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Covid-19 is for most of us a catastrophe, yet there are some of us out there ‘Who Don’t Want to Return to Normalcy’.
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”
The pandemic year has been very hard for many
All generations have been affected – tragically by sickness and death, yet also by layoffs, confinement, and isolation. Each of us are suffering yet each in their own right and way.
But there is a group who have experienced the pandemic differently to a degree. Among those who love solitude – and who are privileged enough to not be working the front lines and so able to avoid the greatest risk of illness – the pandemic is a strange sort of blessing. For those the pandemic gives relief from the daily exertion, challenges and pressures, and even over-stimulation inherent in social interactions.
According to a recent study by the American Psychological Association, around half of adults feel uneasy about adjusting to in-person interactions once the pandemic ends.
The imposed solitude during the pandemic has led some of us to self-discovery. Suddenly there was time to read, hike, and sit outside and even daydream. A few are describing their daily lives with underlying guilt: “I feel gratitude for this time for myself.”
Some of the young people who were moving back in with their parents found an opportunity to “build a new adult relationship with them.”
“There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life.”
Not everyone was so lucky though
Too many have started drinking and smoking too much or let various negative habits take over their daily lives. Anxiety and depression took hold of many of us young, or old.
Also, being in isolation for such a long time we are worried that some of our social skills might have deteriorated at least a little bit.”
With vaccinations being rolled out across the country and businesses re-opening, social anxiety is peaking at the moment even among the most avid social butterflies.
“The ability to be social in a public place with strangers and reconnecting again with my group of friends, it’s kind of like a muscle I haven’t used for over a year,” said a young professional working remotely while residing in New York.
No matter if socially anxious, solitude loving and or an extrovert and people person, the pandemic is a wakeup call for all of us on so many levels and aside from wrecking complete havoc on the world, humankind and the individual it is also a time for self-reflection. These challenging times present us with the opportunity for change and Metamorphosis on our personal, global and government level.
How has the pandemic affected you, your thinking and your feelings? What have you learned from it and what will you take away from it going forward in your life?
The challenge is far from over with new strains emerging. Please take good care of yourself and everyone else around you – wear a mask and social distance whenever you can.
We would like to address everyone in the medical field, including our teachers, professionals in food supply and all the other customer facing professionals out there. Your relentless strength and support throughout the pandemic are met with greatest appreciation and gratitude!
Please everyone stay safe!
-7minutesonline