The Free World - Post Covid

Pre Covid, the working world existed between the hours of 09:00 - 17:00 from Monday to Friday! Friday afternoons and evenings came with a sense of euphoria and celebration, with some calling Thursday the new Friday, and a reason to celebrate the weekend early, meaning Fridays were even less productive, with hungover mornings, blending into slow afternoons, counting down the hours/minutes before the weekend was upon us!

We switched off from work, and didn't give it another thought, until the anxiety crept in around Sunday afternoon, when we realised it was Monday tomorrow and there were only a few hours left of your own time, to relax and do what you want to do...even if it meant doing absolutely nothing and watching Sunday Football, or the Eastenders omnibus (if that is still such a thing)

Covid, as awful as it has been for so many, has actually given the working world a sense of freedom and responsibility, that we refuse to let go, or give back!

For many, work was an extension of school, we go, because we have to, not because we want to! We get told when to be to be at work and when to leave, we have lunch when we are told to and if we talk to a friend, or on our phones, then we got in trouble....we definitely couldn't shoot out for an errand when we needed to.

We felt shackled with working constraints, the limitations that going to work enforced upon us! Not seeing our children or being able to live our lives as adults and plan our own days and lives, left us feeling frustrated, angry and resentful to our work and our professions.

Covid removed all of this...we suddenly had our adulthood thrust upon us, we were able to plan our own days, take our children to school, run the errands that would otherwise have to wait for the weekend! We worked when we wanted to, not because we were told to, and this gave a sense of freedom and enjoyment, as it didn't feel forced anymore, it felt empowering and satisfying!

Because of this sudden sense of responsibility and freedom, we fell in love with our work again and enjoyed doing it and taking pride in it! Gone were the days of feeling tired and drained, there was a new sense of enthusiasm that came because we were able to start and stop work at our own leisure and actually we found ourselves not craving the weekends, as ever day we felt freedom and enjoyment, not sadness and frustration.

Work improved, happiness improved, working relationships improved and life suddenly felt as if it all made sense! We were in control for the first time in years and we actually liked it!

We need to learn from this and realise the good that has come from this and adapt and grow and not revert back to the life we had before, where we lost who we really are and we existed, rather than lived and flourished!