Tameside College Covid diaries: Bradley Edge on lockdown life

English Language students at Tameside College have penned 'Covid diaries' outlining what life has been like throughout lockdown. Here, we share a personal blog from Bradley Edge - who is also studying Painting and Decorating.

Good morning everyone. Today I am going to tell you my experience so far of social distancing and how to keep physically and mentally healthy during this devastating pandemic.

It’s not been easy these past couple of weeks for me as I haven’t been able to see my friends and some family members but I still stay in contact with them and speak to them, pretty much every day, which is very important. 

It is important as your friends and family are the ones you love so they will cheer you up and will speak to you if you need them. My friends and family are the only reasons that I’m able to cope with the situation as they cheer me up if I’m down or upset and they do fun things with me. 

I have been struggling with not seeing my friends and family which I would usually see quite often but with everything that is going on, it has made me realise that my friends and family mean more to me that anything else.

I have also been keeping fit, which is helping me get out of the house and get some fresh air and I go for runs and walks twice a day.  It’s not a huge run but it’s enough to keep me fit and healthy as there is really nothing else I can do right now that would keep me physically fit, this also helps me mentally as staying indoors all the time can feel closed in. 

If you can’t go on runs or have nowhere to run then you can always do exercises in your house or in your garden with the lovely weather we are currently having. As long as you are keeping your body fit and healthy then you will feel great.

Brad and his grandad Clifford 

But most importantly, you need to ensure your mental health is in good condition, which can be hard as all we are doing is sitting inside doing the same thing all day every day. But there are ways to stay mentally active and one of them is doing exercise as that takes your mind off everything at the moment as you are focussing on exercising. 

Another is staying in contact with you friends and family anytime you can as they will cheer you up and keep you going through this horrible time. 

Every Thursday my mum and her team at work have a fun little quiz on Microsoft Teams and its just a bit of fun for half an hour but that half an hour will keep you going through the day and my Mum and her team let their children get involved which is also good for their children’s mind-set. 

Instead of calling a loved one or your friends, you can always Face Time them which is like a video call so that can also boost your mind set as seeing them instead of hearing them could make you happier and the call may be better as you can show them things or do some dancing which may sound silly but that little bit of silliness could cheer you up.

Also if your family members or friends are not available to call you then you can send them little funny and silly videos to make them laugh which is good as that one little silly video could change their mood instantly and make their day better.

Spend as much time as you can with the people that are living in your household. Play some board games with them or watch films or play video games or something that is exciting and fun and all the family can join in and have fun.

We are publishing a selection of ‘Covid Diaries’ and thank you letters to key workers, all outlining what life has been like throughout lockdown. They have been penned by students at Tameside College, written as part of their GCSE English language course. They provide a fascinating reflection on life these past few months throughout the pandemic, are both personal and moving, some uplifting, some tragic, all reflecting on times now familiar to us all. You can also read them all on pages 24 to 27 of the 16 July edition of the Tameside Reporter, which you can read online for free by clicking here.