We’ve all been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic differently. To deal with the grief that the virus has brought us, it’s important to look at some of the positive takeaways from this time in our lives.
For me, some aspects of the pandemic have been surprisingly beneficial. When the pandemic first started in March of 2020, I barely had time to breathe; forgot about reflecting on what was best for me. Yet, when COVID hit, I was faced with all of this extra time to really think about who I am and where I am going.
After spring break I found everyone around me complaining about how badly they wanted to go back to school, but I didn’t feel that way. I didn’t mind school, but I wasn’t particularly desperate to go back. With my new-found free time, I sat down to think about why this may be. I eventually realized that the school I was at was good, but not the right fit for me. I made the last minute decision to send an application to transfer to BU. This decision is one of the best I’ve ever made, but I would’ve never come to it if it weren’t for the pandemic.
A surprising benefit of COVID-19 for me was the time to truly self reflect. Clearly, the decision to transfer is a big example of the benefits of this self-reflection. However, I thought about even more than that. This time allowed me to discover new hobbies and passions of mine. With my newfound time, I started working out more, learned to cook a few meals, and got into writing again. The best thing this period of social distancing did for me was to give me the time to really get to know myself again. The main way I did this was through journaling. I spent a half-hour each night sitting down just to write about how I was feeling. COVID gave me the time I needed to start this hobby, and through this hobby I really got in touch with what was right for me. This of course led me to BU.
However, it is easy for me to feel like things are back on track for me and thus lose track of all that beneficial self-reflection I did over quarantine. Now that I did it, and I transferred to BU, I sometimes forget to sit and reflect still. The honest truth is there is always a need for us to keep in touch with ourselves, even once our lives are busy again. Therefore, I am striving to continue to reflect and journal and know who I am and what is best for me. I highly recommend that everyone finds a way to check in with themselves once in a while. So often we get so caught up in the minutia that we lose track of the end goal.
It is hard to believe that something that is so negative has started appearing in positive ways in my life. However, the new normal created by social distancing guidlines was, in some ways, exactly what I needed. So often in life, we are all moving so fast from meeting to meeting that we forget to reflect on why we are doing what we’re doing. As Ferris Bueller once said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while you could miss it.” However, COVID-19 has forced us to slow down a bit and remember what is important.
When everything you know is stripped away, it becomes a lot easier for us to identify which things we actually miss. Never forget the importance of self reflection, even when there’s not a global pandemic.
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