The ten stages of ‘Freedom Day’ grief
Still can’t get over Boris taking away your ‘Freedom Day’ (and the chance to use that body glitter you bought before lockdown 1.0)? Well, this one’s for you.
We’re here for you through these difficult times; which is why we’re bringing you ten ways to beat that infinite-lockdown blues. That’s right – dust yourself off, remind yourself that you’ve already got this far, and start looking forward to the next so-called ‘Freedom Day’ (we’re deffo keeping our fingers and toes crossed for that one).
1. Denial
They say there are five stages of grief… the first being denial. For this one, you might want to scroll through endless YouTube festival previews, stare longingly at your soon-to-be-rescheduled club night tickets, and start wearing all your best festival gear to Tesco,even though as just popped out for a loaf of bread. I’d try and push through this stage quite quickly though if I were you. It’s cute for a few days, but it’s really annoying for everyone in your life after about a week when you can’t stop French plaiting your hair, silent raving, and talking about the Beyond the Woods line-up that never was.
2. Anger
The next stage is, you guessed it, anger. It’s alright, let it out. It’s perfectly reasonable to be angry at Boris and his cronies – it’s no secret that they haven’t been doing the best job (putting it mildly…). You might want to consider staging a protest outside Whitehall, writing to your local MP, and of course, cackling gleefully whenever Dominic Cummings pops up to leak some more damning messages from the cabinet group WhatsApp. You’re merely exercising your democratic rights.
3. Bargaining
You can take your working-from-home initiatives and your extended furlough scheme, we want XOYO, and we want it NOW!!!
4. Depression
Depression is a strong word, and it risks trivialising a very serious mental illness that effects tens of thousands of people every year. But it is officially listed as the fourth stage of grieving, so it seems right that we include it on this list if we want to truly get over the ‘Freedom Day’ delay. For this one you might wanna lie on your sofa, hug your pillow and imagine it’s the bouncer letting you into Revolution for the first time in nearly eighteen months, and last but not least, eat endless Pringles. You’re allowed to be in mourning. It’s healthy, and it’s a sign of healing. But don’t spend too much time dwelling on what could’ve been.
5. Acceptance
Yep, we’ve now arrived at acceptance. It gets more fun from here. Now’s the time to remember how far we’ve come since mid-February, when the government’s lockdown roadmap was first announced. Back then you could only leave the house for essential purchases (or if you were one of those absolutely *blessed* key workers). Now can you go shopping, get a manicure, visit a spa, go to the pub, eat out at a restaurant inside, go to art galleries and museums, and even go on holiday! Not too shabby really, when you think about it!
6. Get drunk in a park
Here at Licklist, we would never explicitly advise alcohol as a way of sorting through complex emotional issues… but we definitely will implicitly advise you to do just that! Because whilst Boris can keep our clubs shut for months on end, what he can’t do is stop you hitting up your local green spaces, enjoying a bit of nature, and downing a lukewarm Strongbow right alongside it. Maybe even try hosting my own proper British BBQ (if your local park allows it) – nothing screams summer like a questionably-cooked hotdog in an ASDA white cob roll.
7. Treat yourself
We’ve all seen those memes where people justify chain-eating Krispy Kreme doughnuts as ‘treating themselves’ – well, now is time to indulge in those very fantasies. I recommend a Lush bath bomb, a box of Krispy Kreme Bites, a podcast, and a Yankee candle; yep, now Is the time to relaaaaxxxxxx… you’ve been through a lot, you deserve it.
8. Go shopping
Remember, it’s just a delay. It’s not like they’ve cancelled Christmas or anything (that was last year). If you head online now you’ll beat the 19th July rush, where everyone’s refreshing their online baskets like crazy, trying to order that last pair of jean shorts on ASOS. Or even better – go out and do some old-fashioned in-person shopping. Nothing screams ‘I’m over it’ like buying yourself a new floral midi dress (to go with all your other floral midi dresses…).
9. Hug a dog
Nothing makes you feel better than hugging a dog. I don’t know what it is about dogs, but it’s something about their soulful eyes that just has the ability to melt away all your troubles. If you don’t have a dog, maybe go to the park and ask someone if you can hug their dog?? Might look a bit weird, but it’s worth a shot. Cats work just as well, by the way. Alhough they’re not usually so readily available.
10. Get your vaccine
There’s no better way to get over the delay than to ‘arm’ yourself (if you’ll pardon the pun) against the evil virus that caused all these shenanigans in the first place, than by getting the jab yourself. The vaccine rollout has already extended to anyone over the age of 18, so what are you waiting for?!?! You get to protect yourself, your friends, and your family, all at once – and for *free*; sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me.
So there you have it – it’s been a rollercoaster but we’ve made it to the end. The important thing to remember is that it will happen. It might feel as though it will never happen, but that’s just not true. If you’re feeling anxious or sad about the future, please reach out to someone close to you. They’ll be there to listen to you, and you’ll most likely realise that they’re feeling the same way as you are. Everyone is feeling a bit worried about the future at the moment, and it’s okay not to be okay.
All GIFs courtesy of GIPHY!
And words courtesy of Rebecca Clayton