(Picture: Madrid, Spain by Kyla Alexandre)
The world has flipped itself upside down and inside out. People are overstocking and facing the same thing at the same time. There is so much negativity in this world it almost becomes impossible to see any light at the end of the tunnel. This whole experience is causing a strain on people’s mental health. We have been in lockdown for about two months now and are adjusting to this absurd new normal. At this moment, we are driven by the hope that this will end eventually. News outlets are full of corona this and corona that with very little about the good happening in the world. The biggest lesson to take out of this is to know that no matter how crappy something is, there is ALWAYS something good that will come out of it. Let me share a few.
A lot of big companies have the means to allow their workers to telecommute. This is a good thing for so many reasons. One being people can stay home with their families in the comfort of their homes while still working. We live in a society that is driven by living to work, which often takes away from our family. In this case, we get to see loved ones more often and spend more time together. It also shows that it is not always a necessity to have to go into work every single day, which is beneficial for those who have a brutal commute. This means fewer cars are on the road, which benefits our environment.
Speaking of our environment, we have reduced our carbon footprint by a lot. The canals in Venice, Italy have cleared up, there are fewer pollutants in the air from factories, and the burning of fossil fuels and emissions of greenhouse gases has slowed. This means we are breathing cleaner air. Since we cannot go to national parks, there is also an increase in the animal population. Human’s absence in certain areas allows for nature to restore itself and return to its normal glory where animals can roam freely and plant flourish.
We now have all the time in the world to work on ourselves. We can pick up hobbies we have always wanted to try, we can spend more time connecting to ourselves, and focus on bettering ourselves as individuals. You have nothing better to do than spend time with yourself so you might as well make the best out of it. We have a lot of time to heal, to grow, and to learn so take advantage of that. As the world changes, we do too and that is a-okay my friends.
Our communication has increased dramatically. Since we do not have the option to hang out with the people we see on a regular basis, we have to find new ways to connect with our loved ones. Face Time and Zoom have become essential to see people’s faces. It is more important than ever to stay connected to those around us. Socialization has changed and we now rely on our phones more than ever. We are doing what we can to maintain our relationships or even create new ones. Even though we are isolated, we have found ways to hang out from miles apart, whether it is eating dinner over video chatting, playing virtual games, or watching Netflix together on Netflix Party. It sucks but we are making it work. My friend group is more solid than ever because we have nothing better to do than talk to one another (haha). But seriously, we are learning the importance of maintaining our relationships because it is hard to function without human interactions.
Even though there is a lot of doo doo in the world right now, there most definitely is a lot of positives and it is important to remember that. For now, keep your head up, stay positive, and as always stay vibin!
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