20 Things I have learnt in 2020
2020 has been a unique year for all of us with mass lockdowns occurring across the globe due to the emergence of COVID-19. Daily life has been suspended due to the closure of leisure centres, restaurants, transportation, theme parks, and other entertainment facilities. This year has allowed everyone to focus on his or her health and well-being as well as provide opportunities to spend more time with family. This year’s experience has taught me many things that have improved my perspective on life. Here are 20 things that I have learnt in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Appreciate Time To Yourself
Lockdown has enabled me more opportunities to focus on me through meditation to self-learning. By focusing on yourself you can improve your well-being enabling you to handle the pandemic situation better.
Exercise Is Important
Exercising has been a major aspect of my life, the pandemic has highlighted the importance of exercise on your physical and mental well-being. Going for a walk outside in the open air has allowed me to refocus and take my mind off work and other things.
Live In The Here And Now
The pandemic has halted everything and caused a constant change in lockdown rules and procedures. Unable to plan any activities in the future, 2020 has taught me to live day by day and take opportunities that are open to me.
Digital Technology
Even though the pandemic has restricted travel from visiting family and friends, digital technology such as video calls has enabled me a way to remain connected while from a safe distance.
Learning new dishes
This year I have been able to learn new dishes, especially in the early moments of the pandemic when food stock was low in supermarkets. As food stocks slowly improved, I could buy most ingredients to make new dishes.
Fake News
During the height of the pandemic, there was a lot of news circulating on social media and on the news regarding lockdowns or how the virus is developing. A lot of the news circulating was fake news and made me realise to check the information source before taking the news seriously.
Trust
Different countries implemented different rules to slow down the spread, some countries were much better at dealing with the situation than others were. However, you must trust your government that whatever they are doing is best for the country as other countries might have more access to resources or already have services to track the spread of diseases. Trust does not just fall to the government but trust also falls to family, friends, and individuals to do what is best for the health of everyone in society.
Routine
During the lockdown, establishing a routine provided a way to get the day to go by quickly. Eventually, once I established a routine, routine tasks were completed quicker and allowed me more time to myself.
Sleep And Life Balance
The pandemic has restricted travel which means no need to commute, allowing for more time to sleep and more time to make dinner. This extra time has allowed me to have more time to rest and improve my mental well-being.
A Bit Of Positivity Goes A Long Way
In a year where a lot of negative news has been announced, positivity goes a long way. Whether it’s individuals doing a good deed or even a small gesture goes a long way to brighten people’s day and outlook in life during a time of crisis.
Look At The Bigger Picture
With the announcements made by governments and the actions of individuals, it is good to look at the bigger picture and the impact that our actions today could have further down the line.
Look At Both Sides Of The Argument
With any announcement or any information given it’s best to take into account the other side of the argument to understand the thought process behind the decision. Allow time for the information to digest before reacting.
You will not get everything right every time
When making decisions, you will not get every decision correct. Some decisions you make will be incorrect but it’s how you learn from them to make correct decisions in the future. Remember we are not born perfect.
Be open-minded
With the constant change in lockdown rules and the sudden decrease and rise of COVID-19 cases, life at the moment is constantly changing. Being open-minded enabled me to accept the constant change that we are experiencing in these challenging times and adapt to suit the new rules and environment.
Environment
Lockdown has shown how nature will continue to exist and flourish without human intervention and that as human beings, we have a responsibility to look after our environment. Constant disposal of medical facial masks will be a concern for the environment.
Look After Your WorkSpace
All of a sudden we started seeing ourselves working from home. I have learnt it is important to look after your workspace. Make sure everything is at the correct height for me to work correctly and everything I need is within arm’s reach. You can slowly adjust your workspace to meet the demands of your job.
Take one step at a time
At the beginning when lockdowns were slowly happening, I started taking all the information in one go and applying the changes. Being patient and making changes one at a time helped with adapting to a new unknown situation.
You are not the only person in this situation
During tough times, we forget that we are not the only people in this situation. These rules and sacrifices are being felt worldwide so you are not alone, there will be people in the same situation as you.
Appreciation for the NHS
Although we complain about the NHS, this year has highlighted its importance of the NHS. While other countries have private healthcare, in the UK we are lucky enough to have free healthcare when we need it. To have health professionals look after us when we are at our worst, it’s our responsibility to look after our National Health Service.
We are responsible for each other
This year has seen a huge nationwide and worldwide collaboration in defeating COVID-19. Whether it’s governments working together to develop a vaccine or a coordinated response to outbreaks. Locally, it’s our responsibility to do social distancing and sticks to the rules so as a united front we can defeat COVID-19. We have seen and heard of stories of neighbourhoods looking out for each other, shopping for essentials for the neighbours. Helping in every way we can. There are good people in the world and shows there is a kinder and more positive side to humanity, which didn’t get much coverage this year.
Summary
2020 has been a tough year for all corners of the globe. This year we have seen local people and countries unite towards a common goal. We might be fed up with further announcements of lockdowns or more COVID-19 talk. We must stay concentrated on the future, short-term sacrifices mean long-term benefits. Continue to be positive and look after one another and we will get end 2021 in a more positive mood.