I want to start this off with a disclaimer: This year has been extremely difficult for a lot of people, including myself. There has been a lot of death, a lot of mental health issues, a lot of tension, and a lot of people lost their livelihood. I feel for those people and I understand your pain, I am just trying to find the positive in the situation.

Since March, a lot of us have been cooped up in our houses, not able to see loved ones or do our usual routine. We had to live alone, no longer able to go to class for the year or have a typical summer making memories with loved ones. This was a brand new concept to me and honestly, very difficult to navigate. I found myself being around my family so much at home that I lost my routine and sense of independence, and at the same time felt so alone.

I found myself having a lot of time to deeply self reflect. This pandemic pushed me to prioritize what matters to me and how I need to get there. How was I going to use my free time? Did I always want to work remotely? How do I self discipline myself to stay consistent during a time that is so trying on my mental health? What do I want my living situations to look like from here on out? It made me test my friendships. If I didn’t reach out to my friends, would they check in on me?

I found myself checking in with myself the most. I had grown to be very lethargic, my anxiety was constant. I couldn’t let that control me so I had to find a new normal for myself. What was important to me, deep down, was remaining consistent, getting healthy, and not letting the pandemic set me back professionally. This was covered in one of my lasts post.

I found new hobbies, new favorite movies, chatted with people who were in the same predicament. I found out what my morals were and how I wanted to impact the world. I figured out my goals for the year and I am working every day to figure out how to do that in the new world we live in.

Not just for myself, but I feel like the pandemic can be turned into something positive for all of us. When will you ever get to be home with your family and pets for this long again? When will you ever be able to chat with coworkers in your PJ’s again? Have you ever seen such passion amungst a generation for the issues we are facing right now?

We all learned something new about ourselves during this time. I also think we all learned a lot about other people. Our friends who still went out, or posted about social issues, or spread positivity online during this time. We saw people fighting for what they care about, people finding ways to safely being positivity to health care workers, elderly, and neighbors. I saw an influx of creatives using and posting their talents during the pandemic. I saw people baking with family or finding new ways to entertain the kids. We saw how even in a crisis, the general human population came together to do what is right.

The most positive lesson I learned that changed my world and the way I view things during the pandemic is this: the human spirit finds a way. We are all coming out of this different people, make it a better you.