This past year and a half have been very life-changing for most of us. From being in confined spaces with people for so long to not being allowed to meet up with our friends. I don’t know about you, but I’m done with pandemic times! What I am not ready to do, and you shouldn’t either, is give up the things that helped you through those through times. I’m not talking about the sanitiser baths and potato chips… Although, you can definitely keep those if that’s your fancy. What I’m referring to are the things that kept us sane, emotionally.
As much as the world is moving to a new normal, we have grown so much as individuals and should learn from our experiences. Every experience, including the year that we cancelled.
You may also like: Things that frustrated me about the pandemic
You should never give up your alone time
Whether you lived in a tiny one-bedroom apartment by yourself or with a family, spending quality time alone is something I am certain you learnt to do. In my case, it was a necessity as my days were filled with diapers, masculine chuckles, and a huge mess. Looking back, I have no idea how I survived having had my personal space snatched away from me so quickly. But we always tend to make do with the cards we are dealt.
Many people I know unfortunately had to experience hard lockdown in complete isolation. Life for them wasn’t easy, as talking to the walls definitely has its limits. But one thing that came out of such an experience is being able to cherish alone time. Being able to fill it with self-care, self-development, etc.
Despite life moving back to normal, spending time alone is a necessity that we should all respect. Being alone allows you to truly understand yourself and your feelings. It also gives you a moment to regroup without external influences. In fact, it is essential for our mental health and is definitely one of those things you should never give up, regardless of the situation.
I may not be sticking to my level 5 lockdown fitness routine (goodbye abs) with the new norm but I will never give up alone time.
Related: Life skills that 2020 taught us
Don’t stop showing kindness towards others
At the start of the pandemic, I saw how humans can become generous beings. Many of my colleagues and friends would take trips into the poorer areas of Johannesburg, distributing food and other essentials. Some strangers began an initiative to distribute free masks We also had the sense of responsibility to stay away from anyone who would be ‘high risk’… What a beauty!
But as time went on, the eagerness to stop the spread of the virus was tainted by videos of people walking around maskless. I even saw a video of a bunch of girls refusing to wear their masks in an Uber then proceeding to cough on the driver when he raised it. Is this what we have become?
Just because we see things differently from others doesn’t mean that we should stop showing respect. Just because the governments have decided that business must go on doesn’t mean that we should stop giving. And just because we now have a vaccine doesn’t mean that we should stop showing compassion to those that are struggling.
Healthy living
Did your country ban restaurants from selling hot food? Oh, they didn’t? Lucky you because mine did. They literally made my city a ghost town where only grocery stores thrived. Level 5 was rough for me because takeout is my jam… Lock me up in a tiny room and I won’t complain as long you give me food and wifi.
So what does a foodie do when she is deprived of takeout? She cooks!
My husband and I saw a nutritionist just a few weeks before lockdown and decided to stick with the meal plans she gave us. We ate more veggies than I’ve seen on a farm. We baked bread and made our own versions of our favourite foods. That is, until the lockdown life became one big blur.
If you were one of those to try a new eating plan or start a new workout during lockdown, don’t stop. And if you did eventually trade your broccoli for pizza, get back on the bandwagon! Just because we can dine out, drink in bars, or pick up a meal from the food stand doesn’t mean we need to make up for lost time. Believe it or not, these indulgences really aren’t meant to be the norm.
Related: The impact COVID-19 had on my fitness journey
Flexibility is still important
Pre-pandemic, my mom life was structured to the ‘t’. I knew exactly what time I had to leave for work to beat traffic. I also knew that if I were to get a workout in, I needed to wake up at 4:30 each morning, take 10 minutes to get ready, and leave for the gym. And, my husband and I always had a date scheduled on Friday nights. One year and a pandemic later, I resent the idea of having such a rigid structure, but can’t seem to shake off the laziness.
I think quite a few of us let the structure out the window in the early days of the pandemic. I mean, where were we going right? Unless you count a date with your tub or drinks with your phone as plans, then you have to agree that pandemic life was very flexbixible. And guess what – that’s not such a bad thing!
Of course, we need some sort of structure to thrive. However, that doesn’t mean that we need to have every minute of our lives planned. Being flexible will allow you to just live in the moment and do what makes you happy. Leaving hours in a day where you just spend time doing whatever you feel like – that’s the flexibility your mental health needs!
What are some other pandemic things that you should never give up?
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What a great post and great topic…i really don’t want to give up work-life balance in the form of working from home… I have been able to do 30% wfh and I hope work continues to be flexible after the pandemic!
Never want to give up my alone time!! 🙂
Thanks Bossy Babe! Gosh the flexibility we got was brilliant… we’re also on a similar split but it is slowly being phased out. Hope you can hold onto yours longer!
This is very thought-provoking, Shelly. I agree that there are things we should continue post-pandemic. Although we’re all a bit tired of it at the moment, just spending time at home with nothing scheduled is something we should prioritize. And, limiting shopping and supermarket trips is another.
Finally, I’d love to see us show more respect to the unsung group of essential wokers who kept us fed during this time. People have been lavishing well-deserved praise and thanks on our health care workers. But, what about the supermarket workers and fast-food workers? They put themselves at risk too, but they have to scrape by on minimum wage and suffer all kinds of abuse from customers. Let’s be kind and respect anyone who’s putting in an honest day’s work!
You raise such an important point! To be honest, I did think of the other front-liners but got lost in the buzz of songs for the medical staff. It’s sad to think that they willingly (or by necessity) stepped up and did what we wouldn’t, and yet they don’t get an ounce of recognition.
Thanks for reading and opening my eyes!
I think I am more aware of it because my daughter has worked pretty much full-time at McDonald’s for the past 15 months while keeping up with her school work. Our supermarkets increased wages for their staff during the pandemic but most millionaire fast-food franchisees did nothing.
very well written post 👏👏👏 inspite of all the cribbing , there are certain things which we must be thankful for and you listed them perfectly 😀
I don’t wanna lose the self care and self awareness I gained !!,
Thanks Vani! Make sure you get face masks and frequently turn on airplane mode 😉
So proud of you for cooking more at home and sticking with it!
Thank you! 😅 it was forced initially, now it’s a habit
The level of disrespect that people showed during the last year and a half is so sad. We should definitely be better than that, we can respect people and still disagree.
Along with healthy living, we need to listen to our bodies. We don’t need to freak out if we get sick (like we might’ve done for fear of having Covid) but we do need to let our bodies rest and give our immune system the help and support it needs.
Omg yes! We should just agree to disagree and move on with life. I can’t fathom being that evil 🤦🏾♀️
Right on with this entire post! It’s hard to think of too many positives during a pandemic, but one was that my three older brothers and I talked more. We’ve always gotten along well, but pure distance prevents us from seeing each other often. We started a monthly Zoom call, and I’m pretty sure we’ll continue that. Since my gym closed (it just reopened a month ago), I started walking everyday. I won’t keep doing it that often, but I’m not giving it up either. I found that is where I do some of my best thinking.
Oh wow look at that! It’s amazing that something that forced us to “social distance” brought you closer to your brothers! As for the walking, do try and keep it up. If it was important during the pandemic, it’s still important now 😉
A ban on hot food sounds awful for the restaurant owners, who likely had it hard already. I would be pretty sad too, because I love eating out 😅
You have no idea how many restaurants closed down because of it. It’s quite sad actually! And yes, it was torture!
This is an interesting theme and it’s so well done. It reminds me to embrace the good things every bad (or rather, hard) situation brings. Alone time is something we got so much of and it has made me understand myself a lot better. After all, you need to get to know the person who’s been with you from the time you became an embryo till the time you leave the world 😉 Thankful to the life lessons pandemic taught us. Kudos to your wonderful post!
Thanks for reading! 💖
I like how you said we need to know the person that has been with us from the beginning. I see it in a slightly different way, because this person is forever changing, so we need to meet and have quality time with ourselves over and over! 😅
Right! That’s quite true indeed.
Great list
One thing I would add — don’t give up the mask! lol
Hahah yes of course! I think I’m keeping mine even after this passes!
Absolutely! Especially in flu season or when getting very close to people’s faces.
Thanks for sharing!
Kindness is something we should certainly keep, and I really hope that one of the good things of this pandemic is that we are more kind to others! Alone time is also so valuable!
Indeed! Thanks for reading Niraj 😊
Absolutely agree! Some of the habits we gained this past year are important lessons. The pandemic has been a heavy, tragic teacher….