"Prioritize the things that are the most important to you." - Margaret's journey out of lockdown.

“My advice for other people would be take things one step at a time, and to prioritize the things that are the most important to you. Be brave, but do what is safe for you.”

Margaret lives with her husband and her daughter who has mild learning difficulties; in the last year she also had caring responsibilities for her mother who has dementia which has meant that Margaret and her family have been particularly careful about covid.

Margaret’s mother has now moved into a nursing home but Margaret is still able to visit as long as she takes a weekly lateral flow test.

“While we were in lockdown we got very used to being in a bubble,” said Margaret.  “We did what we could and encouraged our daughter to go out for walks; we made a bit more of an effort with the cooking.” Margaret is a keen knitter and spent much of lockdown making seaman’s caps, and even a dachshund inspired draft excluder for her sister! 

When lockdown began to lift Margaret found the ‘pinging’ of her phone a little bit overwhelming as activities began to restart and people wanted to meet in person. “I found that to stop feeling overwhelmed I had to take things as they came and decide what my priorities were.” Margaret and her daughter decided to join a Zumba class as their first ‘live’ activity when the classes reopened as it was something a bit different and they both wanted to improve their fitness.

The next thing she wanted to try was the Tai-Chi instructor course run by Age UK Bristol. Margaret felt very safe completing the Tai-Chi training as she knew that Age UK Bristol followed covid conscious policies around safety with social distancing and temperature checks taking place. “The Tai-Chi training was my way of taking a step forward in my own time to a bit of normality.” She said. Margaret is looking forward to sharing what she has learnt at her local Women’s Institute sessions where she plans to run Tai-Chi sessions.

“My advice for other people would be take things one step at a time, and to prioritize the things that are the most important to you. Be brave, but do what is safe for you. I still wear a mask in shops and intend to for a long time.”

Margaret believes that the Zumba with the Tai-Chi training has improved her fitness and confidence in her own abilities, she has since gone on to attend a walking group and has gone hiking in Wales. “I remember finishing the walk and feeling exhilarated, I don’t think I could have felt more exhilarated if I’d climbed Everest! My husband was impressed and I felt really proud of myself.”

This story is a part of Age UK Bristol and the Support Hub’s ‘One Small Step to Reconnect’ campaign, supporting and empowering people over 50 to reconnect with their community and rebuild their confidence in going out again post-lockdown. To find out more about the tai-chi training Margaret attended, visit www.ageukbristol.org.uk.