Life after Covid-19
These past few weeks have been unlike anything any of us have experienced in our lifetimes. I certainly hope we never have to go through something like this again. It’s been an emotional roller coaster ride as confusion, anxiety, fear, and uncertainty set in when coronavirus started to spread throughout our country. Stay at home mandates were ordered in every state to slow the spread forcing many of us to stay home as much as possible for 6 weeks or more.
This time became known as the great pause. Our lives were put on hold as businesses, schools and even parks closed. Some folks were able to work from home, others applied for unemployment in numbers unseen since the Great Depression. I used this time to get caught up on projects on my to do list. Things I’ve been wanting and needing to do for years. Like organize photos on my computer. Clean up hundreds of emails. And finally finish going through boxes that sat unpacked after our moved to the sunshine state. I worked on my photography business - learning new skills from webinars, ebooks I’ve purchased and lighting experiments I challenged myself to.
As the days went by and I went from feeling anxious to finding peace with my situation, I settled into a new groove. One that I found I rather liked. Life was simpler. I only spent money on groceries and toiletries. I spent more time playing and hiking with my dogs. I got more sleep. I showered every other day and barely wore any makeup. I lived in comfortable clothes - mostly gym shorts and t-shirts. I lost track of the time and the days of the week. I worked on my projects uninterrupted for hours at a time. It felt good to be productive. It also felt good just to go for a walk in nature and do nothing but exist.
I feel like my blood pressure has dropped. My stress headaches have been few and far between. I started exercising again, something I stopped after our move. My body felt better than it has in a long time.
As we begin to reopen our states and country and redefine a new normal, I’m finding myself not excited to get every part of my life pre-covid 19 back. I like this slower pace of life. I like the simplicity of it. I like not having time constraints. I always feel like I’m rushing from one thing to the next. Even if I put on my calendar something that’s good for me, like go for a hike, I spend most of my time thinking about what I need to do when I get back home. I’ve always been a busy person, I’m not very good at just being in the moment. This lockdown has been good for me in that way.
Granted, it’s not possible to continue living like this. I need to go back to work. I want to go back to work. I miss interacting with co-workers and clients. I’ve been fortunate that I’ve always had a job I love. But as we define a new normal in our society, I want to do the same in my life. I love being busy. But now I also know I love a simpler, slower life.
