Living through the Covid-19 Pandemic by Brinda Lakshmi Varahan, PhD Student 

December, 2020

If you can confidently say 'there has been some silver linings from Covid', then you are incredibly priviledged.  So to start this blog off, I feel immensely blessed to be in a situation where I can use words like 'reflective' and 'personal growth' to describe lockdown 1.0. This year has been devastating for so many people around the globe and it's easy to lose sight of the sheer amount of damage caused by this virus.  As Simon Sinek says in his wonderful masterpiece, 'Leaders Eat Last', we can end up seeing people as statistics once the damage is too large scale for us to compute. So let's continue to maintain perspective, especially when we get consumed with the 'micro-stress doses' of our lives. 

As of January, 2020 I entered the second year of my PhD, looking at understanding the potential of aspirin to prevent high-grade serous ovarian cancer. I started off 2020 feeling refreshed and excited to carry on doing what I love. My 9 month report and assessment went well and it was reassuring to hear from my examiners that I was on the right track for my project. But by the time I had gotten into the momentum of things, Boris Johnson declared a national lockdown, and toilet paper was a rare treasure. Unlike lockdown 2.0, we were told to work from home full-time. 

Each person has lived through a different lockdown experience.  To be honest, working from home was challenging.  Like most lab based researchers I was accustomed to spending a significant part of my day in the lab and my eyes definitely felt the strain while transitioning to my laptop screen full time. Nevertheless, I used this time to write up my results chapter, which enabled me to prioritise experiments for when we resumed lab work at the end of June.  I also wrote my 18 month report, leaving a few gaps to fill upon my return. To my own surprise, I managed to complete these experiments as soon as I got back despite the restricted access to the lab, and submitted my 18 month report at the end of July!

I also think the pandemic has reinforced the importance of switching off.  During lockdown, I went for a walk or run at the end of the day to subsitute for my 45 minute daily commute.  My daily commute allowed me to gradually unwind from work with a podcast or an audiobook.  Compartmentalising work and home life, especially during the pandemic was (and remains to me) absolutely essential.  I also meditated every morning for 20 minutes, and this is something I continue to do every day.  Starting my morning with gratitude and time for myself with stillness has permitted me to clear my mind and maximise my productivity during the day. 

COVID-19 has been an interesting time for me outside the lab too.  I was never enthusiastic about cooking, as long as the food was plant-based and healthy, I wasn't picky. But during lockdown I found myself spending quality time trying out new recipes.  Experimenting in the kitchen was the most amount of 'lab work' I got to do, plus it meant that I could 'eat my experiments' too! I am also thankful to the pandemic for having helped me get through the bucket list of books to read. 

Being back in the lab from lockdown has been lovely. I managed to visit my family In Geneva after 6 months.  It has been amazing to experience the simple things in life that I took for granted - casual chats with colleagues in the corridor, catching up with friends in cafes, and seeing a busier London city!  Working in the lab with restricted access has not been easy, but progress is being made, although at a slower pace compared to pre-COVID days. But, it is about the journey and not the destination.  As I end, I would like to share a mantra that my family, and some mentors I follow say: we live in this universe, we don't control it.  All will be well, and whilst winter seems scary, the worst that happened in April is over.  I am glad to be back doing what I love - lab based cancer research.