Coronavirus: Experts offer advice about what habits we should keep after lockdown
Seven experts tell Sky News what we should keep doing when we exit lockdown.
Thursday 23 April 2020 21:47, UK
In the last four weeks, the day-to-day lives of everyone in the UK have been changed due to the coronavirus lockdown.
Our usual habits have been replaced with new ones, as we all try to adapt to these extraordinary and unusual times.
But what have we picked up in the last few weeks that we should continue with when we exit lockdown?
Sky News has spoken to seven experts, covering mental wellbeing, education, employment, food, entertainment and the environment to see what we should take forward.
Mental Wellbeing - Judi James, psychologist, and Mica Montana Gray, poet and assistant psychologist
Judi says contextualising our situation and structure are things we should take forward.
"We might be isolated, but we are much more aware of the global society and able to empathise.
"One thing that people leading enclosed lives for any length of time seem to agree on is the need to create some daily structure to help feelings of mental wellbeing.
"When we lose all structure, it can be very hard to self-motivate."
Meanwhile, Mica Montana Gray says we should think about limiting the amount of information we take in, to lessen anxieties, and that getting creative can be a great for self care.
"I think that's a really good practice to take out of lockdown so that our minds and our brains are not overwhelmed with the amount of information that we have access to a lot of the time.
"Journaling especially - people have started doing this because they've had so much time with their thoughts. It's a great way to monitor your health post-lockdown!"
Education - Chris Dyson, headteacher at Parklands Primary School, Leeds
Chris recommends we continue activities that bond families together.
"Making up five-minute exercise routines, creating and performing your own joke show, fingerprint art."
He currently has fewer than 20 children who currently still need to be in school.
"They're doing planting, they're doing gardening, they're doing painting, they're doing art. They're really being nurtured and doing fun, practical, lifeskill activities."
Employment - Beth Hale, partner at employment law firm CM Murray
"The key thing would be flexible working," Beth says.
"I think we have seen a lot of resistance to home working historically in some industries, and I think this is forcing everyone to go 'You know what? It can be done.'"
Beth says she thinks employers will also begin to recognise the daily juggle that many experience.
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"This has forced everyone to go 'I'm with my kids, there might be some noise in the background, I might have to drop off to deal with an unwell child'.
"You don't have, frankly, just working mothers pretending that they're not dealing with it - everyone is having to deal with that issue."
Food - 5 O'Clock Apron aka Claire Thomson, blogger, chef and author
Baking, Claire says, is an obvious habit we've picked up that we should continue.
"I've been baking daily bread, either scalded rye or sourdough. Sometimes the odd cake - I've made an oat and carrot cake," she says.
"Being less wasteful of produce, less mindful of silly things like hardcore use by dates.
"Also, more thrifty use of store cupboard staples," she adds, "basically being more resourceful cooks!"
Entertainment - Hanna Flint, film and TV critic and writer
"I'm more concerned that people will have got so used to consuming entertainment at home they will be reluctant to spend money on going to the cinema to catch the latest releases," Hanna says.
"What about the 'less' exciting films that already struggle to get time on the theatrical release schedules?"
She hopes we'll carry on using streaming sites that host more independent films, like Curzon Home Cinema and Mubi.
"People will hopefully realise how vital entertainment is to our culture and has been during this time - supporting the arts has never been more important."
Environment - Amy Cameron, Campaigner
Amy says she's enjoyed "cleaner air, quieter streets, bold wildlife taking advantage of our absence" - but that this shouldn't be a time to celebrate.
"Tackling the climate crisis should improve our physical and economic wellbeing, not destroy it.
"Post-pandemic, could we reclaim some of our streets for people rather than cars?
"Could more of us swap commutes for time with families? Could we protect more of the green space that's giving us so much solace?" she asks.
"I think we're learning just how much change is possible. I'd love if we could carry that forward into the world we rebuild."