Booker prize winner on lockdown

UK writer and Booker prize winner Bernardine Evaristo on coping with the Covid-19 lockdown

I’m semi-self-isolating at the moment because twice a week I drive across London to help look after my 86-year-old mother. The rest of the time, it’s just me and my husband. If I were isolating alone, I know I could deal with it, even enjoy it, having lived on my own for 20 years, on and off. But these are trying times and recently I’ve taken up meditation, because I was struggling to maintain my positive mental attitude, giving in to fear instead of fighting it.

My other strategy is to write positive affirmations: relationships, writing projects, fitness, finances, career ambitions – you name it, I have stacks of old affirmation cards going back to the 90s. They focus my desires and help me to expect the best, not the worst. If the best doesn’t materialize, I’ll write another affirmation to help me bounce back.

An affirmation is quite different to merely hoping a situation improves. A relevant example might go like this: “I feel utterly joyful that the virus has passed and that our lives are back to normal. All is well.” It doesn’t matter that the virus has not yet passed. Imagining that it will, makes me feel motivated and buoyant.

I look forward to the day when we all re-emerge from our homes with a renewed appreciation for what we have, and a stronger sense of community.

Bernardine Evaristo

Source - The Guardian