Low-key missing lockdown

Yeah, staying home was weird, but it also was kind of...nice?

- KATHLEEN O'NEILL

Reminiscing about whipped coffee, the “Blinding Lights” dance trend and cottagecore mood boards? You might just have yourself a case of quarantine nostalgia.

This March marks four years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. And with life (mostly) back to normal, more than a few of us are feeling a little wistful about the lockdown days of 2020. Just peep the quarantine nostalgia topic on TikTok, which has over 68 million views.

“My friends and I have been talking about how we really miss some parts of staying at home—like the free time we had to hang with our families and to try out new hobbies,” shares Maggie W., 16.

The pandemic was tragic, and for many, 2020 was a year marked by serious struggle and grief. And while of course no one is nostalgic for the chaotic and difficult circumstances that led to the lockdown, it’s OK to acknowledge you’re missing the coziness, creativity and connection that came from being stuck at home.

So whether you’re looking back on the fabulous flexibility of virtual school or pining for jigsaw puzzle nights with your fam, take these lockdown lessons into the here and now…

LOCKDOWN LESSON:

R&R kinda rules. Before the pandemic, your life probably looked a little like this: Wake up, catch the bus, school, extracurriculars, friends, homework, scrolling, bed. Repeat…again and again.

Then, all of a sudden, that day-to-day routine simply… disappeared.