Living in an unusual pandemic year has been exceedingly difficult for pretty much every person in the world. Restricted to meeting people online, keeping up with social distancing and not having “live” contact with our loved ones has turned out to be the biggest challenge we have ever faced.
So many plans over the past 13 months have had to be postponed, whether it was a trip abroad, the start of a new job or perhaps another situation like a celebration. We have had to and still have to deal with circumstances that we do not like at all. Having social contact with others is so important for us as human beings and going without it very tough indeed.
There are things you can do to help you get through the crisis and give you benefits for the future too.
Mental and physical health are two essential factors to consider. Why not take the opportunity to get outside and go for a run or a walk? Visit places you might not have seen before in your area and enjoy the peace. It is also important to have enough sleep, even short naps in the afternoon helps you to recover mentally. If you feel lost or alone, don’t be ashamed of seeking out help from friends or family. Having a powerful and vital mind is a major advantage, especially during a pandemic.
Being under house arrest for several months has possibly been the biggest challenge our generation has dealt with, the government restrictions quite extreme. When you do get to go back to some semblance of normality, take every opportunity to meet up with your loved ones offline. Consider the beautiful moments you will get to experience when the pandemic is over – but don’t forget to think back to the time when we all had to stay at home which will help you to treasure spending time with family and friends more than ever before.
As most people, you probably had some travel plans before the pandemic started. We can’t wait for the moment to get our bags packed again and to enjoy our lives as we were used to doing before the global crisis. It doesn’t really matter how long you want to stay abroad or where you want to go – experiencing new destinations has always been a need that has to be satisfied! Start to write down some notes on which places you would love to see and what you could discover, even if it’s in your home country. If you are currently on an education programme, whether at school or university, you could also grab the opportunity and study or gather work experience abroad. You can be sure that the expertise you gather from a foreign trip will help you when coming back home – it will be full of unforgettable stories!
Living in difficult times is obviously enough of a challenge, as we do not really know when it will end and what “normal” life will be post-pandemic. Setting smaller, personal challenges will help you grow as an individual. It does not really matter how big or small these challenges might be, just go for it and start to make them happen. Set yourself a big goal, cut it down into smaller chunks and set yourself a time limit for when you want to achieve your goal. You can start with thinking of how to become a better person or how you could improve your social and professional skills in your job or in your education. You can also start to focus on planning your Erasmus+ or Turing Scheme mobility, to help you fulfil your experience. It doesn’t matter what challenge you decide on, by picturing it daily, when you get to do it, you’ll be wholly satisfied!
Taking breaks are as important as being active – don’t forget that! Body and mind need to calm down regularly, especially after intense daily sessions of work or learning. Go for a walk in your hometown, enjoy the little moments and treasure them. Take a deep breath and smile because everything will work out in the end. Remember people long ago faced plenty of difficult challenges but they grew with them. Keep in mind that life has not stopped, it just takes a break to make us focus on the important things that we might have taken for granted. The pandemic as we are facing will soon be over and will become a part of our past, which will never be forgotten. It is part of our journey now. We will grow as well and come out of it stronger – “The show must go on” as Queen rightly said!
Read also:
What No one’s Told You About an Erasmus+ or Turing Scheme Stay
Can Financial Disadvantaged Students do a Turing Scheme Internship?