This year has undoubtedly opened up a new set of personal challenges for everyone in the world. Waking up knowing you won’t leave the four walls you live in (apart from going on your daily walk and food shop) has become the new norm. The social interaction that makes us human has been rapidly taken away from us. A global pandemic has forced us to adapt to a new way of life – from the ‘stay at home’ motto, to Zoom calls instead of face-to-face lessons, to hand sanitizer replacing our best friends. It has drastically affected our mental health in one way or another. I can definitely say that I have never felt more isolated, devastated and unlike myself as we have moved away from the comfort of normality. Even though this experience has brought so much negativity to our lives, I am here to remind you of the subtle positive lessons you can take away from it – they may be hidden, but they are there!
You will have undergone emotional growth and strength.
The struggles you have endured this past year will impact the way you react to future hardships. You would have probably come across a time where you thought ‘why is this happening to me?’, and although it is completely valid to feel this way, you must understand that it is also preparing you emotionally for the things you must inevitably deal with throughout your life. If you can say you’ve gone through the immense burden of a pandemic, you can go through anything.
Everyone is experiencing the same thing – you are not missing out.
Covid-19 has affected everyone, and the situation you are in may feel like one which nobody can relate to, but in reality everyone feels the same. Both mentally and physically, everyone has collectively experienced some kind of setback. But you should also recognise that there is nothing you individually could have done to prevent what is happening. One of the phrases that helps me is: you can’t get stressed about things that are out of your control. The pandemic is certainly one of them.
There has never been a better time to be with yourself.
Think about it: what have you learnt about yourself that you wouldn’t necessarily know without this time to reflect? One of the best lessons of life is to be comfortable with your own solidarity, something a lot of people have embraced during the pandemic. You are not the same person you were a year ago. Even though you might agree this version of yourself produced by a life-threatening virus is not the preferred one, you should still be proud of it. It may seem as if you have achieved nothing, but remember, productivity fluctuates, and even getting through these difficult days is an achievement. Self-care is undeniably important, as well as essential, during this time. On another note, think of lockdown as a pause in time, making space for better days in the future.
You will be much more grateful for the small things when this is over.
Going out for a drink. Talking to your friends on the way to a seminar. Hugging your loved ones. Travelling. Simply being in a crowd. So many other little things you will never take for granted again, because you realise now that nothing is guaranteed. You have made it through potentially the toughest year of your life. So, when life starts to look like it is nearing normality, you will live more unapologetically and take joy in living in the moment.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel – even if you can’t see it now.
Three lockdowns and almost a year have passed, and I can’t count the number of times I have asked when this will end – but it will. You have done so well for enduring it so far. Despite not knowing when it will end, you have to take each day as it comes and keep a positive mindset. Your current position is not forever.