Keeping Connected

Hello, I am the last of the several Emily's in our unit. I wanted my addition to Over the Ranger-Bow to be about something I am missing very much during these peculiar times. My friends. I'm also guessing most people are in a similar position. 

There are a lot of things that are difficult about life in lock-down, just as there are many obstacles when the world is running 'normally'. Trust me, there was plenty I complained about and things I wished I didn't have to do before the worldwide outbreak of a virus. However, all the things I found challenging were always made easier with the support and comfort of friends. Whether it be the friends that helped me keep head up through the course of my A-Levels, to my friends at work who made work not seem like work at all or the Girl Guiding family that gave me a space to clear my mind. These are all people who I have been separated from due to this pandemic. Most, if not all of us are in the same boat.

Despite feeling as though we are in strange times and missing normality very much, hope is not lost. Thankfully we are in an era when we can be connected more than ever, so to keep in tune with my peers that have already posted, my advice to keep yourself sane would be to stay connected. It's easy to let the days melt into one, but it is so important to maintain structure and maintain communication with the people that keep us going. Whether it's through texting, phone calls, Facetime, zoom meetings or anything at all, keep those lines open. If you had events, plans or birthdays disrupted by lock-down, then celebrate anyway, it's just about adapting to fit the times we're living in now. 

One more little idea I have (if you're missing your friends as much as me), look through photos. I have searched and scrolled through my phone, laptop and dusty hard drives to discover forgotten gems of me and my friends. I have complied an album of old and new pictures that capture my favourite moments with the people I miss the most, ready to get printed and plaster on my bedroom walls. Not only does it remind me of all the good times I've had because of my friends, but it shows me all the good times waiting for me once this is all over.

Thank you for reading, stay connected!
Emily :)