Lockdown. Our favourite cafes, restaurants and shops are closed. We can’t spend time with our favourite people. We can’t visit our favourite places. There are so many things we can’t do. But like all things in life, there is always something good to come out of every situation. Here’s something we can do.

What about using the time at home to explore, strengthen and deepen the relationships we have with the people we share our house with, since we will inevitably be spending much more time with them than usual?

Dinner on the sofa watching a show. Breakfast with our smartphones next to our plates ensuring we didn’t miss out on anything too important during the night. How much quality time do we really spend with our people?

Are we really present in their presence? Are we even present with ourselves when we are alone?

When was the last time you had a meaningful conversation with your housemate, partner, parent, child? You live alone? When was the last time you gave yourself permission to spend time doing something you enjoy that doesn’t involve a screen; thinking about your life, your goals, what you love doing, which of your relationships are supporting and which are not; revisiting your dreams?

Going online allows us to stay in touch with the people we care about. It allows us to do fitness classes so that we get to move our bodies. It allows me to reach you reading this blog post right now. Thank God it exists, you might say, otherwise we would go crazy. What would people do without Youtube, Netflix and the like, I wonder?

I, like everyone, am very grateful for the internet. But instead of constantly being ‘out there’, I invite you to turn inwards and click on pause for a bit.

How you can give the gift of presence to yourself and to others during this lockdown? Who knows, it could turn out to be a blessing in disguise.