“It’s in the hardest times we grow the most.”
A Day to Remember
Whenever we face a challenge, we have one option, and that is to overcome it. The process of overcoming the obstacle forces us to adapt to uncomfortable situations. And that process alone makes us stronger.
The COVID-19 Pandemic is going to cause us to grow as individuals and as a society.
On an Individual Level:
It’s only been two weeks since I started social distancing, and I’ve grown in the following ways:
- I can stay physically active without going to the gym
- I can get all of my groceries and necessities for the week in one trip
- I can have a productive workday without going to the office
- I am better about reaching out to friends and family because I miss them
- I am better about keeping a tidy living space (because this is where I am spending 95% of my time)
Staying home is not as difficult as I imagined. I simply put energy into adjusting my habits, and as a result, I am doing just fine.
As a whole:
Most importantly, I think there will be changes to our healthcare system, but I’m not the best person to write about that topic as I am not an expert. I’ll stay in my lane.
Socially, I have some hope that we will appreciate face to face interactions more than we did before this all went down. Before, we were very quickly moving towards using digital communication for socializing. It was okay with us because, in many scenarios, we had the option to leave our homes and see people. But now, in many cases, we do not have that option. Obviously, we are still going to use digital communication after this period of social distancing. However, I beleive there will be something extra special about grabbing a drink with a friend, going to yoga class, going on a date, etc. People might find that they are more of an old soul than they initially thought.
I’m amazed at how selfless we’ve become. There’s still work to do, but the thought of having a whole country stay home, cancel vacations and events for weeks (and possibly months) was inconceivable to me a few weeks ago. Now it is a reality. I’m aware that many states (including my own) have issued a shelter-in-place order, but many people were staying home before that happened. Many of the people practicing social distancing are young, healthy individuals who would likely recover from the virus without worry. For the most part, we aren’t doing it for ourselves. We are doing it for the at-risk population and the healthcare providers who are now coming in contact with COVID-19 in large quantities daily. We are staying at home, so we don’t overcrowd the hospitals, so the people in need can receive care. Sure, there might be some self-interest here, but overall, we are thinking larger than ourselves, and that is a beautiful thing that makes us human. In a way, I don’t beleive that this is truly an example of growth as I understand we’ve always had this quality. However, during these times, we are pushed to prove our altruism in ways that we usually don’t.
There are many other ways where we will advance due to COVID-19. Now that we have some extra time on our hands, I urge everyone to take this opportunity to think of ways you’ve already grown due to this change in lifestyle and the ways you can grow as we spend more time social distancing.
Awkward AF 