If you’re reading this in a year other than 2020, you may wonder how on earth a pandemic can be anything other than misery and despair. However, it is possible to become a more positive person by deliberately focusing on the good things in your life.
Doing this, embracing the positives and making the world around us better is helpful, especially during challenging times/ The pandemic has meant that many people have lost jobs, homes, and sadly loved ones to the virus.
A way to boost positivity in your life is to dedicate time to focus on the good. This will also help to reduce harmful self- talk through naming positive things each day.
In a time where it’s challenging to find reasons to be cheerful, here are some of the good things that have come from the Coronavirus pandemic.
A sense of community
Nothing is better than working together. Since the outbreak of coronavirus, hundreds and thousands of people stood up to the call of volunteering to help more vulnerable people in their communities. Mutual aid groups were set up for people to offer and ask for help with getting grocery shopping and picking up medical prescriptions for those unable to leave their homes, they took dogs for walks, made masks, entertained them through music- there are videos of people singing from their balconies to bring a sense of togetherness during hard times.
It was when people wanted shopping made easy, so began supporting small local businesses for their everyday essentials such as bread and milk, as well as things to keep them entertained during lockdown. More small businesses spent time making sure that their products were accessible to those who were unable to go shopping for themselves, by creating online shops and even offering free local delivery to incentivise people shopping with them.
It’s where people celebrated their health services in a big way. For over ten weeks, households across the UK would take to the streets and applaud their NHS and essential workers, where there would be music, clapping, people banging their pots and pans to make a noise for the cause that was keeping the world going as people were shut inside their homes.
Change in working habits
With more and more people starting to work from home, people are starting to reassess their relationship with work. It has proven that taking the office to the comfort of our homes is possible. It has meant that people are able to sleep a little later as well as saving some serious cash from not having to pay extra money for public transportation or fuel for their cars. Before, people would spend hours per day traveling to work, or flying around the world for business–time which can now be spent with family or relaxing.
It has also encouraged employers to look at some of their business models. Gone are the days of calling face-to-face meetings that interrupt some people’s productivity, and impact on their morale. Meetings now take place using videoconferencing software meaning that meetings are more likely to be concise and therefore improve workers’ productivity overall.
Being at home to live and work can take its toll sometimes, too. This means that more and more people are starting to take time away from their work stations and take time to do something different with their days. Doing this = a much better work life balance overall.
People have time to reflect and restructure
Spending time alone helps people to stop and reflect on their lives. Social distancing and self-isolation has meant that people have, almost forcibly, had to spend time thinking about their futures. It is a time to reflect on what really matters for them and what a change of pace, setting, career and status could do for their lives overall.
In times of stress, uncertainty and upheaval, people are more likely to use this time to change their lifestyle to make it better for them. The COVID-19 lockdown is a good enough reason for people to want to take command of specific lifestyle choices that could be hindering them both physically and mentally.
So now, more and more people are starting to think about new careers paths, where they live and how they fuel and exercise their bodies. It has given many people a sense of self-awareness that they did not possess previously.
At home workouts are a thing
Pre COVID, many people were intimidated by the prospect of going into a gym due to the fear of other people’s judgement. While it’s not been great business for gyms all over the world, many businesses have been thinking creatively as to how they can encourage people to keep up a workout routine from home.
Some gyms have loaned out equipment, and personal trainers have set up cameras to record sessions for people to do in the comfort of their own homes. They even develop workouts that require no expensive equipment, making them more accessible to people who may not have had the money to be able to afford it.
At home workouts have got people moving more in spite of being at home which has promoted long-term mental and physical health benefits. Additionally, they add routine to the otherwise non-punctuated days for those who strive on a routine.
People have wanted to learn more things
Now that some people have been spending less time working and have more space in their schedules for themselves–more people are beginning to spend time pursuing their hobbies and coming up with new ways to learn.
People want to take the time to develop new skills such as playing a musical instrument, or learning to draw. Others have enrolled on some online courses that will help them to progress in, or change their careers further down the line. All of which can be done in their own time–less pressure than those who would otherwise complete courses in a class setting.
There are many more people who are taking the time to get to know their bodies and their heritage by using DNA services to understand where they come from and how their bodies process different things. They will gain a greater understanding of themselves over time.
Reduced Carbon Emissions and Cleaner Water
With a huge reduction on non-essential travel, less people using the roads to travel to work and reduced demand for air travel, the impact on the environment has been huge.
Less fossil fuel usage has meant that carbon emissions have gone down significantly. In China, the COVID crisis is said to have reduced the country’s carbon emissions by around 25% since the outbreak of the pandemic.
People are better at being connected
For some, the lack of contact with the outside world has meant that they have chosen to invest in their personal relationships. While some people maybe saw some of their friends every few months or so, weekly video call catch ups have had a positive impact on these relationships. The same goes for people staying in better contact with their families by checking in more regularly.
While video chats will never replicate the feeling of meeting up with loved ones for a good old catch up, they’re still an excellent way of making sure to stay in touch with people all over the world, gathering large groups of people together at any one time that may not have been possible before.
COVID is still prevalent, even months after the outbreak, but there are many positive things that have happened as a result that we are hopeful to continue over time.
