5 Things I've Learned This Year (So Far)
Every year, we often take stock of how our lives have changed, usually with subtle differences. This year, few (if any) of us can escape from some change this year. Many of us may have found ourselves, at one point or another during the last few months, shaking our fists to the heavens and crying through our face masks: Damn you coronavirus!
We’re beyond the halfway-point of 2020. Here’s what I’ve learned so far:
Productivity exists, anywhere. At the end of last year, I was grateful to move into an office. A place to step outside my 600 sq-ft condo, see other people, have some space between work and home. When the pandemic hit, I set up shop at my kitchen table, feeling sluggish about the idea of returning to my home office. But you know what? I was productive. It might have taken a few tries to determine the most efficient setup, adjusting the angle of my laptop to ensure that my unfolded laundry on the couch wasn’t in view, but that was the biggest hurdle.
Professional dress has evolved. We’re seeing ourselves differently, and that’s not just because most of it is virtual. Ball caps instead of gelled hair. Headbands to cover dark or grey roots. A polo shirt with athletic shorts or large earrings to “dress up” a regular white tee. Our heels, suit jackets and other “professional dress” have been pushed to the backs of our closets and few of us seem to notice their absence.
Healthy habits have stuck. Before the pandemic, I definitely meditated. But it was a struggle. I also worked out. Though not every day. These past few months though, I found that I need to do at least one, but usually both, of these habits in order to maintain my sanity.
Goodbye, Facebook app. Social media usage is up since the start of the pandemic - worldwide. When people couldn’t connect in real life, they turned to their cell phones. But what has also come from that is anxiety-overload. At some point, we all need a break. I took the Facebook app off my phone for about a month in June. This month, I re-downloaded the app but opted for the “Lite” version. (Main features, less data). It’s like Facebook for the 1995 internet.
Until a vaccine is available… Laughter is the best medicine. I enjoy cerebral TV shows, and I like reading books that challenge my thinking and teach me something new. But the world is dark right now. So I have reacquainted myself with the joy of watching a movie that just makes you laugh even when you know the joke that’s coming (I recommend Mel Brooks’ Spaceballs on Netflix), or reading a novel that takes you completely out of the world of mortals (try Circe by Madeline Miller).
In my experience, we learn when we are going through the toughest times. 2020 would be that. We can lament about “the good old days” or we can take a look around and ask ourselves, “What is new? What is better now?” You might be surprised.