When I went to get my first covid jab last week, I had it in my left arm. My sister asked me why I chose to get it in that arm, seeing as I write with my left hand. I replied that I didn’t really mind as I’m not really writing anything at the moment.

I haven’t really written anything for weeks. My journal, which often has the odd messy paragraph or two of a blog idea in its pages alongside reminders of appointments and reminders to request my next prescription, hasn’t had an entry in for a few months. Even when I have had an idea for something, I end up either forgetting about it or losing interest in it before I get the moment to write it.

I thought that the various lockdowns would make me more productive on the blog front, being at home more. While it did do that for a time, come the third lockdown and the gradual easing of restrictions I had just lost enthusiasm. Not just for writing, but for other things that used to interest me.

I also fell into bad habits. I never used to keep my phone by my bed, because I thought that it would be the first thing I reached for when I woke up in the morning and therefore keep me from getting out of bed. Turns out I was right. I now turn it off and keep it in my sock drawer at night (it’s helped a bit). I’m also trying to use my phone less, turning it off for an hour or so during the day and sometimes leaving it at home when I go for a walk in order to prevent getting too obsessed over the number of steps I’ve walked.

The biggest habit I’m trying to quit though is Twitter. I decided to give it up almost a year ago as it was affecting me a lot and not in a good way. I did manage to stay away from posting on it until Christmas, when I then decided to dip in to post a message and then log out again. I went back on it properly with the aim of keeping my time on it per day to a bare minimum and not look at what’s trending. I have realised that I am once again slipping into the cesspit so I’m planning on getting out of it again before it overwhelms me like it did last time.