11 pieces of advice you wish you had given yourself at the start of first lockdown

So as Lockdown 3 – announced just days after the turn of the new year – continues, we asked Echo readers for the one piece of advice you would give yourself if you could go back to the beginning of the pandemic, knowing what you know now.

Would you urge yourself to exercise more, suggest a new hobby, or spend your time at home the same way you did?

The first lockdown was announced by the Prime Minister on Monday, March 23. Lockdown 2 took place for four weeks between November and December 2020, while Lockdown 3 began on Tuesday, January 5.

It is not yet known when the current national restrictions will be eased.

Here is what you wish you could have told yourself in the earlier days of the pandemic:

Maxine Orme Bell: “Stay away from the cheesecake, you’ll regret it when the time comes to wear clothes instead of pyjamas.”

Alexandra Kellett: “Tell people how you're feeling, if you’re struggling you're not a failure.”

Alison Carroll: “Never to take the simple things in life for granted!”

Nadine Ramage: “Don’t get stressed out staring at same four walls working/living from home.”

Vicki Milburn: “Continued exercise and healthy eating and made myself do the daily walks that I started with then they tailed off little by little.”

Connie Foster: “It is NOT only going to last 12 weeks, keep up REGULAR phone contact with everybody you know and don’t give up with the drawing.”

Lynne Ingleton Lowery: “Not take my eye off the ball with diet and fitness.”

George Dunn: “Never ever forget how good home-made chips taste.”

Kathryn Potts: “Prepare for the long haul.”

John Tate: “Don't think I would have properly changed anything from my perspective. I would changed massively how the Government handled it. My advice to anyone for what it's worth, would be don't be bullied by the virus.

"Treat the virus like any other bully. Respect your foe, read as much as possible about your foe and give yourself space to be in the best place to respond to your foe and always look after your family in the face of a bully.”

Tony Parker: “Buy shares in Zoom.”

Support your Echo and become a subscriber today.

Enjoy unlimited access to local news, the latest on SAFC and new puzzles every day.

With a digital subscription, you can see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

Click here to subscribe.