The Lockdown Log | Interview with Rachel - Public Relations Consultant

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Welcome to The Lockdown Log!

In this new series, The Lockdown Log, I’m going to be interviewing some of my friends from New Zealand, to hear a little about what their experience was like during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) Lockdown that our country went through in April (and continues, in some degree until we’re told otherwise). For some of my friends, life has radically changed, for others, it’s only a little different. But whatever has happened in the last few months, whatever their situation has been or will continue to be, they have a story, and one that I believe is worth sharing, if not for now, then for the future.

In this installment of The Lockdown Log, I chat to my friend Rachel, who is a public relations consultant in Auckland.

Hey, Rachel! Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions! You’re in public relations in Auckland; what does a usual week look like?

My weeks are quite busy! My job can be really fast-paced and doesn’t always fit into the normal 9-5 business hours so it’s not unusual for me to have work things on throughout the week. I’m also very social outside of work, hanging out with friends and with things happening at church. When I do get a bit of downtime, I’m usually at the gym, working on crafts, or catching up on some reading!

Love me a bit of reading! Public relations involves a lot of, well public. Seeing as we were in lockdown for so long, all in our homes with strict not-contact restrictions, and then at level 3 with limited public interactions, how has work been different for you?

Work is quite a bit different in lockdown. We’re lucky that we already work from home sometimes so not a lot changed there – but my because my job is very social, it feels really different. Under normal circumstances I spend a good chunk of the day bouncing ideas off my colleagues and chatting away, whereas now it’s really just me typing away on Slack for most of the day. I have a meeting every morning at 8:30am with my team so that’s helped me stick to a good routine in terms of waking up and getting the day started at a reasonable time.

I have a home desk set up, but I find I like to sit anywhere but there throughout the day. I’ve also completely ignored the advice to get dressed everyday like I normally would because wearing anything that isn’t comfy just seems silly!

Yes the closest I got to ‘going out’ clothes was jeans-tshirt-cardi combo; I so get that! Do you have any tips for people who are still working from home?

Make sure to set boundaries and avoid falling into the “always on” mindset. Just because you’re home and you can jump online and do something quick, it doesn’t’ mean you should!

Yeah, that’s great advice. Hard to follow, but definitely a must! What have you found hardest about Lockdown?

The uncertainty. I’ve found it really hard not knowing how long all of this is going to last. I find myself putting off setting up a nice space at home because I’ve clocked it as such a temporary thing, but it has definitely lasted longer than I originally anticipated.

It’s tricky not knowing, I agree. Are there things you’ve been grateful for though, during this time?

I’m so grateful for the opportunity to slow down. It’s made me realise how tired I actually am from keeping up with a full schedule. I spent the first few weeks resting and now I feel so much better taking time to really look after myself.

That’s definitely a theme coming through from people I’ve talked to; slowing down, taking a breath, realising that we live quite busy lives usually. Have there been any things that you’ve actually enjoyed during this time? Or anything that you’ve taken up during Lockdown that you’d like to carry forward into the coming months?

I’ve recently just started painting with watercolour. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed but never had a lot of time for. It’s a great way to get creative and it’s very forgiving!

I have loved seeing your watercolours on Instagram! I don’t think I knew that you liked doing watercolours until Lockdown! Which means we need to have crafternoons once we’re able to freely move around the city more and meet together.

Have you got any survival tips for people who are still self isolation?

Be lazy! Now is the time to just sit and have nothing to with no place to be so soak it up!

Ah! So true! It’s been a joy to wake up in the mornings and release I have zero planned. Out of that laziness, I’ve come away from at least Level 4 lockdown with some pretty good stories though. Have you got any stories that you’d like to share?

Well, nearly every cat in the neighbourhood has come to visit during lockdown. I don’t know why or what it is about our flat but they seem to really like hanging around outside.

This has been one of the most entertaining things on my Instagram stories for the past few months; which cat will visit Rachel today!?

Yeah, we left the front door over one morning and one of the cats just walked right in to make itself at home. It’s been a running joke that lockdown has made me a cat whisperer!

Haha! You may regret that later on! Speaking of funny situations … did you do anything drastic to your hair when the hairdressers were out of service?

No, but I’ve been very very tempted. I’ve been using this as a great excuse to grow it out and not touch it.

Well, you’re one of the smart ones! Some people have terrible hair stories! Thank you, Rachael, for sharing with us a bit about what Lockdown has been like for you (and your neighbourhood cats!).

Stay tuned for another edition of The Lockdown Log coming soon!

To learn more about New Zealand’s alert level system, check out the COVID-19 website.