• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Cerebral Palsy Scotland

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Home
  • Who we are
    • Our mission and values
    • What we do and why
    • Our story
    • Our team
    • Vacancies
    • Key documents
    • Our centre
  • How we help
    • Therapy for adults
    • Therapy for children
    • Support
    • Training
    • Campaigning
    • Our impact
  • What’s on
    • Events
    • Annual conference
  • Other support
    • Support directories
    • Financial support & equipment funding
    • Advice from parents
    • Online support groups
    • Support for schools
    • Legal support
  • Get information
    • All about cerebral palsy
    • Children
    • Adults
    • Therapy & treatment
    • Oral health
  • News
    • News
    • Blog
  • Get involved
    • Friends of Cerebral Palsy Scotland
    • Raise money
    • Leaving a gift in your Will
    • Corporate partners
    • Philanthropy and major donors
    • Other ways to give
    • Other ways to get involved
    • Shop
    • Trusts
    • Our promise to you

Jon McFarlane: Lockdown life

Jon McFarlane: Lockdown life

My name is Jon McFarlane, I am 23 years old and have cerebral palsy. I started attending Bobath when I was 2 not being able to walk. Now I have international caps in CP football and this is thanks to the hard work that the fantastic team at Cerebral Palsy Scotland do every day.

Working from home
I am currently studying for a PhD in economics at the University of Strathclyde. My research and my university are something that I am passionate about and genuinely have missed being on campus every day. Our department has been very supportive both before and during this situation and this has been important in transitioning to working from home.

I struggled to work from home at first. I enjoy working in an office environment with others. I am a people’s person and like to have a conversation at any given time.

The thought of working from my room alone, isolated, was worse than the reality. I still have regular catch-ups with my peers on Zoom and meet with my supervisors online a few times per week. Dr Grant Allan and Dr Gioele Figus have been fundamental in supporting me to adapt to working from home and I cannot thank them enough.

Cycling
Without football and golf, I started to look for new sporting ventures. I got myself a bike, got all the gears switched to the left and off I went. Cycling since lockdown has been great. When I have needed a break away from work or needed time alone to let off some steam cycling has been the ideal remedy. It provides exercise, Vitamin D and a challenge.

Reading
Another opportunity that lockdown has given me is time to relax and read for enjoyment. I have used this opportunity to learn about the brain in a lot more detail than I had previously known, and this has helped me understand cerebral palsy more. This understanding genuinely has made me feel happier and content, and without lockdown, I would never have had the time to do this.

Some helpful tips when you are stressed/sad/ anxious/ needing support

Tip 1: Don’t watch the news
The media thrive on negativity and portray negative images of the deaths and infection rates of COVID-19 etc. Although this is important to know and understand, if you are feeling down it is not a good idea to see any negativity – as my granny says “out of sight, out of mind.”

Tip 2: Use technologies available
Apps like headspace and calm are fantastic for both adults and children at helping calm the mind and guiding yourself through stressful times. Mindfulness and wellness are essential right now.

Tip 3: Reach out to your friends and family
These people are there for you. Although you might think “they have their own worries, I won’t bother them”, it is beneficial for everyone to know that everyone else is doing okay.

Tip 4: Ask for help if you need it

As I said, I’m happy to chat anyone – parent, carer, or have CP yourself! Also, Cerebral Palsy Scotland have weekly Zoom coffee and catch ups and are there at the end of the phone or the computer to help, so please reach out if you need to.

Please stay safe, look after yourselves, enjoy life as much as possible and I will see you all soon.

Tags: Cerebral Palsy, coronavirus, covid-19, lockdown

Search

Quick links

  • Ways to give
  • Our mission and values
  • All about cerebral palsy
  • Therapy for adults
  • Therapy for children
  • Campaigning

Copyright © 2025 · Enterprise Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Cerebral Palsy Scotland logo

Cerebral Palsy Scotland
Bradbury House
10 High Craighall Road
Glasgow, G4 9UD

t: 0141 352 5000
Phone Number for Cerebral Palsy Scotland
Fax Number for Cerebral Palsy Scotland
info@cpscot.org.uk
Email for Cerebral Palsy Scotland
cerebralpalsyscotland.org.uk
Website for Cerebral Palsy Scotland

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
OSCR logo
Nationa Lottery Community Fund logo
Manage Cookie Consent
We use cookies to optimise our website and our service.
Functional cookies Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}