Getting sober, moving abroad and saving the planet: lockdown changed our lives

On an unseasonably warm spring day in 2020 – 23rd March, to be precise – the nation saw their lives suddenly judder to a halt when former Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the UK was being plunged into lockdown.

Overnight, our usual routines were snatched from our hands: 11.7 million jobs were furloughed, park benches were covered with police tape and people attended funerals on Zoom.

The lockdown announcement three years ago also served as a catalyst for many people to assess their lives – and make some hugely dramatic changes. The number of people moving outside of London skyrocketed by 165% as people fled in the ‘race for space’ – meanwhile, 28% of people changed careers, there was a 10% rise in divorce rates… and 3.2 million households got a pet.

‘Traumatic events can cause mental health issues, such as increases in anxiety and depression or the development of post-traumatic stress disorder,’ Sarita Robinson, Deputy Head for the School of Psychology at UCLan, explains. 

‘However, there are people who experience post-traumatic growth (PTG). This is when individuals report their life has been enhanced because of the trauma. 

‘We know trauma can be a catalyst for change. Those with a positive, optimistic mindset and with stronger social networks are more likely to report PTG.’

Here, three people tell Metro about the life-altering decisions lockdown prompted them to make, and how it shaped their future.

Without lockdown, I’d be dead

Former DJ Sean Willers, 34, lost all his work as coronavirus spread. He used lockdown as an opportunity to overhaul his hard partying lifestyle by launching his own fitness empire.

My younger brother Liam and I were a successful DJ collective for eight years. We were well-known with a residency in Egg nightclub in London before moving to Berlin to embrace their creative scene. We toured Europe, Russia and Brazil, partying really hard.

I had a severe drug and alcohol addiction, which often goes hand in hand with that industry. Prior to the Covid crisis, my life was already at breaking point. My management had dumped me because of my drinking and I was spending all my money on booze and substances. I’d been kicked out of my apartment – at one point I was living from my music studio because I had nowhere to go.

Before the pandemic hit Berlin, I was sleeping on my brother’s sofa. We were arguing a lot, we weren’t making any music. I had fallen out with my parents too. I genuinely think if Covid hadn’t happened, I would be dead.

When lockdown was announced, we immediately lost all our income. We had to cancel a tour of Australia and all the partying had to stop, then all our friends left Germany. It was a scary time as we had no money to lean back on. I was hoping Covid would blow over quickly, but when it became apparent it wasn’t going to, I got a job in an Amazon warehouse – the only role I could get as I didn’t speak German.

It turned out that this time was a blessing in disguise as it allowed me to create a routine. Every morning, at 6am, Liam and I would go for a walk, and we began to eat more healthily. Although I hated working at a warehouse, it was the best thing for me as I was constantly moving and manouevering heavy boxes. I could see my body shape change, and for the first time in years, I had abs. 

I saved enough money to move back to England in July 2021. There were arguments between Liam and I – as lockdown lifted, we still had gigs to do.

I decided to do one; I just had one drink, but the rest of the night I blacked out and ended up in hospital. That’s when I knew I had to give up the DJing for good.

With the extra money I saved, I set up Willers Fitness – a wellbeing company that specialises in working with DJs on their health and sobriety journey. I work closely with lots of people in the music industry to provide support for those struggling with substance abuse. We’re now working with people in 14 countries, and the business continues to grow.

The pandemic was the best thing that ever happened to me, and I feel awful for saying that because I know how hard it was for so many people. My life now is just so much richer. One week before lockdown, I was at my absolute worst. Now I’m at my best.

We’ve embraced an eco-friendly lifestyle

Before the coronavirus crisis, lifestyle coach Jessica Barclay, 35, would never have left London. However, lockdown saw her embrace a zero waste life, and leave the Big Smoke with her partner, Harry, 43 and their five-year-old daughter, Felicity.

Until 2020, we soaked up London. We’d go to restaurants and see friends regularly. Both my partner, Harry, and I grew up in the country – while he’d said he was keen to return one day, I refused to move beyond Zone 6. I’d even picked the street where my dream house would be. I thought we might have to break up because I was so dead set on not leaving.

But then, lockdown saw our lives completely change. In those early days, we were so afraid of where Covid came from, the uncertainty it brought – even whether the food chain could keep functioning. We decided to be more sustainable and grow our own food at home in our tiny back garden. My five-year-old daughter and I even went fully vegan – a transition we found much easier in lockdown as we could control what we consumed.

The pandemic gave me food for thought about the amount of excess I had in my life. I also stopped buying any new clothes and sorted out a capsule wardrobe where I have 33 items of clothing to choose from every three months. Now, my daughter wears predominantly hand-me-downs and we don’t actively buy anything outside of school uniform. It was hard at first – as a woman I feel like I needed to deprogramme myself for wanting the latest styles.

We lived under the flight path in London, and after all planes were grounded, we noticed a change. We could see gorgeous blue dragonflies in the park – before, we’d only see one a year. The air we breathe felt cleaner, and we felt better.

It made our family realise how precious the planet is, and we stepped up our sustainability. We started making our own compost, recycling as much as we could and only shopping local produce. We’re trying to reduce our waste to zero and be as self-sufficient as possible. While we have saved some money, we’ve chosen a more flexible approach to work too, so we’re balancing the books.

In the pandemic, I kept my own goals journal, where every day I would write three things I wanted. I realised not only did I need to live in London anymore, my goals were being hindered by staying there. We wanted to buy a house with more garden space to grow more, keep chickens and have two dogs.

We’ve since moved to Newbury in West Berkshire, and we’re still on the look for our perfect home. My daughter’s dream is to live in a double-decker bus in the woods – I wouldn’t mind that but that’s a step too far for my partner.

We’d love our own little greenbelt with lots of protected trees and greenery, and a small house that’s cheaper to power. We want to use as much technology as possible to be self-sufficient, so we’re looking at solar panels and other tools.

We’re continuing to limit our consumption. I’ve dug out my old sewing kit and a load of cheap fabric to make my daughter some new pyjamas. I now want to start making all our clothes – I think it’ll be a nice activity for us to do together – and I’ve realised I can go quite comfortably not buying the latest fashion. I’ve even started making all my own cleaning products from scratch.

I’m really glad we’ve transitioned to a waste-free lifestyle. I hope I can build a happy, healthy home for our family.

I moved to Japan with a man I met weeks before lockdown

Lauren Crouch, 35, swapped her copywriting career for an adventure in Tokyo with her partner Andrew, who she met weeks before the first lockdown.

Pre-pandemic, I had a pretty normal life – I went to the gym most mornings, worked in the City and lived in Highbury with my best friend. I’d have brunch on Saturday, end up in the pub and spend all of Sunday drinking coffee.

I’d been playing the vicious London dating game for years, and only met my current partner, Andrew, 39, at the end of January.

While I was dismissive of lockdown at first, it became clear it wasn’t going anywhere. It made things move quickly for myself and Andrew, who’s a teacher – we formed a bubble and I was spending four nights a week around his place.

One night Andrew said he was considering moving overseas to teach – he’d previously taught in Beijing. I wasn’t sure if he expected me to come with him. We started looking at where we could go and decided on Japan – somewhere we could explore if the borders were closed and we had to stay in the country.

Japan hire teachers far in advance – within weeks of us discussing it, he found a role. At first, I was going to do copywriting out there, but during coronavirus, the country was only admitting key workers. God, it was stressful. It was beginning to look like I couldn’t go, so I rang Andrew’s school and begged them for a role. Thankfully, they offered me a place as a teaching assistant, and we were suddenly all set.

When you move to Japan, you have to sign a two year contract to stay, so we were forced to have serious relationship conversations early, such as whether we saw ourselves spending two years together and if we wanted kids.

It took six months for everything to be finalised, and eventually we were allowed to head to Japan in early 2021.

From the moment we landed in Tokyo, it was a huge change. Elements of life in Tokyo are similar to London – there’s bars, restaurants and gyms – I even managed to join a tag rugby team, like I did back home, but culturally things are very different. 

Here, there isn’t a great work life balance, especially in the corporate world. If I wasn’t working in a school, I’d only have 10 days off a year. People also work very late; some don’t leave the office until their boss leaves.

A lot of social behaviour is based around respect and how things should be done, whereas in the UK, we have a more individualistic culture. One of the first Japanese proverbs I learned translates to: ‘The nail that sticks out will always be hammered in.’  In Japan, people want conformity. But that’s not to mean I’ve had to restrain myself – we’ve made lots of Japanese friends. People here are lovely. Most people want you to love the place – and we do.

While I was excited about our adventure, I was scared that my partner and I were going to break up. It was such a huge risk – I could have sacrificed everything for things not to work out.

Early on in the move, I would get pangs of homesickness. I kept thinking just how many thousands of miles away I was from the UK. It was hard to not be able to go home or have friends come and visit due to the strict restrictions, but with things like Zoom and FaceTime, I could stay connected with loved ones.

Andrew and I also had to adjust to working together. We’ve worked hard to divide a line between work and home: travelling to work separately and organising activities apart so we’re not living in each other’s pockets. Being a teaching assistant also isn’t something I’m going to remain doing. It’s been a great career break from writing, and while the kids are lovely, this is just not a profession I would have ever chosen for myself. 

The best thing about working here is the freedom it’s given us. Our international school pays our rent and we’ve been given a lovely two bed apartment in the city centre. We get 16 weeks off work a year – we’ve been able to see so much of Japan, eat amazing food, ski at weekends, go to the beach in the summer.

Unlike the UK, Japan never had a long-term national lockdown. We got to live a life that we never could have had if we stayed in London through Covid.

Our contract in Japan elapses in the summer, and we’re finally moving back to the UK to settle down. Even so, I’m going to carry my adventurous spirit back with me and make sure I keep exploring.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Kimberley.Bond@metro.co.uk 

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