I haven’t kept up with the news since the pandemic – but I’ve never felt more liberated

After a heady newsfest, with notifications on my phone pinging at all hours during lockdown, I’ve been switched off for over a month now and it’s been bliss, writes Konnie Huq

Konnie Huq had an overdose of news during lockdown (Getty Images)

Every now and then I get an email from The Independent, often during holiday time. To be honest, since lockdown started I’ve lost track of holiday time, although I did manage to know when the Easter break was as it heralded a much-welcomed respite from homeschooling.

Back then, in late March/ early April (the Stone Ages), I was counting down the days ‘til it started. Homeschooling never ever made a full recovery thereafter. I’ve not only lost track of holiday time, I’ve lost track of work time, days of the week, weekends, evenings, mornings. I’ve lost track of time in general. Things aren’t helped by BST (being severely torpid or rather British Summer Time as some would call it), which incidentally began six days into lockdown.

It sometimes gets to 6pm and I think it’s still 3pm in the afternoon and the reverse. Curse those daylight hours. Lockdown time is really warped, it’s like being in an alternate universe. My friend likens it to having kids, it feels like you had them yesterday and time’s whizzed by so fast but when you think back to BC, or rather "before children", it seems like millennia ago.