How I get through things like lockdowns

Lockdowns suck

I am the first to admit I hate being told I can't do something. We have been in Lockdown Level 4 (stay at home and all businesses closed) for many weeks then we were released to Level 3 which is pretty much clicking and collecting from some businesses only.

So - no restaurants or cafes unless it's takeaways.

I think we are heading into our 12th week of this here in Auckland - the biggest city in New Zealand - home to 2 million people. 

Businesses are hurting and people's patience is wearing thin. We cannot leave Auckland as it now also has a border to the rest of New Zealand. Christmas is looming with the prospect of having to shop online for presents but not being able to travel to see family elsewhere in NZ.

That's if the couriers get the parcels everywhere on time. With the border checkpoints at both ends of Auckland, the delays to courier and post are ridiculous. 

Anyway - how do you cope with stuff like this when it clearly is beyond your control?

What I do is focus on a big project!

What big project am I focusing on?

We decided to put our house on the market three weeks ago - and boy that has kept us busy!

All those odd jobs around the place you have been meaning to do and never got around to it. The touching up of paint, the water blasting of fences, we even re-painted the horse yards as well. 

Oh and did I mention the de-cluttering!

Anyone who knows me won't say I am a hoarder of any degree but you know when you have lived in one place for 13 years you do tend to gather stuff - stuff that you really don't need. 

It brings me to my dilemma. I kept all the letters that were written to me on my OE (overseas experience) in London in the early nineties (yes real paper and stamp letters) from my family, my Nana who has now passed, and they, in turn, kept my letters to them - so I have this whole box of letters to and from us spanning 3 years!

What to do?

Why did I keep them - they are now 29 years old?

I guess I thought one day someone might be interested in my life and adventures overseas - but really who am I kidding?

Should I just throw them away??

I also kept all the concert t-shirts from my days in London of seeing Gun's N Roses, Skid Row, Def Leppard, and Bon Jovi live in concert.

Oh those were the days.... long hair, suede tassel jackets... 

Why do we hold on to things that remind us of good times?

I think it helps us keep the memories...

I think it's the opposite with bad memories - we don't want to keep being reminded of something sad or bad so we tend not to keep things that remind us of those times. 

So that's our focus - Mr Healing with Hashimoto's needed a focus too - he was finding himself being sucked into the online black hole of social media and getting down about things too. 

So - if you find you are getting down then I suggest finding a really big project!!

Focus on that. It really helps.

And I have some ideas!!

• Put all your old photos into albums or do some scrapbooks
• Scan all your old photos before they fade and file them into folders on your computer 
• Sort out your camera photos on your phone and file them into folders, delete the ones you no longer need
• Marie Kondo your house.. go through every room and every cupboard and assess each item - does it bring you joy - if not - throw or give it away
• List all your unwanted bigger items on a website for selling household stuff like Facebook Marketplace. What you don't need might be really handy for someone else. 

I'll sign off but let me know what project you're going to tackle before Christmas and tell me what you think I should do with my letters and concert t-shirts.