Overall, people have struggled during lockdown; however, being locked inside had unexpectedly also some good sides:
One of the most important things to take from the lockdown has been the positive environmental benefits: it was reported that “researchers estimate a drop in CO2 emissions in the EU27 of 11% for 2020” - Carbon Brief - Robert McSweeney, Ayesha Tandon. This shows one of the biggest benefits as this can not only be seen throughout the European Union but this has also been observed all over the world during 2020. Indeed, last year, specifically on 8th April 2020, the global CO2 emissions decreased by 18.2% as multiple countries were in lockdown at the same time.
Another benefit of lockdown has been the extended family time everyone has been able to enjoy with their loved ones. This has been a major benefit for me as my dad has been unable to travel and go to work in a foreign country as he used to do on a weekly basis. This has meant that I have been able to spend quality time during dinner with my dad and my family during the week versus only on week-ends before lockdown. It would have probably made most people’s lockdown much more enjoyable. I also feel that this has helped me to build a stronger bond with my dad compared to before lockdown.
From my point of view, one critical main benefit of lockdown has been the extra amount of time everyone has been able to save. Commutes for people can be very long for most people living outside large cities such as London. It could translate into wasting a lot of time in crowded trains while everyone could be doing more enjoyable activities in the tranquility of home such as working out or reading a book.
We should all reflect on how we had to change our lives during lockdown. Hopefully we should try to replicate the key benefits which made our lives more enjoyable in spite of the circumstances.
