Hello and welcome to our monthly blog round-up. March has certainly been a busy and emotional month for us here at Aunty Social World, and we have had a lot to write about. March took us to the Scottish highlands and back, we commemorated the passing of a true music legend and discussed creating a more inclusive world for world autism acceptance day.
I’m writing this at the end of a long night, a long way away from home.
A long night on the loch and what a night it has been. A very typical story of being on holiday in a quiet location until
the guests from hell arrive and immerse you in their noise and wants. I knew that last night was going to be difficult from the moment it began...
Scotland. What a trip it has been. Highs and lows, everything in between.
We really saw Scotland, we saw so much, maybe too much at times. Honestly though, it has been amazing and I’m really sad to be leaving. As I sit here writing this I should be sleeping before a 12 hour journey home but I can’t sleep because I need to reflect upon this last week. I don’t know whether this is something that you do but whenever I go away, it takes me a long time to adjust and even longer to process after the trip has ended. For those who have read the last article about social anxiety and ‘that night’ on the loch, I feel I should maybe give you a brief update on this. If you haven’t read it (and want to), feel free to take a look and come back in a bit to read this next story...
It has taken me a long time to work out what to write in this post. Even longer to work out what to call it, as well as what I really think about what has happened over this last week or so.
When you search online for information about post-vacation or post-holiday blues, there are already many articles that talk about this and what to do when returning home. How returning to routine is difficult, and how existing stresses and problems in your everyday life become even more stressful. Perhaps what is missing in these articles are the personal stories, the deeper and more nuanced picture of what happens when we return from a break away. I had not considered this until this point, and never even searched for post-holiday blues literature, because I thought that I should just be grateful to have been able to get away. There are so many real problems in this world, and a week away in Scotland isn’t one of them...
It's a year today since Taylor Hawkins died. I still remember the day like it was yesterday. It was another early morning, another early wakening. Like most days I was awake before the light had struck and the day had not yet begun. I reached over to my phone and loaded up Twitter to see what was happening in the world. Like many, one of my ‘bad habits’ is spending too much time online and this day was no different. Only what happened in the world that day will stay with me for the rest of my life...
It’s been three years since the first COVID-19 lockdown took force and completely changed our lives. The dominant message around lockdowns and this period more broadly is the negative impact it had on people's lives, businesses, relationships and overall wellbeing. It’s this same message that saturates the media, research papers, academic discussions and everyday discourses surrounding what we felt, which continues into the present day. We’ve heard the harrowing stories of people separated from their loved ones until it was too late, or the struggles faced by families with unprecedented demands placed on them to simultaneously work, care and facilitate homeschooling. We’ve read the stories of those in disadvantaged positions, those who were isolated, living out the fears and uncertainty of this time completely alone. Then there are the stories of those on the frontline, NHS staff, public service workers, carers, and those who could not shut the door and isolate because life needed to carry on, they needed to be there for those most in need...
This was a great read! You write so well. I felt like I was on holiday with you. Thank you for sharing this experience with us
Lovely round up. I've never been to Scotland but I'd love to go. I honestly cannot believe it's been a year since Taylor Hawkins died. Where on Earth has that time gone?