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| There's a tall order for everyone to #stayhome to avoid Covid-19 virus |
What have you learned so far from
being on quarantined in the past 2 months? What are your thoughts and learnings
on this crisis brought about by the pandemic Covid-19 virus? If we all survive
this crisis, if we’re all given a new lease on life, then it’s possible that it
would’ve changed our perspective forever. I personally went through a lot of
life’s hurdles prior to the lockdown. I went through a bit of soul searching
after I had quit my previous work as a social media manager for a food business
in September of 2019. It was by far one of the best decisions I had ever made.
It may not have been easy, because I loved what I was doing for the company but
then I was no longer happy with the way I was treated by the owner himself. I
needed to gain back my self-love and self-respect as I had allowed my former
client to body shamed me and treated me in such a way I know I did not deserve.
Anyway, going back to my life prior to lockdown, five months after I bid my
last work goodbye, a window of opportunity presented itself to me.
Yes, I had just started working
for my new company two weeks prior to lockdown. I learned a lot about myself
through this experience. I never realized I had more courage than I ever
thought possible, that I am resilient to change when the need calls for it.
Most importantly, I had learned that I can create a meaningful life for myself
in spite of the limitations, circumstantial or imposed.
It’s basically normal to feel a
little blue from time to time, especially since we’re not used to all these things—being
on quarantined and social distancing from all our loved ones. But don’t lose
hope. While it’s true that we had to cross over to the ‘new normal,’ let’s
bravely hope and pray that we’ll all survive in this together. Allow me to
share ways on how I think we could overcome the Covid-19 virus crisis.
Let’s acknowledge that we all cope with this crisis differently.
Since we are all unique individuals, so we do have different ways of how we deal with the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.
Although admittedly we are all on our survival mode and are probably using all
the coping mechanisms we needed in order to try to be okay, still, psychologist
says that the trauma we are having will later manifest in our lives. While most
people think they have sort of ádjusted’ to the ‘new norms’, but others may
remain in panic, still angry or feeling the blues while others are trying to
stay calm as they slowly adopt a ‘wait-and-see’ attitude. For the older folks
and the religious ones, they find solace in prayer. Others would find comfort
in food (ehem.), some in alcohol while others in humor. There are productive ones
who keep themselves busy by learning a new skill they never even thought
existed in them (be it cooking or doing arts and crafts or simply by attending
online courses). They may pick up a new hobby they’re interested in. Again, no
judgments. To each his own in the ways of coping through this crisis. And
again, it’s perfectly fine to have bad days, just don’t make it an everyday
kind of thing where you keep on ranting—and in the process, spending negative
vibes along the way.
Be resilient at all times.
Change is the only constant thing
in this world, so the old adage says. Admittedly, change can be difficult
especially when you’re someone used to your comfort zone all these years. You
have to understand that the more resilient you are, the better you become.
Things will be easier for you to manage life through its uncertainties, especially
in these times. I had been a freelancer for most of my life. I work online and
do client-related work that isn’t office-based. But like I had mentioned
earlier, prior to the lockdown, there came an opportunity for me that was too
good to pass up. I took it as a challenge to try working in a corporate world
even if I felt like I lack the experience, even if it’s so out of my comfort
zone. During these hard times, the burning platform is as real as it can get—change
or get sick or it’s like you sink or swim. We can all learn to manage through
change with acceptance and a whole lot of practice. IF you go with the flow,
accept that we don’t have all the answers in this world, and make informed
decisions—our chances of survival will be better. The future may seem bleak for
us all and definitely full of uncertainties. But it doesn’t mean that we can’t
plan ahead in small increments of time—a week, three months, six months, etc.
If we do it that way, it will be less overwhelming this way.
Elevate and change your game plan
In the spirit of ‘Bayanihan’,
many of us had this desire to help our unfortunate brothers and sisters in society. In as much as we can, we try in
our own little ways to be useful, helpful and to contribute to the welfare of
others. Those born-leaders have been showing the stuff they are made of. It is
nice to see that more people have the heart to be selfless in thinking not just
about themselves but also for the people they most cared about.
Check on your friends from time to time
Living alone and on your own can
be tough especially at these times. Check on your friends and family from time
to time, especially those who are living alone. It may seem unimportant, but
believe me, this act of thoughtfulness goes a long, long way in terms of
emotional well-being.
Stop feeling a sense of regret for the things you wish you did before our lives changed
Stop thinking about what could’ve
beens. Cliché as it is, but it is true, and now we probably understand the
words, “Life is short,” as it became more real to us all. While it’s true that
we have thoughts of “If only…” “I wish…” feelings, the greatest lesson here is
that we should all learn to live in the ‘’now.’’ So it’s best to stop crying
over spilled milk. If there’s something you want to do, take all the courage
and muster them and do it now. Don’t wait for the sun to set, time is of the
essence and act upon it while you can.
Be like Peter Pan
I’m not saying you should believe
in fairy tales here. But if you recall, each time Peter Pan flies, he says all
he had to do in order to make himself fly is to think of happy thoughts. Relieve
your happy memories and let that be your buoy during rough times. Look back on
old photographs, remember past happy memories during your family travels, your
past adventures, funny conversations, family milestones, and those thoughts that
will make you feel good about life. How you laughed out loud, how silly you
made of yourself, how you danced like there was no tomorrow—think of all those
memories in your old treasure box filled with happy thoughts.
Make a mental list of who are the most important people in your life
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| Family is our top priority |
Who do you miss the most during
these times? Who do you care about and worry about? Knowing who is valuable in your
life is equally important at these trying times. They are the ones who will see
you through this crisis and will also be the ones whom you will continue to
treasure all your life. Let go of toxic ones who make your life difficult or
unhappy. Have this mantra: I want to stay alive not just for myself but also
for the people I care about and love. I want to be with them for many more
years and spend more memories with them in this lifetime.
Learn about yourself more
This is the best time for
self-reflection. Think about this: What have you discovered about yourself
through this crisis? How well are you coping? What would you like to change in
yourself as you go forward in life? What are the things you need to change to
become a better individual? Think about it and start a new journey towards
achieving new life goals with a brand new you.
Things happen for a specific reason/purpose
We may not fully comprehend why
God has allowed these things to happen. But we’re sure He has all the reasons
for doing so. It’s hard to think of the good reason behind why over a million
people in the world had gotten sick. All we can do is look into ourselves and
think positively about life. That we’re still blessed to be alive and kicking. In
the vernacular, I call this as “Every gising is a blessing.” [Each day is a
blessing]. Perhaps, this time was given to us so we can all learn to slow down
with all the fast-paced life we were having. It’s time to take care of
ourselves, let the people we love know, and show them how much they mean to us.
Start eating healthy and find ways to exercise or catch up on our Zzzzs. Faced
with mortality, maybe we can even realize now what are the things that we can
and can’t live without. I realized how I love my imperfect life!
We’re all in this together
Yes, guys, it takes a village to
take care of yourself. We may be independent but we still need the help and
support of others. I learned to value more the importance of our medical
professionals, security guards, our front liners, the baggage counter guy, the
staff at the convenience store we go to, our Grab and delivery drivers who bring
us our food for our sustenance, the AFP officers and PNP staff who keep us safe
and our janitors who clean and enforcing everyone to wear protective face masks
and reminds us of social distancing. Each one is doing their part to keep us
all virus-free. And we had to appreciate their efforts and pray for their
safety as well. We are all in this fight against Covid-19 virus together.
Stay safe and praying for
everyone as well!
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