Dear World, As You Start to Come Out of Lockdown

Dear World,

As you start to come out of lockdown and get some normality back into your lives, please think of the people who are still living in lockdown. Those who have been living in it for years before, and who will continue in years to come.

Remember way back at the start?

You couldn’t think of anything worse than enduring the same thing every day, with no end in sight. All the days blended into one. You got bored. You got fed up. You got angry. You got upset. You missed meeting your friends and family. You missed going to places, seeing a different scenery than these four walls. You even missed the things you thought you would never miss. Experiencing life stopped. Life as you knew it became on hold.

But probably unknown to you, millions of people didn’t have to adjust
to the new normal as it has been their normal for a long time. The
difference being you could see yourself coming out the other side,
participating in life again. Making plans. Making new memories and
catching up on lost time. Where as others are trying to get through each
day with a whole host of debilitating symptoms just trying to have a
day. Viewing life through others and through the window. People in
lockdown actually were able to do a lot more than people with chronic
illness. You could exercise, cook, shower etc, things like calling
people, which you didn’t have to plan, rest before and after for. Think
of all the worry, planning, cautiousness and risk involved with going
out and doing things now. We have that all the time with chronic
illness. Knowing it will make it worse.

The ways you have done things to include people to be able to
participate in things should show that this needs to keep going on after
lockdown for the people living lockdown.

Work places realized most of things could be done at home. Which could give a chance to somebody with health conditions where physically going to work is too much for the body.

Some appointments could save time and energy by using a video/call system.

Maybe now you could start taking some notice to the screaming we have been doing for years. My heart aches to know many more will have to live with this.

Don’t forget how you felt.

Don’t forget what it taught you.

Don’t forget us.

Please remember us.

From,
Rachel Aylward