN has saved my last skill!

I've just reset my alarm an hour early for Monday morning. Because I have to build in time to actually have a shower before going out to work for a change, as I'll be having a smear test on the way home. I don't think I'll bother to put on the last functioning bra though! Before anyone squawks about the skankiness of going out to work unshowered, my work is outdoors usually on my own or possibly with DP, who has taken up the same laissez faire attitude for the duration, in the countryside. I'm enjoying having an occasional long shower or bath for the pleasure of it and using the lovely expensive smellies, rather than the daily dash and splash, especially in an old house with icy draughts everywhere including the route between bathroom and bedroom.

@Wherediditgo

Smoking

Me too. Forgot to mention that... Gone from maybe 1/2 outside during working day to smoking 20 a day. Ugh...

My natural reticence has deteriorated into a self-pitying mass of misanthropy

This is one of the best sentences I have ever read

I will need to psych myself up a bit to -
Return to more frequent hair washing (tend to have various up dos for zoom/teams things)
Proper clothes - tie dye pj bottoms won’t cut it at work I think.
Ironing
Bras
Normal sleep patterns/drinking etc. Sometimes feel as though I am in some other country’s time zone.
Work chit chat/pleasantries etc. After a year thinking I was missing this I’m dreading this a bit. I really do not care about loads of stuff (x’s children, Y’s new house etc). Well maybe I do but just don’t want to chat about idle stuff I think.

This has cheered me up I have been WFH for almost a year now and I hate the isolation and have been worried about how disgusting I have become.

My worse habit is I have let my home and work life blur, I can spend 12-15 hours working, and despite being home all the time I have a washing mountain and my child is basically feral

Also pleased I am not the only one worrying about being organised about the school run. I went into a full blown panic yesterday when I realised I had to make a pack lunch again everyday!

I went into lockdown wearing my Jigsaw clothes, doing crossfit or running 5x a week, and out of the house constantly. Full time job, volunteer role, kids in activities every day.

I will emerge all soft and interested in growing soft fruit in my garden. I do yoga and hill walking. I cannot imagine a noisy gym. The Toast catalog is looking very, very appealing. DH has protested about overalls, but they call to me.

I have fully embraced middle age. I'm in my mid-40s. It would have happened anyways, but lockdown sped things up.

I will probably get my hair coloured again, but I may never return to heels.

@OhYouBadBadKitten

Even when I brush my hair now it stands up in random directions, so I'm not sure what the point is of brushing it.

I'm also conducting a fascinating experiment to see how long I can keep a pair of old holey jeans going. I fear the transparent effect that is now happening in the bum area is rendering them rather indecent, but the experiment isn't over yet. So I have to make sure that don't turn round to any delivery drivers.

Are you me?! Snaps!!

Dh has suggested gently that I throw my jeans away. Never!!!! I’ve said I’ll throw them when they actually fall off my legs. Or if they disintegrate in the wash.

I’ve been training my hair to only need a wash once a week and am currently the master of the messy bun. Am pretty sure that if I took the hairband out of my bun right now my hair would stay up. On reflection might need to wash hair today/tomorrow

My work clothes don’t fit anymore - thankfully when I’m back in the office on Tuesday it’s smart casual so can wear jeans and a shirt.

I haven’t worn proper shoes for a while.

I’m looking forward though to packed lunches and not having access to snacks.

You can still fit into jeans?

I'm leggings and joggers only now. Diet has started, ready for my return to the office in June.

I am on the verge of needing to size up. But they still fit. Just.

I'm also conducting a fascinating experiment to see how long I can keep a pair of old holey jeans going. I fear the transparent effect that is now happening in the bum area is rendering them rather indecent

This is me!
The material on two pairs of my jeans is now so wafer thin on the arse area it's see through in certain lights.
Obviously from too much sitting down this last year.

Not doing my eyebrows.

Not sure how to phrase this but being able to get everyone up and out the house by 7:30. Right now, WFH and later drop off means we have such causal mornings and we start getting dressed the time we'd usually be heading out the door pre covid. And pre covid I had just one! Now I have two... Not sure what I'll do to be honest when we return to the office.... "d"h acted surprised on day two of school that dc1 needed to wear shoes. "These are things I need to be told" he said. No, no they really are not. I dread the day we all have to leave home.

@LemonDrizzles

"These are things I need to be told" he said.

I’m definitely not giving up my leggings, although I really will make an effort to wear bras again.

I'm going to have to learn to eat like a civilised person.

My current method is to put food in a bowl and hold it at chest height whilst shovelling it in. It means I don't need to take my eyes off the TV or laptop screen.

I've still been showering every day and wshing my hair and wearing clean clothes, but they've been comfy clothes. Leggings and hoodies. At first, I changed into my jeans to go to do the food shop but the last couple of weeks I've just gone as I am.

I need to get used to getting up early again. During homeschooling, I've been getting up around 8.15/8.30, getting DD up, getting her sorted with her first lesson, then going in the shower about 9.45!

Comfort eating. The majority of my work clothes don't fit any more.
Getting out of bed at 8.30 instead of 6.30.
Not bothering with so much housework because nobody will be coming over.
Phone addiction
Lack of motivation. I'm back in the office from Wednesday and have not been productive during lockdown at all.
I'm appalled at myself 😳😳😳

Eating! Eating and did I say eating?

Honestly I'm haveiet now than when I was 9m pregnant with my last. I've put on a stone and a bit since March.
I hate myself but I'm one of those who need instant results. And weightloss certainly isn't instant.
But I can honestly say in the last week I've earn 1 bar of chocolate a small treat size . Compared to about 400g a day of chocolate, so hoping I can keep it up.
Next step portion sizes.

I've started going out in lounge wear, I no longer give a fuck. Joggers are soooo comfy. Partly also because I discovered them relatively recently in the past year of hell, so the novelty hasn't worn off.

Also farting, pushing clothes to the max before I give in and wash them, eating too much. Etc.

Chocolate

I realised today that I no longer put on gym gear, work out, shower and then put on work clothes.

I put on comfy stuff that works for both! Plus lunchtime or after work walks And I take baths at night.

Since I discovered that I look perfectly decent on zoom in a plain sweatshirt I must have decided not to bother having different categories of clothes.

I put a necklace on if I'm presenting.

@ThreeLadsPointingAtAStar

I'm going to have to learn to eat like a civilised person.

My current method is to put food in a bowl and hold it at chest height whilst shovelling it in. It means I don't need to take my eyes off the TV or laptop screen.

Oh dear god that's me

@RhubarbTea

I've started going out in lounge wear, I no longer give a fuck. Joggers are soooo comfy. Partly also because I discovered them relatively recently in the past year of hell, so the novelty hasn't worn off.

Also farting, pushing clothes to the max before I give in and wash them, eating too much. Etc.

In the past year I've gone from not owning any joggers at all to living in them,

I even have some with writing on them. I am not a logo person. And this is massive writing all down one leg!

They were cheap in the sale, they fit, they're cotton, and they're comfy. ✅

I'm not going back for ages but I just caught myself wondering if I could wear black joggers to the office with ankle boots and a nice top...