I feel as though I need to preface this by saying that I thoroughly hate the term ‘lockdown’ and plan never to use it again after this whole crisis has passed. Especially since in the UK the term is relatively meaningless compared to the much more stringent conditions which have been in place across other countries. But, as a word, it neatly sums up this whole situation in a way that I don’t think any other word can. So it stays - for now.
I read an article the other day which was aimed at parents of school children in Denmark heading back to school. The premise was how to prepare kids for ‘re-entry’, the increased noise, traffic and general stimuli that they would face as they moved from so many weeks in a quiet home environment to one of much heightened activity.
It struck me that, although this was a laudable aim wouldn’t it be nice if society recognised that for many of us (raises hand here) the enforced quiet of this period of isolation hasn’t been at all bad. Obviously I spend much of the day either paralysed by anxiety or veering towards wild optimism but I do appreciate the increased time with my family, the longer walks, the absence of awkward, everyday social encounters. There are certainly elements of ‘back to normal’ that I am in no hurry to embrace again.
And, in our return to whatever normal looks like, wouldn’t it be nice for the needs of less extroverted members of society to be considered. Not everyone thrives in the atmosphere of a loud, bustling coffee shop for example. Not everyone is able to cope with the sensory overload that is a brightly lit, piped-music playing supermarket, but those are the types of environments that we seem to have ended up with.
Whenever I talk about this on social media I invariably get some ‘helpful’ comments about coping techniques, or therapy but that really isn’t the point. Society should be designed for the benefit of everyone, not just those who fit a narrow window of how normality is defined. I don’t know how many people would define themselves as introverted or hypersensitive, but I’m not so sure that we form the minority that the more extroverted amongst us think we do.
I love that some knitting shows have adapted to take into account the neurodiversity of their audience - with quiet spaces, chill-out zones, special pre-shopping times etc. As ever, the knitters are ahead of the curve. Wouldn’t it be nice to see these principles taken up my mainstream retail outlets and other community spaces.
Going to a knitting show seems like another world away right now, but I know that someday I will get the chance to go to another one and meet my knitting pals. And I’ll be safe in the knowledge, that among the knitting community at least, I can be assured that my need for quiet has already been taken care of.
