Mummy of a Square Peg gets lockdown fatigue.
Throughout this period of lockdown, with all the challenges it has thrown at us I have tried to be positive, tried to keep a work/school routine going and tried to keep my mental health on an even keel.
Food fatigue
But boy am I fatigued with it all now. I’m literally just eating toast because I’ve totally lost all of my cooking mojo and having to make any food is just too much effort. I’ve actually started to dread lunchtimes, do we really need to eat? Why do the kids just demand snacks all the time? What? You want me to make you a drink? Again?
Homeschooling fatigue
And then there’s the whole homeschooling debacle. Just before lockdown I was having perfect visions of how our homeschooling experience would be. After breakfast, we would all sit round the dining room table together, I would set Matthew up with his school work for the day and Edward with his. They would begin without asking me a question straight away and I would merrily be able to get on with my own work…..
Alas…..that did not happen. Matthew whinged and moaned about everything and Edward couldn’t give a stuff about anything. So now I just let them play Ninja warrior in the lounge and I get on with my work…
Exercise fatigue
Oh yeah! The exercise….
Me at the start of lockdown ‘Yes we will start with Joe Wicks everyday, that will get us in the mood for the day!’ Or ‘We will enjoy a beautiful walk in the woods to start the day.’
I think we managed to do Joe Wick about three times. Not because we didn’t enjoy it but because every time I got down on the floor to do the plank or something, Edward would jump on my back and it just ended in chaos.
When the country was only allowed out for one lot of daily exercise we did walk every day in our local woods. That was a way for me to keep reasonably sane, but after three months of doing this I was bored of the woods.
Don’t get me wrong I have really enjoyed having all this time with the boys, not having to get everyone up and dressed and out the house. Not having to to travel to Matt’s bike races or take him to football.
But now….enough! Whilst Edward is adorably cute and very funny, he is relentless and it is draining. Everytime I need to change his nappy, get him dressed, try to get him to have something to eat or drink, try to put him to bed, or in the bath, or put his shoes on, I have to chase him around the house first. He loves to dive under duvets or vault over the sofa and I have to drag him out and he thinks it’s all a hilarious game. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
So how are you all feeling about lockdown now? How’s your motivation to do anything? Let me know in the comments below. Thanks for reading.
Oh, your photos of you both booking tired, sums up how I feel #stayclassymama@_karendennis
It is stressful time full of uncertainty and worry so understandably you feel this way. Be gently with yoursrlf X #stayclassymama
Totally get that – I was feeling totally done with it all. Our two are back at school in the mornings at the moment so that has made things much easier for now. Hang in there! x #stayclassymama
I def got food fatigue- I was so sick of eating everything I knew how to make. A chef near us whose function centre shut set up a meal service so you ordered and picked it up on a Wednesday or Saturday – all you had to do was whack it in the oven or heat up in a pot. It was reasonably priced so we just had that a couple of times a week….just for the variation…I’ve been thinking about it tho. I don’t think it’s really about the food or the cooking – because you do that everyday in real life too. It’s a ‘safe’ place to direct the anger/dissatisfaction/boredom/stress etc at the situation. It’s also an easy ‘fix’ – you can get takeaway, you can google some whacko new recipe – whatever – you CAN fix it, and that makes you feel better, like you have some control, whereas the actual problem…we are captive to it….#Stayclassymama
My motivation varies and the last couple of weeks of term are hectic with work. The kids have no interest in home learning so it is turning into a battle! #stayclassymama
Yup, I think I hit this about three weeks ago and I am trying to pull myself out of it, but it’s hard, particularly with the school holidays and a teen to occupy now she’s not doing online school work. No words of wisdom, but you are very much not alone… I feel all the things you shared too! #stayclassymama sorry it’s late, life has been crazy!