One Day At A Time

Today marks the anniversary of the first Coronavirus lockdown in the UK. On this national day of reflection, we asked Rosey if she could look back over the year that’s passed and reflect on her own experiences.

One year on since our lives were turned upside down & life as we know it changed forever. The past year I, as I’m sure many others, have had to take life one day at a time. With the ever-changing rules, restrictions & news, it has caused lots of stress, uncertainty & chaos.

I’ve experienced life in this way before, albeit in different circumstances – living with a family member in active addiction. We existed in survival mode, going from one crisis to another, never knowing what each day may bring.

I was worried that this new crisis may make me feel the same as I did back then, feeling trapped & never able to look forward. In reality, it has allowed time & space to really stop and think about what is important. The past year has been full of challenges for everyone, personally, I have faced redundancy, the death of a family member, contracting Covid-19 & suffering ongoing complications which resulted in a trip to the hospital, as well as not being able to see friends & family.

Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final. (Rainer Maria Rilke)

I’ve learnt to enjoy spending time at home with my boyfriend & enjoy multiple nights in watching Netflix. I’ve gone on many walks, runs & met up with friends outside when allowed. I’ve had multiple Zoom quizzes; WhatsApp group chats & cooked dishes I’ve never attempted before. I’ve learnt not to take things for granted & realise how fortunate I am to have a strong support network around me, as we experience this collective trauma together. Everyone has been affected in some way & I no longer feel alone.

A quote that has helped me this past year is from the film, Jojo Rabbit, and it says “let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.” (Rainer Maria Rilke).

While we can’t detract from how awful this past year has been, the collective grief, loss, stress & negative impact in so many ways, I’d hope that for many, they can find some sort of silver lining, however small, that has come from learning to live life one day at a time.

Rosey first connected with BDP via our Bereavement Through Addiction group. For more information on our BTA group please click here.