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Writer's pictureBrianna Lee

The Lockdown Rollercoaster

As many will know myself along with many other flight attendants across Australia were stood down at the end of March as a result of the lockdown provisions the Government implemented due to the COVID19 pandemic. For many of us this brought about a very unsettling and uncertain time.


Going back to when I received the news that I would no longer be flying or getting paid I remember the anxiety and panic that started creeping in. At this stage there was no Government assistance I could apply for as my husband was still working and he earned too much for me to qualify for any assistance. The problem was, which I'm sure many families were facing, was that our lifestyle was set up based around my husbands income AND my income. Therefore we have debt and bills to pay and my husbands income alone was not enough to cover these expenses.


During this time I turned my anxiety and panic into applying for as many jobs as I could, I was willing to do anything that would help us meet our financial commitments. I literally made it game! How many jobs could I apply for each day. It as actually kind of addictive in a weird way.


It actually turned out the company I work for were fantastically pro-active and started partnering with different companies and organisations across Australia in an attempt to help their employees gain meaningful work. I applied for a few positions and I was lucky enough to be offered a position working from home which worked perfect for my husband and I.


I should also mention, right before COVID19 became a global pandemic, my car broke! Then I was stood down with no income so we couldn't afford to get it fixed. Therefore working from home during this time couldn't have been more perfect from a practical point of view.


I absolutely love being a flight attendant and I am very much looking forward to flying again. I also consider my self an introvert, so again working from home sounds perfect right? What I didn't realise until I started interacting with people outside my house again, how easy it was for me to almost become a lazy recluse. Working from home played so much into my introverted nature that without realising it I let it get a little extreme. I started to prefer being on my own all the time, not wanting to interact with anyone. It really killed my aliveness and zest for life. But not for long!


I soon realised what was happening to me so I started to go for walks and try to move my body more and this definitely helped.


The company I was working for at this time ended my contract earlier than the original end date. This time at least I was getting the jobkeeper payment so I wasn't so stressed about getting another job. However, it just so happens that a job just about fell in my lap.


I won a contract for the Australian Government as an Executive Assistant. After my first day at my new job, I realised the full extent of the impact of being locked in a room at home for the best part of a month with limited interaction. I literally became alive again and experienced and excitement and happiness that I hadn't felt since my last day flying.


Safe to say these past few months have been nothing short of a rollercoaster for many people around the world and my heart goes out to those that have been impacted directly by COVID19.


How have you coped through these trying times? Everyone's journey will be different and however you have felt or are feeling, it's perfectly OK!



XOXO

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