We’ll all be happier when the word ‘lockdown’ is out of use

I DON’T think it can be denied that the discourse and everyday language surrounding the term ‘lockdown’ is negative, and the word itself is simply awful. Pre Covid-19, lockdown would have reminded me of some sort of prison emergency, like an inmate rebellion that caused immediate lockdown and emergency sirens to ring loudly.

Furthermore, when I recently checked the definition of the word I felt even more downbeat.

According to thesaurus.com, the word ‘lockdown’ means to be in solitary confinement and other word suggestions for the term include ‘isolation’, ‘holding cell’ and ‘the hole’.

I don’t think it can get more negative than that and it mirrors what millions of people are feeling around the globe since last March.

If we were to try to quantify how much we use the word ‘lockdown’ on a day-to-day basis, I’d say we (as a collective population) would be horrified.

Instead of commenting on the weather, we’ve switched to ‘lockdown’ talk as a means of starting conversation. It’s now time to take some real steps to reduce (and eventually eliminate) the word from our daily conversations.

What would this give us in return? Well, a mental state that is more positive and more upbeat for a start. Easier said than done? Absolutely, however if we think of how little time it took for us to start using the word, it gives us belief that we can begin to un-use it just as quickly.

We can start by becoming more conscious and notice each time we hear ourselves say the word.

Alison Delahunt Lucan, Co Dublin