"How long do you honestly think that this quarantine will last?" one question we are asking ourselves every bloody single day! There are even talks of opening up things so that the economy doesn't crash. Is that a bright idea? Some people keep saying that the economy is not more important than people's lives. And I want to cheer them on you see. But I've a degree in Economics. I know that the economy is people's lives. Most people are not as lucky to have had multiple high paying jobs. Most people are not as smart to have saved for a recession. And most people are not entrepreneurial enough to make money out of thin air. I have been incredibly blessed with my career, and wise with my money. But even then this has been bloody hard...
If you know me, you probably know that I'm not a homebody. I love my travels and my night-outs. I want to catch-up with friends, go out for a movie, or even just go out and sit at the coffee-shop. Being trapped in the four walls has been incredibly difficult and sobering at the same time. It has made me appreciate things I would have never thought possible. And it has made me at times wonder whether the life we lead even 2 months ago was better indeed than our current lives. Here's how I've been coping with the Covid-19 crisis and I hope this is somehow helpful to you in terms of ideas and coping strategies:
1. I started intermittent fasting
No, not because I want to lose weight. But the Covid crisis showed me how much we have and how little we need to survive. Most people in the world can't even afford three square meals a day. I am so incredibly lucky to have a shelter on my head and meals on demand. I realised how little our bodily calorie requirement is and how much we give is, without doing any sort of physical work that would require the advised 2000 calories a day.
2. I have cut back on using toilet paper, and kitchen towels, and cling films
I felt incredibly guilty of taking so much more from the earth and giving back so little. I wish I could say I've amazing gardening skills or something else that's useful to the planet. But I don't. So this has been my way of expressing gratitude to nature. Also, I have started wondering if indeed this madness about the colonisation of Mars spoken so highly of by Elon Musk is a good idea. We've screwed up our planet. Does it give us the right or the audacity to go and screw up another? Also, how will we create the trees and the birds on Mars that make our planet so beautiful?
3. It has made me appreciate how social we are as a species and how closely it is linked to our survival
While it is easy to fall for the survival of the fittest theory that dictates capitalist economics, this crisis has opened my eyes to how much people are willing to help one another. The government injecting money into the system, the scientists working hard to find vaccine, or even every one of us following the direction of not going out is a huge charitable act for the survival of the species. No other animal is as enterprising and as social as us humans, and that is what makes us human. That is what will ensure the survival of the human race.
4. Technology for good
In the last few decades technology had made progresses by leaps and bounds but frankly speaking, it had been a way to feed our greed for luxury. Finally we are seeing the power of technology in connecting us, saving lives, fighting illness and upholding the economy. It is one of those rare times in human history we're using technology for much more than just being lazy.
5. How much time we waste without even realising
Now that we're forced to stay home, I am starting to appreciate the meaning of "essential" and "non-essential" activities. I have never been the one to spend hours with Netflix. Yet I spent crazy amounts of time eating out, window shopping or even just commuting to work. With all that time saved, I have been able to channel my entire energy to things that matter to me - spending time with family, working on this blog, and meditating. I have realised that everything else is non-essential for me right now. And I also have realised that Covid or not, this is a question we should get clarity on every so often in life.
What have your learnings been from the Covid crisis? Let me know.
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