It’s time to start letting go as lockdown lifts. Don’t get me wrong. This isn’t a call to burn our face masks and let our unsanitised freak flag fly. 

Rather, after two years of staying in, as flights become ungrounded, borders reopen and movement become less controlled, surely and safely, we must make our way back out to society. So what does that entail? 

Well, for starters, it begins with having to wear a proper pair of pants.

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Or does it? 

Here are 11 things we need to start letting go of as we navigate this post-lockdown world.

  1. The clothes we can no longer fit into. For many of us, the lockdown led to a period of inactivity as we tried to deal with the ever-changing rules. Whether you lost or put on weight, it’s time to let go of the clothing giving you grief. Skinny jeans, we’re looking at you. 

 

  1. Letting go when people guilt trip you into going out. Just because your friends have reinstated brunch o’clock doesn’t mean you need to partake if you’re not comfortable meeting in public spaces yet. Be firm with your needs. Good friends will try to meet you halfway. 

 

 

  1. We need to stop saying “that’s the next Covid mega-spreader” when large groups of people are spotted out. Much like abstinence in sex, a surefire way to prevent being infected by the Coronavirus is by being a recluse and staying in. But assuming that people are doing it safely and following all SOPs, why rain on other’s parades when no one is forcing you to join in? 

 

  1. That your job has to be a dream job. A lot of white collar workers quit their job after facing burn out in the Great Resignation of 2021. But many more lost their jobs in the past two years simply because of bad luck. It’s alright to have a career that you might not love but gives you a steady paycheck. Being financially secure is sexy. Just make sure to enforce work-life balance.

 

  1. Conversely, bosses need to realise that the regular 9-5 is no longer. Working from home should be a permanent option at all offices, especially if the job does not require physical presence on-site. Have the occasional brainstorm or meeting in person. But trust your staff to perform even without supervision. They’ve been doing it during the pandemic after all.

 

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  1. Being Instagram perfect. Kids or pets will always have the uncanny ability to interrupt you in the middle of important Zoom meetings. There’s no need to pretend otherwise. We’ve all been in the same rough seas just trying to survive, and nothing puts a smile on the face like seeing a stray pet pop-up on screen.

 

  1. Judging people who take OOTDs when they’re out. Sweatpants and home shorts have had their time. Let the other 98% of your wardrobe enjoy fun in the sun and take all the pictures for posterity. 

 

  1. Having green thumbs. If you were one of those who made a lush home forest out of some fiddle-leaf figs and fern, all the power to you. I’ve come to realise that I like my flora out in the jungle and not on my balcony and I’m done trying to pretend otherwise.  

 

  1. Do you remember when Jake Gyllenhaal made headlines for saying he doesn’t shower daily and that sparked off the Shower-gate scandal across Hollywood? I know we live on the equator but if you’ve spent the day in a cool room at home without breaking a sweat, nobody’s going to judge you for not washing off that day. 

 

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  1. That romance is dead especially if you’re single. Dating was already hard before the pandemic but swiping right feels extra loaded given the risk of infection. Keep working on yourself and watering your garden. Fall in love with yourself; flabs, flaws and all. It’ll be the best relationship of your life. 

 

  1. The need to be right all the time. If you were one of the unlucky ones stuck in a group chat with anti-vaxxers family members, you might have realised already that no amount of reason is enough to deal with sheer stubbornness. Wise men will tell you to pick your battles, but the wiser woman knows there is far greater strength and personal self-care in simply walking away.