The past year of this pandemic has taught us many things. One of the biggest being that our version of “normal” isn’t always guaranteed, and that there are many things we often take for granted. I feel as though there are things about myself that I’ve learned over the past year, things which I never would’ve known without this pandemic. Now that it’s officially been one year since we went into our first lockdown, I’ve decided to reflect on things I’ve learned, and I invite you to do the same.
1. I’m better at adapting than I thought
This year has created a new “normal”, one where people haven’t been able to see those they love, or live life the way they’re used to. All of us have had to adapt—from new ways of communicating and connecting with each other, to new ways of learning. One of the ways I’ve had to adapt is being more open to connecting online with my friends. Playing online games or calling each other on FaceTime more often has been a new adjustment, but it’s both interesting and amazing to realize that there are other ways of connecting with each other. I remember being extremely scared about keeping up with school when Queen’s said it was going to be online for the year. However, I’ve shown myself that I can adapt and persevere, no matter what is thrown my way.
2. I’m lucky to have so many supportive people around me
Although at some points it’s felt more lonely than normal during this pandemic, I’ve realized I also have so many people who are close to me and who are supportive of me. There are some people who I’ve only grown closer with because of the pandemic, and for that I am grateful. Furthermore, I’m so lucky to have a family that I’m close with and that I’ve been able to spend more time with because of this situation. I feel so privileged as I know that this hasn’t necessarily been the case for everyone, but I can only hope for brighter days when we can all be close to those who love and support us again soon.
3. It’s okay to feel lost
Throughout this year, I’ve constantly wondered whether the things I was trying to achieve were worth it. With so many unknowns about the future, I feel as though it’s easy to question what you’re doing with your life. I felt this a lot during the school year, wondering whether I’m in the right program and what I’m going to do when I graduate this year. However, I realized that constantly questioning myself and wondering about the future only made me feel more anxious. I’ve tried to become comfortable with the unknown, and be okay with feeling lost in my own life. Everything will work out in the end.
4. I must make more time for myself
In the past, I’ve felt like I was constantly going from one thing to the next, trying to please a lot of people in my life and keep up socially. With the introduction of staying at home, staying apart and social distancing, I’ve had to spend a lot more time alone. It’s given me the opportunity to fall back in love with the things that I love, and take more time to enjoy being with only myself. I’ve started reading for fun again, I’ve picked up new hobbies that I never would’ve dreamed of before. I hope that once our lives return back to “normal” I will be able to continue on my path of being more selfish and making time for myself.
5. We must do more to look after each other
One of the biggest things that this pandemic showed me is the disparity and inequality that’s in our country and how easily it can be exacerbated. With the inequality in healthcare, or the lack of mental health resources for people in an extremely trying time, or the millions of people who lost their jobs, there’s an endless list of things that people have had to face throughout this year. I can only hope that in the future, this can show us that we must care more about each other. We need to have job security, livable wages, free mental health resources, among so many other things, because something like this pandemic could easily happen again.