Lockdown daily practice

Melbourne has endured one of the world's longest lockdowns.  The majority of Melbourne has been at home in some capacity since mid-March. While I love my home and my garden view from my home office (aka, my bedroom); I know I am not alone when I say that I am sick of these four walls.

Most people have had to instil some coping mechanisms, practices that help us get through the day where we are only allowed out of the house within a 5 km radius while wearing a mask and for a maximum of two hours a day to exercise or for essential shopping (the only options we have available to us are chemist, supermarkets and petrol stations and cafes/restaurants for take away only). One of the practices I have employed is a daily walk of a circuit of just over 8km. Sometimes I spice it up by walking counterclockwise but mostly, I stick with walking against the traffic as it is a safer option for a female out pre-dawn.

While I have always loved walking in the morning and watching the sun rise; during COVID this has been one of my only options for exercise. Gyms are shut and the weights I have available at home are not really conducive to a full-body workout.

What I’ve learned walking 8 km (almost) every day during lockdown

• Trees lose limbs frequently

• No amount of exercise can undo poor eating habits

• It rains less frequently than I thought

• People are more predictable than I realised

• Watching the phases of the moon has been helpful in gauging the passage of time

• You can learn a lot in an hour a day

• Regular meditation makes a difference

• Littering is more prevalent than I previously understood

• I’m more in tune with seasonal changes from witnessing flowering patterns

• Walking is great for digestion

• Self-awareness is easier with daily solitude

• Layering works

• Runners don’t last long when pounding on concrete

• Dancing is significantly more intense than walking

• Small anonymous acts of kindness are good for the soul

• Wireless earbuds are the bomb

• Police presence is reassuring in the early hours of the morning

• Poking one thumb out of your gloves is very effective at keeping the rest of your hand warm while text-walking

• Society is much more accepting of night owls than early birds

• Sunrise carries with it incredible hope

• Decoupling self-worth from weight is tough

• Your nearest and dearest are unlikely to be your biggest fans

• Facial recognition is a godsend for quick phone access

• Inertia is important but momentum is more powerful

• We exhale a lot of water

• Lockdown makes for peaceful streets

• Not all roses are made equally. Some of the prettiest have no fragrance at all

• Like dew on the grass, it’s the cumulative effect over time that wears you down (or wets your socks). A short dash doesn’t have the same impact

• Fear is an unsuccessful long-term motivator

Things I already knew but have been reinforced

• Music is transformative

• Beat aids memory

• Humans are resilient

• Movement influences mood

• Conformational bias takes conscious effort to overcome

• Trust your gut

• Pain is temporary

• Survival instinct is strong

• A car driving slower than ‘usual’ is immediately recognised by the primitive brain

• Grass seeds are devil spawn

• Collective memory is short-term

• There’s beauty in everything as long as you look at it the right way