We are not meant to live in isolation. What makes us healthy and whole are the connections we form with one another.  With our families. Our friends. Our colleagues and our community…  The thing we need the most to feel healthy has become harder to get.

After more than 30 years in the field of social work, I know one thing to be true. We do not need to be victims to our situation. We have choices to make, each and every day about how we want to live our lives. How we choose to show up for ourselves and each other.

One of the hardest things about this time for me has been the loss of travel, the opportunity to explore. If you know me, you know I love to travel. Give me a passport and a seat on a plane or in a car and I’m on my way, ready for what comes next. I thought it might be fun to travel, however virtually, around the US and yes, even abroad, to visit with people and hear how they’re doing during this difficult time. Over the next few weeks I’d like to bring you a glimpse of what life is like for our friends and neighbors in other places.

Today we meet Ellen who lives in Temple, Northern Ireland.

Welcome Ellen. Give us a picture of what life is like in Northern Ireland.  We have been in official lockdown from about the 23rd of March and we're going strong. We're in a limbo now as England has begun relaxing their isolation rules yet ours remain very restricted.

How have you been affected by the pandemic?  Personally I've been affected by this pandemic with regards to the early finish of my second year at Uni. Friends from abroad returned home abruptly without a chance to say goodbye and I moved from Belfast back to my family home in Temple. However grim the circumstances are in the world, I have really appreciated being with my family and believe this is such an important time to support each other. Now that my second year MB (Bachelors degree in Medicine) online test has been submitted I'm looking for jobs to keep me busy, such as perhaps training for a health care assistant position. 

My mum is an anesthetist working in a COVID ICU and my brother is a physiotherapist working in a respiratory ward. I'm so proud seeing how well they are coping and improving the quality of so many people's lives. However it is hard knowing they're at risk of catching this virus especially as many members of staff they've worked with have tested positive. Thank goodness both my mum and brother still remain negative. 

What has been the hardest thing for you to deal with? I think the hardest thing has been keeping a positive mindset in difficult times. My family has reduced the amount of news we've watched and have started watching silly Netflix series instead. Some days are a lot harder than others but it's so important to remind yourself it's okay. Very much mind over matter. 

For my other brother who is doing his finals online now, his immediate future has been impacted quite dramatically. In August he was going to embark on a year long incredible placement in Boston (Massachusetts) in finance, however this has been cancelled and as it was a privilege offered to only final year students he's uncertain if he'll get it next year. It's a shame as it would've been a fantastic experience for him but I know he's very capable with this set back of course. 

My little sister, who received offers for studying Medicine this September, has been told that her entire first semester would be carried out online.  Now she's in the dilemma of either starting this year and not getting to know her peers/experience freshers (freshmen) or try and persuade the university to allow her to defer a year so that she could have a less daunting start. 

What have you appreciated during this period? We live out in the countryside on an old farm surrounded by fields and cows. It has been amazing having the outdoors available to walk and explore when we all need distracting.

There are so many more young families in this small village that we've never met before. It has absolutely lovely standing and chatting to new kind faces during a time that although hard has really united so many of us. 

I feel the same warmth from people out here as those on our journey on the Camino. Normally people would be at work or school etc so this has given us the chance to meet. I think we've become a lot more aware of each other and not just to take an extra step apart to get the two meters compulsory distance.

What are you doing to keep yourself emotionally healthy during this time? I've been doing whatever keeps me happy and maintains some sort of structure. I've been baking with my sister. Eating a lot of that baking which is definitely quite enjoyable. Reading is something that I often put aside if it was not related to my studies but now I don't feel guilty reading all those crime thrillers etc I've loved before. 

When my university closed I sent an appeal to my peers as I'd been given a long list of NHS families who needed help as schools and childcare centers shut. Being able to help these families by putting them in contact with friends eager to help has been extremely rewarding. In return I've been looking after 3 kids who are absolutely adorable and extremely entertaining.

And of course I have really enjoyed reading all these blogs and getting a better understanding of everyone's very different experiences as we all go through this together ❤️

Thanks for inspiring us and for sharing your experience, Ellen.

Let’s broaden the conversation, shall we? Would you like to be featured in our guest interview posts? We want to hear from you! Email me at suzanne@suzannemaggio.com.