I’m not sure where to start and I definitely don’t want this to be a venting session, but I want to know how many people out there are feeling great during this time. It’s been over a year since the first confirmed COVID case in the US and what a year it’s been. Although we have a new president and there seems to be good news about vaccines, I can’t help but be somewhat pessimistic. Seeing people on social media partake in parties and out with friends makes me question if maybe everyone else is okay and I’m simply not. However, even if most people are fine, how are they truly functioning in an abnormal world? Even if places are open, there is a constant worry and reminder to wear a mask, social distance, and drench your hands in hand sanitizer.
At the beginning of quarantine, I didn’t think it would be difficult to be home all the time. As an introvert, I thought I could handle it. Fast forward 325 days later and I’m realizing how wrong I was. As I mentioned before, I don’t know how many people are feeling down, but I know I’m not the only one feeling this way. Suicide rates have been rising in multiple countries especially among college students in the US. I’ve been constantly reminding myself, there’s really no such thing as normal anymore. Nothing is normal.
This weekend’s Saturday Night Live’s opening skit featured a segment of what currently works in our society, such as the stock market, the government, or the vaccine rollout. The conclusion: nothing works. The world we lived in a year ago, is no longer the same world we live in at this moment no matter what we’re doing or who we’re with. With the lack of normality and the never-ending reminder of the daily cases and new variants, why is there an expectation to act as if everything is normal and fine or even pretend things are okay? Maybe everyone really is okay, but it’s important to remember we don’t have to be okay. After all, how many people can truly be okay with everything that we have faced over the past year? In these unusual times and with all of the chaos in the world, being gentle and allowing ourselves grace is perhaps the best thing we can do.