Lessons I learnt from the Pandemic

Who imagined for most of 2020 we would all be indoors? It is hard to believe that one year has passed since the corona virus, however, things are yet to normalize. I remember how much I panicked at the thought of working from home, home schooling for my child, no domestic help, the lock down etc. I really doubted how much I could do by myself, how little was more and how I could involve my family to help. Pre- Corona I would spend insane hours travelling to work, hours at the office, with little time for my family, exercise, good eating habits, hobbies, self-care etc. Today, I am sharing a few things this pandemic has taught me.

Family comes first: With a hectic work schedule and too many hours travelling, I barely had any time for family. I remember seeing my child in the morning as he left for school and then coming home to a sleeping baby. Similarly for my partner as well. The only time we had together as a family was the weekends. Was that time enough? Was I doing justice in my role as a wife and mother. The pandemic provided me ample time to see my child grow, learn new things and adjust well to the work from home schedule. My partner and child felt the difference too with seeing much more of me at home. We learned to overcome the fear of the pandemic together, we learned new recipes together, we grew together as a family and we learned to give each other time. The pandemic has made me realize how much I was missing my family and not balancing it well with my work. Now I am able to strike the right balance with work and family without choosing one over the other.

Work from home is possible: Who had imagined that offices would let their employees work from home for a whole year? Wasn't there always this question of 'Trust' that employees would not be productive if companies switched to WFH. But nothing of that sort happened, did it? The pandemic has taught us to trust our employees and peers a bit more, work together virtually to get things done, learned new collaborative styles and give our best to the company. Companies have also been able to deliver good results even though almost 100% of its staff were home based.

Befriending Technology is Key: I remember at work every time we needed to discuss something we would need a meeting room. Office spaces cannot house 100's of meeting rooms, can they? Many people I know would live outside a suitcase since their work required them to travel outside their city or country? What happened to such people? Did the meetings and the work come to a halt because of the pandemic? No they did not, in fact we adopted technology to get our work done. Now 100's of us can join team meetings together, we can virtually connect with anyone across the world, use virtual whiteboards to capture and share notes etc. There is no space constraint (for meeting rooms) or travel costs. However, these are subject to good internet connections. Internet service providers have even up-scaled their game to provide fast internet connections at affordable prices. Technology has helped us stay connected with even our families with virtual birthday parties and other celebrations. Hence, befriending technology is paramount.

Mental health is being openly talked out: I remember not one person opening up about how they are feeling on a certain day. Mental health has been a taboo for years and even today it isn't spoken about as much as it should be. Even then I would say the pandemic has made people like me realize that it is important to talk about your well-being and mental health. It is absolutely normal to seek help and reach out to others in case of help needed. Mental health is key for the overall health and well-being of a person. Most companies and even the media have started talking about mental health and well-being to create awareness. I am a Mental health first aider myself, a new skill I gained this pandemic.

Self care and Self love: I have elaborated on the topic of self love in one of my previous Linked in write ups. This pandemic did help me to love myself a bit more and take care of myself even more than before without the fear of being judged. No matter what one tells you, pampering yourself is required. Do take time out to maybe read a book, get your nails done, gardening, take a long warm shower, wear some makeup even if it means its a wfh call etc. Taking care of your self will make you feel better, lift your spirits and cheer you up. And never ever forget to wear your infectious 'Smile'.

Telemedicine is here to stay: I remember my dad feeling quiet restless, unwell and wanting to go see a doctor. However, the place they were staying at was quarantined and sealed due to the pandemic and hence moving out was not possible. I booked him a virtual appointment with a doctor and he doubted if that would work well. But 20 mins of telephonic advice and my dad felt better than before. Was it just the magic of the doctor or has the thought crossed your mind that tele-medicine is the new normal as well? Telemedicine is the distribution of health-related services and information via electronic information and telecommunication technologies such as video calls with your doctor. It allows long-distance patient and clinician contact, care, advice, reminders, education, intervention, monitoring, and remote admissions. Do try it if you haven't yet?

We can survive with little: The first few weeks of the complete lock down in Mumbai were crazy. I had less herbs, the home bar was almost empty :) the fridge and pantry didn't have enough food, but we survived. We had food on our table every single day and I cannot thank God enough. But what I learnt from it is that we can indeed survive with less. We may not have all the answers to a situation or problem, but we can work our way around to arrive at a solution. Some of us like me have been habituated to store/hoard a lot of things. When I now check my refrigerator, there is nothing that has rotten in it because I didn't use it in time. Everything in the pantry is what I need for the month and I have enough just by planning my month better. Less wastage as well!

I am sure each one of us have different learning's from this pandemic, this is my list, what is yours?