Seven Profound Lessons I’ve Learned From COVID-19
Coronavirus (COVID-19) has been in our lives for the last few months and has disrupted how we live and work. It’s also shown us the reality of how people can react during serious events such as this pandemic; some with fear and anxiety, but most with kindness and gratitude. In the midst of all this, I’ve had a crash course on what the coronavirus has taught me and I’m going to share what I’ve learned with all of you, so keep reading. Note that this post does include a few affiliate links.
Lesson 1: Relationships are precious
Social distancing is a new term for me that’s been around since March, and probably will be here for the immediate future. Of course, for those of us who are introverted by nature, it's somewhat welcome to have time to ourselves. Heck, I’m a high introvert (which most people won’t believe when they meet me) and even I sorely miss my social life with my close friends! Zoom has become our best friend in staying in touch via video calls and fun conversations.
Usually, I avoid being in large crowds mostly because it naturally drains my energy (introverts gain energy from alone time, extroverts gain energy from constant socialization). I love my one on one time with close friends and family. However, social distancing reminds me of how precious relationships are when meeting in person, and relationship building is imperative for all of us whether we do this online or offline. We were made to be social creatures, and to be physical — hugging, kissing, holding hands, etc. We weren’t made to live alone and isolated from the world as human beings. Right now, I’m personally craving intimate and simple relationships with my loved ones in person — the coffee dates, the movies, going to the beach — these are all things I will never take for granted again. I know this will come back once things have cleared up and we’ve said, “Bye, Felicia!” to it. For the time being, I’m enjoying Zooming and FaceTiming with my circle of friends and we’re finding new ways to stay in touch.
The lesson COVID-19 teaches us here is this; use this time to talk on the phone or set times to video chat with your loved ones around the world. This is the time to uplevel those relationships we have built and even work on creating new ones! Join in on online forums, utilize your LinkedIn (linked to my profile), and make new friends locally who you can meet up with once we’re back to social gathering again.
…and we will be back to social gathering again soon. Trust me. This pandemic can’t and won’t last that long. We won’t let it!
Lesson 2: Reflect from within
Since we’re #alonetogether during this time and hunkering down in our forts until the storm passes us by, this is the perfect time for us to do a deep dive within ourselves and reflect on who we are. We have various roles in our lives, and now we have the chance to take a profound look within ourselves; through reflection, we can define who we are as individuals and what we can bring into the world being the people we are.
I’m using a journal to answer the following questions for myself: (1) What do I need to reassess about my life? (2) What are my core values and morals I need to be reminded of? (3) What do I want to work on to improve myself and be a better version of who I currently am today? (4) What habits should I change? You can also reflect on your personal strengths and weaknesses? (5) What is my passion in life that makes me happy?
Self-introspection gives you the chance to introduce you to yourself and build a positive, more loving relationship with you. Now is the time to ask yourself what you want to work on to improve your life. For me, I’ve been realizing that I multitask too much. It may be a superhero thing to do in the eyes of others to have two jobs while being a full-time doctoral student and do everything else in between, but I’ve seen that it can create chaos and disorganization in my life. COVID-19 is showing me I need to work on taking things slow and focus on doing one thing at a time instead of rushing.
I’ve also been working on self-love and self-care…pampering myself at home because I don’t give myself the chance to do that often and I know I need to change that and look after myself more. Those facial masks I received from my Ipsy and BoxyCharm boxes are coming in handy now! ;)
Ultimately, the lesson COVID-19 is teaching us is that this is the time to reflect on ourselves as self-evaluation helps to build our individual identities and our leadership capabilities. We’re being given the chance right now, to improve our own way of living and being. When we come back to the world after this pandemic subsides, we will have the chance to present ourselves as the people we truly are.
Lesson 3: Stop running scared of “CHANGE”
So many people dislike change and find it very uncomfortable. I get it. I’m the opposite and I thrive on change, but not everyone does. I know change is scary but it’s so needed, especially during this time! This virus has not only disrupted all of society but it has also created major changes most of us weren’t ready for. Sudden changes include moving all education online. Colleges and universities, including Pepperdine University where I attend for doctoral studies, have moved all of our classes over to Zoom. We attend classes in the comfort of our homes rather than going to campus. While online education has started to become much more popular over the years in the forms of hybrids (in person and online, or purely online), the sudden ALL online virtual classes with live video conferencing is a huge change we are all facing. Those of us who have children in elementary, middle school and high school feel the major shift and change in the way our kids are learning too. Online education is going to be significant once this pandemic is done with. While campuses are shutting down due to social distancing, students, faculty, and staff can continue to teach and work remotely.
Speaking of working remotely, one of the major changes has been in the workforce. While remote work has been gaining popularity and acceptance from companies around the world, the start of 2020 has ushered in a new decade where remote work will now become the new norm. Connections with coworkers will be done virtually with more international colleagues joining in on meetings and calls, and offices will start to downsize to save overhead costs as finances will be a major concern.
The workforce is not going to be the same. Human Resources will never be the same! All the hiring and the overhead is going to be done completely online at some point! In fact, some companies have started adopting online interviews through platforms, such as Skype, WebEx, GoToMeeting, and Zoom (non-affiliate). In fact, just a few weeks ago, I was on a virtual career panel with DeVry University (you can download and watch here) last month in March, and we were talking about this very topic — change is happening in our workforce and COVID-19 has brought a new wave of how we will work and connect remotely. This virus is teaching us that we need to be constantly prepared for any immediate changes likely to happen as technology continues to advance. Change may not be a great thing for people who dislike disruption, but it is something we have to face with grace and acceptance if we are to live in a more advanced world.
Lesson 4: We need to be creative now!
COVID-19 is forcing us to think in new ways of being innovative regarding how we work, play, and live. I’ve been seeing friends jump online through Facebook Live, IGTV, or Zoom, and create fun videos or webinars others can watch. The other day, one of my friends, who is a professional dancer and trainer, used Facebook Live to conduct her Latin Dance class online because the gyms are all shut down. I’ve been seeing other people use video conferencing in innovative ways to connect with others, and teach them — entrepreneurs and small business owners are thinking creatively on how to continue offering their products and services during this pandemic. Restaurants are using Postmates and GrubHub to deliver food and Instacart has seen a huge growth in groceries being delivered straight to our front doors (so has Amazon Fresh). Without these services, how would we all get our food and groceries when we are being told to stay home? Creativity is at its best right now!
I’m learning that when we enter times such as this, we need to be more creative than ever about how we go about doing things. Teachers are working on creative ways to teach and engage students while they're staying at home. Parents have to be innovative with how they approach their kids while homeschooling them. We are thinking differently about how to cook at home with limited supplies and how to entertain ourselves. Colleges and universities are diving deep into how to continue classes for students online and keep everyone focused on their studies. The lesson is, get more creative! We need to think outside the box, and that can happen when we apply creative thinking.
This is a great time to get together with your friends virtually and bounce ideas off of each other to stretch the creativity muscle in your brain.
Lesson 5: Learn new things
While we’re hunkering down at home for a few weeks, this is the best time to learn new things and take classes online. Many classes are available for free or at a low cost! I’m taking courses on LinkedIn Learning to learn more about human resources business partnership and project management. I’m also taking classes through exclusively online platforms, such as Coursera, edX, and Udemy (free and paid) to enhance my skills in instructional design and business partnership in human resources; in addition, I’m finding other similar programs where I can learn fun things, such as cooking a new recipe or learning a new language through Duolingo! Since I’m also a doctoral student at Pepperdine University, I’m taking full advantage of this time to hone in on any extra skills I can pick up!
This may be a great time for you to work on completing your bachelor’s degree or go for a graduate degree. New skillsets are going to be needed when the hiring boom comes back in full force in just a few months as things will have drastically changed in how we hire people and the new positions that will be created due to the changes from COVID-19.
You can also take this time to teach new skills virtually and make passive income if you’d like. You can use Udemy or Teachable as platforms to record videos and host your own classes, or host a fun workshop on Zoom. There are so many possibilities (and the gig economy is still out there, and while it isn’t flourishing much at this position types opening up) so it’s best to use this time to gain more soft and hard skills you can apply at your current or future job.
Finally, this is a great time to listen to podcasts and TED talks to get your brain moving in a positive direction!
Lesson 6: Take care of yourself and your mental health
COVID-19 is teaching me that I need to focus on my mental, physical, and emotional well-being. For those of us at home either quarantined or are in the Stay at Home emergency order that was just mandated for the rest of April in Los Angeles, CA where I currently reside or other counties (and states), it’s going to be a bit lonely…we ’ll be seeing our family face to face, but going out to restaurants, having coffee dates with friends, or going to the movies with our significant others is not going to happen for a while. This can take a toll on our mental and emotional health, and well-being.
It’s okay to be a little selfish and pamper yourself during this time (and spread the pampering to others as well by influencing your friends and family to do the same!). I’m not telling you to go out and get a massage — that’s out of the question given that we’re all told to stay at home. What I’m telling you is pamper yourself — drink warm tea, relax in front of a cozy fire with your blanket and a good book, or simply, have a piece of chocolate and watch a movie.
And if you need it, talk to your mental health professionals. This will help you with
Lesson 7: Kindness and gratitude in abundance
The coronavirus is teaching us a lesson in kindness and being in gratitude. I’ve seen first-hand, people spreading their kindness to others and helping them out. We just moved into our new place last weekend, and I had friends coming together to help us with our move by bringing our boxes to our new place, helping us to pack, unpack, and even assemble furniture together. I had other friends who were able to help me out financially which touched our hearts so much. I see blessings beyond the fear of this pandemic and this lets me know ultimately, we will all be alright.
Be kind to others, especially right now. We have no idea what anyone is going through. Perhaps someone has a family member in the hospital because of the virus. We have people on the front lines — our officers, paramedics, firefighters, doctors, nurses, grocery line workers, everyone who is out there trying to keep us safe, sane and orderly until things come back to normal, or at least, a new normal. Please smile at others and say hello even if you’re wearing a mask. Pray for others, and be in gratitude for what we have right now. So many of us are struggling but we struggle quietly. Right now, allow others to be there during the struggles. It’s real but kindness can change our world drastically, so do something nice for someone and know that life is all about love. Spread the love to your community, your loved ones, and wherever you can right now, and even after the virus is done with.
It’s important for us to be HUMAN right now, even more than we have ever been human before.
These lessons have been important for me to learn during this time. I hope the virus goes away as quickly as it came, but in the meantime, let’s slow things down and enjoy what we have right now.