Why COVID-19 Will Change the World

…or my world, at least.

When it comes to 2020, it’s safe to say that the coronavirus has thrown a spanner in the works, turning our lives as we know it upside down. For those that have personally lost a loved one to it, my heart goes out to you. And for those of us who’ve had to adapt to a new way of living, even for the short-term, I know that for the most part, we’ll all come out better and stronger for it.

Here're 6 reasons why the coronavirus pandemic has already made me a better person

Just quickly, I know this blog is a bit long and windy, it’s one of those word vom ones. But if you’re ready to get real deep and emosh with me, stick it out till the end (the very last point). That’s where I lay bare my vulnerable soul for all the world to see, I even got a bit teary eyed at my own writing.

Who cares though, because if it resonates and motivates just one other person out there, it’s all worth it. You and me, we’re in it together, fo’ life.

I’ve now got a deeper appreciation for my social support network

A true introvert at heart, I’ve never been one to feel the overwhelming need to instigate regular catch ups with my friends. I’m just as happy doing virtual check-ins over Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp on the latest happenings, then I’m out and on my merry way. Don’t get me wrong, I still crave the human interaction component every so often, and I’d definitely be down for a smashed avo brunch date, I just don’t need to lock it in every weekend. I’ve got a hot sloth (aka my husband) and three furbabies that keep me entertained all day long.

But when the coronavirus restrictions were enforced, I found myself wishing that I could just go hang out with my girlfriends, freely, without worrying about social distancing. The inability to do so, made me realise how much I really did value my social support network, introverted or not.

Embraced video-calling technology, more than ever

Now I know FaceTime has been around forever, but I’ve never felt a strong inclination to use it. I’m a little ashamed to say that I can be a bit of a grandma when it comes to tech, even though my entire career rides on my Digital Marketing skillset…awks. Why has it taken me so long to jump onto the video-calling bandwagon? Two reasons.

Firstly, if I’m out, I’m usually on a mission, whether it be errands or catching up with somebody. A video call would just be inconvenient, or downright rude if you have company, IMHO. Secondly, if I’m home, I’ve probably got my hair up in a messy bun, no make up and wearing clothes I should’ve thrown out years ago - I look gross. Vanity aside, why should my FaceTime buddy be subjected to my zoomed-in face?

One of my best friends was the one that got me into it. She’s put up with me for well and long enough to know how to get her way, and I always concede because we’re BFFLs. It pleasantly surprised me how much I didn’t mind it. It was the next logical step up from a text or a call, and I got to see her pretty face. Yes, I really did leave my name as ‘Samsung S8’.

But you know who truly converted me? My dad. My 60+ year old dad, personally organised a Zoom call for my iso birthday. Because we couldn’t go out for a celebratory meal like we usually do, he made sure to schedule a Zoom video conference, in pretence that we were altogether and in lieu of the rain-checked festivities. We virtually celebrated my birthday dinner together, with dad’s token dad jokes and incessant comments on how delicious my meal smelt. But it put a smile on my dial and it’ll be one for the memory books, that’s for sure.

Since then, I’ve been more than willing to FaceTime others, including my brother who has a penchant for putting the funniest filters on, which means we can barely hold a conversation without bursting into laughter.

Picked up old hobbies and explored into new ones

This one probably comes as no surprise for many of you. The forced isolation situation that COVID-19 brought about meant that we all had to find something to do with all that spare time, ways to keep entertained without enlisting the fridge’s or pantry’s help.

What it meant for me, was the opportunity, albeit forced, to revisit hobbies that I had pushed aside because of, well, adult life struggles. I started reading again, which by the way, I absolutely devoured The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards. So beautifully written that I had to deliberately ration the chapters, just so it could last that bit longer.

Baking and cooking was another one. I used to love baking, although I’ve never been great at it - usually turns out to be a #nailedit (but not) type of situation. Cooking, I’ve always stuck to what I know, rather than venturing out and trying new recipes. After a long day’s work, I just want to smash out a quick and easy dinner so that I can veg out on the couch, watch Netflix and chill. With all the time on my hands, I started being more adventurous in the kitchen and surprised myself with how much better I got with practice - the hot sloth can vouch for this.

I’m by no means a food photographer but I’m going to admit I was reaaalllllllly pleased with myself at how the hot sloth’s home-cooked, Japanese-themed, iso birthday dinner turned out (we both had iso birthdays) - may or may not have taken three hours to prep.

Besides becoming a self-glorified chef overnight, I also decided to pick up a new hobby, aka puzzling - right up my tech grandma alley. We cleared out our dining table to make room, and started on a 1000-piece ‘Escape the Room’ puzzle by Ravensburger. And let me tell you, the ‘escaping’ bit was waaaaay harder than the actual putting it together bit. I won’t spoil it for you, but if you love the thrill of escape rooms and the satisfaction of completing a puzzle, try it. Trust me.

Completed new exercise challenges, in the comfort of my own living room

I’ve never been one to enjoy exercising in public, besides walking my doggos. I hate sweating, much less in front of others. Just the thought of panting in front of strangers, kind of irks me, and that’s why I’ve never had a gym membership. That and the fact that I’m dangerously uncoordinated, it’s embarrassing. I quite often trip over nothing, walk into the kitchen counter or smash my shin against the bed frame, because the spatial awareness is severely lacking.

Which is why I’ve always preferred home-friendly workouts. YouTube and Instagram are both goldmines for home workout videos. My current personal favourite is Chloe Ting’s free workout programs. With over 8.77M subscribers on YouTube alone, she’s one you might call a viral sensation and if you follow her, it’s easy to see why. Her FREE workouts can be done at home, with or without equipment - so really, you’ve got no excuse not to give it a go.

I’ve just completed her 26-day Hourglass Program and now I’m ready to do another challenge, it’s a great way to start your day and get your energy levels up.

Developed mental and emotional stamina

Lastly but most importantly, COVID-19 forced me to build mental and emotional stamina, because I went on a hell of a roller coaster ride. This one hits a little closer to home, and I know that there’s a lot of you out there who are in the same boat. When the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic well and truly hit, I happened to be working at Jetpets Animal Transport, Australia’s leading company for interstate and overseas pet travel, as their Digital Marketing Coordinator. I loved my job, I really did. I was working in an industry that catered to people who loved their pets so much, they’d move or travel with their pets, no matter the cost or distance. This meant that I was surrounded by colleagues and marketing to customers who were just as obsessed with their fur babies, as I am. It felt right.

So when the social-distancing restrictions kicked in, I was asked to work from home, which to be honest, I thoroughly enjoyed. Knocking out the work was easy, without any distractions, besides my dogs feigning 24/7 starvation and constantly squabbling for lap space domination. This was us sharing ONE chair, I was pretty much hanging off it - involuntary squat life.

When COVID-19 officially brought all travel to a standstill, with both domestic and international flights grounded, Jetpets took a hard hit. While I stayed wildly optimistic, we officially got stood down at the end of March. It got me a little flustered but I was somewhat still in control, taking comfort in the belief that I still had a job to go back to, when it all eventually boils over. Plus, I was keeping myself busy doing all the aforementioned quarantine activities.

That all changed overnight. At the start of May, we were officially told that Jetpets was going into liquidation and that all our jobs were now redundant. As delusionally optimistic as I can get, the mental and emotional safety net that was keeping me in check, was gone. I was now jobless and freaking out. I’ve never been one to be out of employment, in fact, I’ve had back-to-back jobs in the last 6 years of my career. When I’ve changed workplaces, it’s always been an active decision, usually an opportunity to progress my career or to pursue professional goals.

The importance of job stability and financial security has been drilled into me all my life, by hardworking parents that came to Australia, as refugees, with zero to their name. Work hard, save harder. This was the first time, in my adult years, where everything was thrown out of whack and I couldn’t control it. Look, I’ll be honest, I had a meltdown (or eight) before I decided that wallowing in self-pity was a pointless exercise because the only person I’d be hurting, is me. This brings me to the below quote, possible one of my all-time favourite quotes about life, so much so that the hot sloth had it engraved on one of my ring stacks.

It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. 

A quote that’s believed to be attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt, Confucius, and several other people. And I hope that in your moments of darkness, you find strength and comfort in these words too. I did and I’ll continue to, whenever the world seems to go a little dark and gloomy.

It reminds me to persevere, take charge of my own environment and make active decisions, because after all, only I can decide which path to take in life. So no matter what is going on in the world around you, remember that you can be that candle, if not for yourself, for those around you. Stay #lit, fam.

And that concludes my unsolicited essay about why COVID-19 will make me a better person

If you didn’t take away anything from this article, then power to you for sticking it all the way through my ramblings and digressions. Here’s an obligatory GIF to reward you for your determination. THANK YOU!