Billy Read: How lockdown changed my lifestyle – plus tips for staying positive

Reflecting on the current lockdown due to covid-19, as a deaf person, it’s made me realise the importance of video calls to stay in touch with friends and family. I use WhatsApp video and FaceTime and sometimes I use Zoom.

Personally, I have spent most of lockdown period alone, as I live by myself. However, as I have a part time delivery driver job, I am able to go outside every evening each week (except Sundays), so I still see my work boss and colleagues.

Another thing that changed at work is that I’m no longer meeting customers face-to-face when delivering their orders. Instead, I leave the order at their doorstep, knock, step back and wait until they pick up their order. This means my job is easier – I no longer have to face any awkward small talk, nor have to lipread and guess what they are saying to me. It’s just a thumbs up, and a “thank you” from them, and then I’m off.

Lockdown has made me more aware of the impact we as a species have had on our planet. The irony of the pandemic is that Mother Nature is being given a chance to heal again – the skies are now clearer with less pollution, the waters cleaner. So I have given more attention to the amount of waste – particularly plastic waste, that I’m throwing out.  

I’ve also cut down on meat, I’ll eat it maybe 1-2 times a week now. It’s not only saved me money, it’s healthier, and it helps to reduce waste and emissions.

Lockdown has made me more grateful, and appreciative of what I have.

I remind myself how lucky I am to be alive, young, fit, and healthy – physically and mentally. I have also been fortunate to still have work opportunities, despite many people being laid off work.

So I always try to remind myself, that many people are not so fortunate.

How do I cope in isolation, living alone?

Sometimes I meditate and practice yoga. There are many benefits, and for me – doing yoga stretches makes me feel good, re-energised, and prevents my back aching while I’m at work.

I also try to exercise at home to stay fit, doing body weight workouts (push ups, squats etc) and I use resistance bands too.

Perhaps more importantly is I always keep myself busy. Besides my part time work, I set tasks each day – such as house chores, and I’ve started learning new skills – there’s a lots of free online courses, apps, software and resources in this post. My travel blog also takes up a chunk of my time.

Having a daily to-do list and ticking off each task helps me feel productive and gives me a sense of accomplishment at the end of each day, which is good for my mental health, so it’s something I would definitely advise to anyone.

Being an introvert, I feel I was more prepared for lockdown than some, and able to cope with it well. The trick is to always keep your mind busy – whether its mental exercises (like playing games and puzzles, or even brushing my teeth with my left hand instead of right), working at home, dancing, listening to music from my speakers (or in my mind), just being creative and staying productive.

As someone who loves travel (having been to 40+ countries), my travel life has obviously been brought to a halt. So naturally I’m gutted, but I stay positive and hopeful in the knowledge that this pandemic will die out eventually.

Recently I’ve been working on a new series of ‘Street Dance Tutorials in Lockdown’ in BSL. The video tutorials are beginners level and accessible to everyone, but are aimed especially for Deaf kids who might be finding their lockdown experience a difficult one. So I’m releasing new videos every week, and you can view them on my YouTube channel or on my Facebook page.

I hope this article inspires you to try out something new, and to finish I’ve listed below some of my favourite tips for staying positive in lockdown.

My 10 best tips for staying positive in lockdown: