A young person sharing their experience of the COVID-19 Pandemic as part of the CONTINUE project.

questions, actually, um, so how did you feel at the start of lockdown? It was weird because, you know, you're in college one minute and you just see, you know, you everyone in your class has had sanitizers and wipes, and everyone's being panicky. And then the next day that happened, You're off because you've got it. And then a couple of days later, you're like, Oh, I just set out these techniques and then a box of all 11 stop down and kick it. And then I think it was the Friday It was an outside buildings locked out

And I was like this. I wasn't very good at saving. Uh, I used to go out to see my friend, but we used to, like, stand the park and it was really weird ourselves because the other day they always used to go around to us, and then all of a sudden he sat over there

Our guy sat over a I didn't feel almost I don't know. You're sort of distant to everyone. And I don't think that's ever gone away

That how distant you feel from socialising the way I used to be from covid. I think I've changed because of covid. You don't want to be feel a lot more distant from people

And, uh, sometimes I don't know how to communicate with different people sometimes. And I think that all high hiatus of nonsocial interaction really changed me as a person. So when you did have covid, did you, Um what sort of support did you get? No, I just stuck it out in the Was that Was that difficult for me? Not really

Because it it just felt like night time book every day. Because at night, you sit down in bed and you watch TV, don't you? So it felt like night night time books, like, three months. So it was all right

So I can But what? Yeah, Yeah. What was the what was the biggest change for you? I think because I moved house during covid. That affected me, too, because it was a change that I could never get back

And I felt like, I don't know, I felt like never revert back to the way I was because life was different in so many ways. And now, after covid covid hasn't gone, but we desperately and decline in it as I've noticed, and I don't think I could ever go back to the way I was because of covid. Interesting

It's really good. Um, so what have you kind of, uh, what was difficult? I think all the stuff at first was stated because, you know, I was in This was about a year and a half. Two years having it

So I was I was about 17 already. 17 year old will tell me that that's how I get out with that cat and yell at me. They're all out

They're always out with friends. So when I couldn't see friends, So my kind of affects me a bit because it's kind of like this isn't I'm not a stay at home kind of guy. I like to be out

I like to do some the, uh you know, I used to just go on a bus and travel around Manchester and then come back. I used to like to be out and to be in the outside world, but that was taken away. It was kind of hard because there's no how to entertain myself except write, act and watch talent and that girl violence

This endless routine. You know what I mean? I will definitely say my appetite. Did Donald a hell of a lot of it? And I, uh, I have done so thank you

Not we're not spring, but that. Could you do that? Um, have you ever tried? Um, so how did you sort of engage with those? So I know you talked about, like, drama, uh, scripts and things like that. How, Like, in what ways did you engage with that side with that hobby? And like, how did that sort of support you through your isolation again? I think because I got to I have a I have a big imagination

I like to make belief. I like to make worlds and characters. And when you're on stage, you get to be in that world

So I guess it took me away from the world. I was like, I did at that sort of time. And I got to live in other people's worlds or the Do you know what I mean? The script writers, I I got to understand their motives, and in some way I think being away from socialising through writing and acting and looking at how people interacted on on paper

It got me to understand how people how people used to be. And I remember, like, four months in to it. I saw the stage by there was a crowd of people, and it seemed very foreign to me

I saw a group of people. I was like, Oh, wait a minute. So now I got used to the idea of their contact

So I guess, in a way, you know, it's just weird. Like, did did you ever have that fear in life? Uh, during covid a lockdown where you saw, like, a fill of people walking down the streets. You you look at that and you go, Oh, I missed that

Oh, I remember that. But what was Where is you kind of forgot what things were like beforehand. You know what I mean? You kind of you know, I said to my friend, I don't remember what life used to be like

I know what life used to be like, but I can't remember it because it's what I'm used to now. So all I'm remembering is this This is you know what I mean. You know what life was like, but you can't remember what life was like

It's like the feeling of it. Yeah, And then what? So when you did get back out of the house and like, things started to come out of lockdown and restrictions lifted and stuff like that, how did it make you feel every day. So so was it like you didn't feel anxious or worried about anything? I think I was

Very I do have social anxiety, and I think a lot of that. And then I'm not saying, um, Covid caused it because I definitely had social anxiety when I was younger, but I think covid definitely contributed to that social anxiety from not socialising with people and from not talking to people as much as you used to. You kind of forget how to I don't wanna respond, react and talk to people if you know what I mean

And because there was stuff going on in your life, you were just sitting down eating, watching you, telling, you know, whenever you had a conversation with someone, it's kind of like, Oh, what did you do with that? I just ate watch TV and then regretted what he ate. You know what I mean, yeah. So what sort of, um what advice would you give to yourself? If you could speak to yourself and start a lockdown? What advice would you give to you? Down

But don't go into one of those, like memes. Like I remember doing one of those rooms where you just used to sit down and go. Oh, this is crap

This is I hate this. This is I don't like this. Uh, I'd say to myself to accept the fact that it's happened and do stuff to better yourself and really does what I saw

I wish I could go back and redo it, not redo it again. But if I got the chance to redo the first lockdown, I would because I work on myself more. I feel like that was a missed opportunity to find who I was and to find, you know, to work on myself

So I think just a after covid, I'm sort of finding who I am again and rediscovering new things at who I am. And because after covid, I felt like I lost a part of myself. And gradually I'm finding the pieces of myself

And then what's what's like some of the things that you found out about yourself since coming out of lockdown. I like my own town as much to like to talk to people and to interact and to engage. I I've read that going out I be with people at this time isn't the best just because you can do it because you do it all the time

Sometimes you talk to yourself and sometimes you need that quiet time. You know what I mean? Do you? Do you think that there's a pressure for young people to want to go out and want to be with the friends and do things? I think it's a pressure. I think it's a need

If anything, I think it really develops who you are, Who are the people you hang out with and the people you interact with. I think other people give you those pieces of who you are as well as you do. I think we all give each other a bit of a ourselves because we get to know different people and we get to discover different things and different hobbies, and if you have the same interests and someone who else could get you up to some animals

And you like that other thing because of that. So I think, Well, I think interaction for your people is a most because, you know, how can I explain it, right, He that's fine. Do you remember the the friends you broke out with when you were 16? Yeah

And do you have those fond memories of those friends for when you were 16? Some fond memories. Yeah, you know what I mean? You remember those people, and though they may have left your life now, I've lost some friends, but I still remember the family memories of them, you know? And I have lost friends after Covid just lives in touch or whatever, but I still remember him, and I still hold him dear to the heart. You know what I mean? So I feel for a 60 20 year old to want to go off and interact with friends is a boss because, you know, I don't sound like an old man, but we we always used to say between 16 and 23 other years, you'll always remember, and you may enjoy your adult years, but you always remember that those memories Unless you get the ship and I don't that or, you know we can

We can edit stuff out if you don't want to be in my book that wow, I love I've got a So I love that very good point. So if you could If you could summarise your experience of covid in one word, what would it be? Challenge it Because there's some stuff I really enjoy, like the after. Sorry

After a while, I think you become your own best friend. Because you like all the stuff that you like. You have to save interest

So I think after a while it's like, Oh, what do you do? Oh, Liam, what do you want to watch? Oh, I wanna watch this. Yeah, me, too. There's no argument, you know, when you get to do what you want to do

But I guess just I guess the thing that I would say I didn't like was losing social skills and losing that confident, keep talk to people and to interact with people. I'd say that was the hardest thing. And still, it's the hardest thing

I think So is there Is there anything that's helping you at the minute like build your confidence and get your social skills back up by acting classes by college. Uh, I'll be honest. Uh, when we first had to sit in in front of each other, I froze and I just stood there and I sang and I looked nervous

But over time, I've gained confidence. I've gained friends like they're such lovely people, like there's 26 of us in our house and we all sit together in the hotel. So there will be 26 students in one car and just talking to each other

And it's brilliant because it's kind of like, Wow, this is There's no individual groups or friends or you're all together. And I think for life, especially as an actor, I get to go down as a person. So what? We are actually you know what we are saying or doing a project together

It's more enjoyable because of that. And you you got that? Yeah. Is there anything else you'd like to say before we before we finish? Well, thank you very much

I'll stop it there.

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