Keeping cool on the front line
From karaoke to baking, RUBY DEEVOY asks three key workers about the unusual ways they’ve found to combat stress and unwind in the coronavirus crisis
Gardening sews seeds of hope
ICU nurse SALLY FAIRBASS, 26, lives in Bradford. She uses gardening to unwind
I’VE ALWAYS enjoyed gardening, but since becoming an ICU nurse a couple of years ago I’ve realised what a profound impact it has on my mental wellbeing.
It’s something I’ve been using for a while to regain balance on my days off, but when Covid-19 hit, gardening became even more of a comfort.
Nurturing a seed brings me a sense of hope, which I think many of us need now more than ever. I love being outside, whatever the weather, and putting my hands in the earth to plant a seed reminds me of the connection I have with the world.
My job is full-on and I face a lot of grief and stress. One of the hardest parts of my work is not getting the chance to say goodbye to patients who pass away when I’m not there. Recently, I had grown close to a woman and I’d brush her hair for her. I arrived on the ward one evening and she was gone. It’s times like these that I really find solace in the quiet of my greenhouse.
I’ve even set up a gardening community online through my blog seedmegrow.com and I chat to lots of people who say that gardening has been helping them get through this difficult time.
I’ve started sharing seeds from my garden with co-workers and now they’ve got the gardening bug too.Watching something grow really seems to help boost optimism. Gardening helps you look beyond what’s happening right now, into the possibility of a bright and beautiful future.
Decorating cakes keeps me calm
Delivery driver NIKKI GOACH, 57, lives inWiltshire with her husband Paul. She loves decorating cakes for her family and has found great comfort in the baking community
I FOUND my passion for making cakes four years ago when I made one for my mum’s 80th birthday. It was pink, double tiered and decorated with ribbons, flowers and butterflies.
I spent hours watching videos learning how to use modelling icing so I could decorate it. It left me feeling I’d achieved something, so I started making more cakes for my family.
As a delivery driver, I’m working most days distributing food. Many of our customers are elderly, so I always use gloves and sanitiser when I need to bring the goods into houses and pack things away. I am aware of how vulnerable many of our customers are and how easily I could pass the virus on without realising. I use hand sanitiser throughout the day and wash my uniform daily after work.
At home I settle down with a cup of tea and my icing modelling to unwind. It’s like playing with plasticine, so it takes me back to childhood.The little details require so much focus that it’s almost impossible for my mind to wander off into stressful thoughts. I do all my baking on my day off. Ordinarily I only make cakes for friends and family, however I’ve just finished working on a “beat coronavirus” cake, which was raffled by a charity for £167.
Throwing myself into the creative process of icing modelling provides the perfect distraction to my daily stress.
Sculpting icing is a lovely pastime but creating something that I know is going to bring joy to others at this testing time is all the more satisfying.
I sing more than ever these days
Carer HAEZELL SOUTH, 46, lives in Southend, Essex. A night out for her would always normally include karaoke, and now singing helps her relax both on the job and at home
I ALWAYS get a kick from belting out a tune on a night out, but singing isn’t something I reserve for the karaoke bar. I keep a pocket microphone in my car so I can plug it into my phone and sync up with a karaoke app whenever I need a pick-me-up.
Being a carer can be challenging. I have to maintain professionalism but it’s really hard not to get attached. If someone I care for falls ill it’s emotionally exhausting, so I’ve had to find ways to release that upset. I also have concerns for my own family who I socially distance from at home. I’m a very tactile person and would kiss and hug my daughter and husband every moment if I could. But right now I do my best to stay away. I’m constantly sterilising myself and the surfaces I touch, singing as I go.
We live in a small house with one bathroom, so I have no choice but to share the space which is a constant concern, but singing takes away my worries and lifts my mood. I love singing big ballads as I find taking deep breaths to reach those powerful high notes makes me feel fantastic. I can’t resist singing along to anything by Whitney Houston, Celine Dion or hits from Broadway musicals.
I often sing with my daughter at home, albeit at a distance. Just last week, one of my favourite songs by Lady Gaga came on the radio as I was driving home from work so I had to pull over, plug my microphone in and sing along. Once I’m singing, the world around me just melts away, so
I was taken by surprise when I heard tapping on my window only to see a woman in her 60s standing there. I opened the door, embarrassed that she had heard me, but she was full of praise. She told me how lovely it was to hear me sing. More often than not I get a positive response from people
– I think it makes them feel better just to hear someone letting go and having fun.