Practising gratitude a daily ritual for Ōtara teen

For 17-year-old head girl Ledwina Katuke, this lockdown has been challenging, even more so when she found out a family member had passed away.

“I’ve seen other people losing loved ones but experiencing it yourself is different, especially in lockdown,” says Ledwina.

“I can see my family is trying to find ways to deal with it because they can’t be there physically, and I feel for them.”

From it, Ledwina is reflecting on her situation.

“It made me realise I should be spending more time with loved ones and I shouldn’t be taking time for granted.”

The Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate student is among those in Auckland preparing for a further two weeks in level 4 lockdown.

Ledwina is thankful she can share a bubble with her family, including Mum, Dad and three of her sisters. Although she is the youngest of six, it is Ledwina who is now doing the grocery shopping, to ensure her parents stay safe.

“Being in lockdown isn’t a bad thing because you get to spend it with the people you love. So I am very grateful to be here at home, safe with my family.”

It’s a busy household but Ledwina wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Most of the time we just go into each other’s rooms and annoy the other person or play cards. I love spending time with them.”

Amidst the pandemic, Ledwina knows it's important to look after herself. Inspired by a TikTok trend, she writes in a journal each day, noting down all the things she is grateful for and then reading it aloud.

“It really does help, which is surprising when it’s something from TikTok,” she laughs.

She follows her school timetable just as she would at school. It helps provide her with a routine, as does the ‘Eight-minute rule’ which means she gets out of bed each day, makes the bed, dedicates a minute to meditating and then another minute to her journal.

“I just encourage people to get up and get out of bed because you won’t regret it when you do it.”

Ledwina admits to trying to keep herself occupied by “keeping my head in the books” but she does take downtime.

“I think downtime is important during the lockdown so I do give myself time to take a break from social media or work just to focus on myself and my mental health. Sitting in my room, listening to music or writing in my journal recharges me for the next day.”

She misses her friends, and can’t wait to get back to school to have a laugh with them, but continues to check in with them over group chats.

“If one person doesn’t reach out I will reach out to them in the hope that it will make their day better or make them feel like they have someone to talk to during this time.”