Post-Pandemic Reflections
As we begin to "normalize" again, toward pre-pandemic life, and leave the past 15-months behind us, we must remember what we've learned during this time. We are not the same people we were a year ago, and that's okay. I strongly believe in taking the time to reflect back as we move forward through upcoming transitions. Change can be challenging, and often builds up heightened sense of anxiety, frustration, and fear. Moving through transitions, I try to keep myself grounded by reflecting and centering by journaling privately, talking with someone I trust, and making lists. I also make sure to maintain my exercise schedule because that's important time for myself to feel centered and mindful, and physical activity has been found to reduce anxiety and depression.
Immediately, as people try to transition back to normal, I've noticed a conflict between what was normal before, and what has come to be expected during this past year. We can't presume everything will go back to how things were previously, and we don't have to do exactly what we used to. Just because we did what we did for so long doesn't mean it was working. We've all learned and changed from this past year, so let's not brush off what we've been through, what we're still going through. We need to take this time to transition properly. As everyone is balancing so much right now between family life, career transitions, illnesses, and world events, it can be so easy to just keep rushing through as we normalize back from the pandemic. This time period has been an opportunity for a reset, to simplify, to reflect, and to reestablish our values and goals.
Along with much struggle and suffering for many people around the world, we've learned to not take each other for granted. We've learned that family is important, to appreciate our health, to slow down the bustle of everyday life, and to take moments for ourselves to center and be present. Many people have become more thoughtful in how we spend our time, not loading schedules with meaningless social events, but rather focusing on the people who matter most to us, and the events that bring us joy and fulfillment instead of obligation and dread. When faced with disease and mortality from the pandemic, we've realized we must not take our time for granted. Many extroverts realized they appreciated slowing down, and many introverts who were expected to be better suited for social distancing realized they needed more social connections than previously thought.
The pandemic has been that unexpected chance to assess what was working about our former lives, social and professional --and what was too much. We've been living in a constant, always-on culture, 24/7 connectivity. And that's too much. Social media took center stage as we began social distancing, with many people turning to their newsfeeds to connect to others, to share, to learn. It was an amazing tool as we began the journey of greater racial reckoning in the States, learning from the experts of our true collective history and social justice initiatives. And for that, it has been an amazing tool and resource.
At the same time, it can become overwhelming to constantly perform for social media, for the barrage of eyes and judgmental fingers, comparing ourselves to countless others showing only their best selves. It's too much. We can see this as an opportunity to make those changes that we've been craving for so long, reducing screen time, increasing outside activities and experiences.
We've also seen incredible innovation as people have pivoted and adapted to continue working through social distancing and safety precautions. Many previous in-person meetings, classes, events, and performances were moved virtual, seamlessly continuing where we left off when stay-at-home orders were mandated. For myself, living in California, we've maintained very strict distancing precautions throughout the pandemic, so it was vital to figure out how to continue working by using virtual meeting software like Zoom and FaceTime.
Much of in-person classes and events can be replicated virtually, and we've seen how most meetings can eliminate the need to commute and be in-person. For other things like museums and galleries, it is nice to be fully immersed in person. And while it has been vital to continue social gatherings with family and friends virtually during this time, it is so fulfilling to sit and chat with people outside, in person. The greatest realization is being able to see those friends and family who live far away, more regularly taking advantage of visual calls to connect from a distance.
We're all eager to have the stress and anxiety of this past year behind us, but let's not forget the valuable lessons we've absorbed from this time. As everyone wants to rush back into the swing of life, remember to value alone time, and hold on to the simple joys that we so easily take for granted when things return to busy going.