One of the phrases I’ve heard people use a lot this year is ‘Everyone’s just over it’. The ‘it’ of course being COVID-19.
‘It threw a wrench in my plans’.
And lately, ‘I’m so ready for 2020 to end already’.
There seems to be an expectation that chucking out this year’s calender, with its muddled squares of canceled plans and unused pages, is going to immediately bring us safety, health, an abundance of vaccines, and the ability to wander freely from place to place. And, get back to those ‘plans’.
I started to think of the conversations I’ve had over the last several months. The first time when family in Washington State told me they were going to be in full lockdown. A friend who described how things had just started to close up in Sydney, Australia. How her grocery store had put a limit on purchasing canned food. It didn’t matter where you lived, everyone was going through changes in protocols at some point or another.
Amid all these changes, I know I’ve experienced a shift myself, whether consciously or not. From not being able to focus on anything, to binge watching recipe videos and vlogs, and being tethered to a list of to do’s for some semblance of structure. That got me wondering about what people were thinking and feeling in other places and situations. How had they changed? Had they changed?
So I asked, ‘What’s a habit or feeling that changed for you?’
Laura from Edmonds, WA
‘I’ve always been the kind of person who had to take care of everything else first before I could do something for myself. Since COVID and having everyone home full time, I’ve had to really carve out time for myself. I did this by running, started with a 5K that I trained for and ran all outdoors.’
When the weather got in the way of running outside and Laura needed to be home with the kids, she found a way to keep at it.
‘Before I reached a breaking point, I bought a used treadmill and kept running. I never knew I could run, I’ve always hated it, but knowing that I can literally run for miles is empowering. I look forward to getting on the treadmill (in the often mess of a garage), listening to music and doing something that only benefits myself.’
Cecilia from Beijing, China
Cecilia, homeschooling her son, was afraid of having to go to a hospital for fear of infection and made it a point to focus on her health.
‘I started informed self-care by applying essential oils. I slowly picked up the benefits of this natural remedy and started sharing it with friends and family members. I felt that it is an alternative way to heal diseases and it is good for both body and soul. After a while, I realized that I could use my spare time to develop a side job. This side job helped me a lot. I don’t just mean financially but also mentally as I’ve widened my connections with people that I hadn’t talked with for years.’
These changes also meant Cecilia was able to handle dealing with a paycut.
‘(…) my salary cut from my regular job seemed to have no effect on me. My fear towards this epidemic has faded as I barely have time to worry, and my sense of security is back!’
Selina from Brooklyn, NY
‘The pandemic had me focusing more on my own health. Not in ways you would think. Not my physical health. Even though I cancelled my ClassPass membership and slowly started neglecting my fitness routine, my mental health took front and center.
I’ve been going to therapy for over a year now to work on myself. In the past, I tried to be proactive and put the tools I’ve learned into practice, but found life too hectic to be consistent. I always returned to my comfortable, dysfunctional norm.
All that changed when I started staying home and had a lot of distractions removed. It was hard to be in my own head all the time and it brought up a lot of issues that I had unsuccessfully swept under the rug over the years. Then I thought, this is an opportunity for me to face these demons and work on them.’
A friend from Prague, Czech Republic simply said that with the situation lasting so long, she felt overwhelmed. I get it.
Let’s not forget 2020. Let’s not attempt to just be over ‘it’. We can’t and we shouldn’t. ‘It’ has meant changes, good and bad, and we need to keep them in the rearview mirror if we want to be able to manage 2021.
Is there a habit or feeling that changed for you and would you like to share your thoughts? You’re welcome to leave a comment below.
Mariam Sultan 