Amy Sedghi

@amysedghi

Tell us a bit about yourself

I'm a 32 year old journalist living in London, but originally from Dorset. I love the coast and countryside and am happiest outdoors exploring in nature, cycling or reading a good book in the sunshine.

What makes you smile?

At the start of lockdown, my mum sent me a letter which really made me smile. I love a handwritten letter. Getting a phone call from my niece was also really sweet and made my day. At the moment, it's simple things like walking through the park and seeing people playing with their dogs. That makes me smile. 

What can we do to support others during this time?

It might sound cliché, but being kind and thoughtful during this time is so important. You never know what struggles people have going on. I think calling up friends and family to let them know you're thinking of them and to share some laughter can be a real boost to you and your loved ones. If you can volunteer or help out those less fortunate, in whatever way that is, then brilliant. It doesn't have to be a big gesture to mean a lot.

What have you been doing? (Any tips/ advice for isolation)

I already work from home so having my boyfriend here working alongside me has been really nice. We're very lucky that we have green spaces nearby and are able to keep busy. We've been running together too. I've been speaking to my parents a lot and playing loads of quizzes with friends on video calls. Not that I have managed this, but I think trying to set a bit of a routine is helpful. Saying that it's also useful to cut yourself some slack on days when it's just not happening for you. I have a long, long list of books to read, TV shows to watch, tasks to do, and I can't say I'm even close to running out of things to do at the moment. It's not a bad situation to be in when you see how difficult it is for some and all our frontline NHS workers.