I’ll be honest. I’m not really sure what I’m feeling. 2020 has been a strange year so far. I didn’t anticipate my relationship ending or finding out that my Vitamin D levels are low. While those events were unexpected, I certainly had no idea how much life would change as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.
I’m not complaining, far from it. As someone with asthma, I’m more than happy to stay at home and keep myself safe. (I’m in the high risk group.) I can’t help but wonder if I should be more anxious than I am? Given the anxiety levels I experienced last year, I feel like my anxiety should be off the charts. It’s not.
I’m working from home and only going out when necessary. I’m very aware of physical distancing and erring on the side of caution if I need to estimate 2 meters of distance. I’m doing everything that I can to prevent myself becoming infected. It feels very strange seeing Perspex screens at shop counters, social distancing stickers on the floor and shops limiting the numbers of customers allowed in. The world we’re currently living in has changed beyond all recognition and quite rightly so. It’s strange to think that in years to come, this period we are living through will be taught in a history class.
I am incredibly grateful for WhatsApp, Skype, FaceTime, social media and all the other ways we can keep in touch with family and friends without physically being in the same room. I’m also grateful that this pandemic has forced us to look at the way we live and work. Its forced us to slow down and think about what and who are really important.
I really hope that when this pandemic is over and life can return to “normal” that we don’t simply go back to how it was before. I hope we appreciate the freedoms that have been taken for granted. I’m certainly going to hold my loved ones closer, make time to spend with them and really be present. I also hope that less emphasis is placed on work and going into work despite feeling unwell because it is ‘expected.’ Health is far more important than wealth. Never has the phrase “coughs and sneezes spread diseases” been more apt.
