Around a year ago, Hofstra students received an email stating that classes would be canceled the week before Spring Break due to a potential case of COVID-19. Looking back to that day, there’s no way that I would have imagined how serious the situation would have become. When we were about a month into quarantine, I wrote an article titled “Why It’s OK to Not Be Super Productive During Quarantine.” While we have been in this pandemic for longer than we might have expected a year ago, I still believe this sentiment to be true. In fact, I’ve found that a lot of my feelings from this time last year have remained and have only intensified over time.
There was no warning that we would be dealing with COVID-19 for as long as we have, or that it would cause the damage that it has. Along with this, there is no set date for when we can return to life as we knew it. The pandemic has affected every aspect of my life, from my daily routine to my expectations for the future. It might be easy to assume that we would be accustomed to life in a pandemic by now, but this isn’t the truth. I feel myself becoming more and more physically and mentally drained as COVID-19 continues to rampage through the United States and many other parts of the world, and I know that many others feel the same way.
Personal best is always different for everyone, but it’s okay if your personal best looks different from time to time. The expectations for how productive you are haven’t changed since the start of the pandemic. There may be a little voice in the back of your head saying that you’re wasting valuable time, but you’re not. Now more than ever the most important thing you can do every day is to survive. Even if your greatest accomplishment for a day is getting out of bed, that’s enough. It’s perfectly fine to still be feeling overwhelmed by the situation we’ve found ourselves in. In comparison to the global pandemic, online classes don’t seem to hold much importance. Everyone’s motivation levels are at an all-time low, and some aspects of lives still haven’t adjusted to the large toll that’s been taken on everyone’s mental health.
One of the most important things to keep in mind right now is no one is dealing with these feelings alone.No one is personally or professionally where they were a year ago, or where they thought they would be today. Sometimes you can’t help but wonder what life would be like if the pandemic hadn’t panned out the way it has. In fact, there’s nothing wrong with needing to mourn the loss of the over a year that we’ve lost in addition to the loved ones we might have lost to COVID-19.
Every day feels like a constant uphill battle with no end in sight. However, it’s important to remember that one day we will be out of this pandemic. Though this may not mean that we can ever truly return to “normal” life, there won’t be the cloud of despair and worry that seems to be hovering around. All small victories should be celebrated, even if they are just a tiny step in a more grand journey. It’s never good to compare yourself to others, and everyone has found their own way of dealing with the pandemic. You can still set personal goals for yourself, but it’s perfectly fine if they aren’t as ambitious as they once were. When every day feels exactly the same, it’s no wonder that we’re not all performing at the level we once were.
While it may feel like most people had their lives placed on pause because of COVID-19, there are still plenty of things that need to get done, and as time goes on this can become overwhelming. Your mental and physical health should always be the number one priority. Yes, we do all have other duties and obligations, but it’s important to take care of yourself. You’re never going to do your best work if you’re overworking yourself, so there’s no need to try and match up to the version of yourself you thought you’d be by now.
We’ve been in a version of lockdown for around a year now, and I find myself feeling more and more disconnected from the life I used to live. It’s hard to find the strength to be an active member of society when everything feels so out of my control. However, it’s important to keep in mind that there is a light at the end of this tunnel.