8 Consequential Things To Put Into Perspective During this Critical Time.
There’s always going to be something that tries to throw you off balance. If it’s not in the form of delayed aspirations, it would be deteriorated health or financial struggles or environmental setback or genetic anomalies — all leading to various maladaptations.
With these, come different tactics or approaches devised to defeat or defend ourselves against further potential damaging effects. This is when we take the initiative to test ourselves for any genetic mutations beforehand that may predispose us to hereditary diseases, meet with friends to cure our loneliness, figure out healthcare professionals that will tend to our ill health or device a means or two on our own to avert the threats we face.
The worst is when we suffer from an enthralling situation of life and death that a remedy seems afar off. The rude awakening that begets fear, that leads to more treacherous vices in curbing it.
I’m now talking about Coronavirus (COVID-19).
Different ways exist in defining Coronavirus.
Typically and pathogenically, Coronavirus is one that causes an infectious disease that impairs the respiratory tract. It’s symptoms are similar to that of cold or flu (malaise, fever, cough, sneezing). It’s equally asymptomatic, meaning that you can have the virus in you and still not depict symptoms. This is a very fatal virus that affects all and can cause death even in the “healthiest” of all. This also poses more danger to the elderly immunocompromised or others with certain underlying medical conditions according to information from various sources, WHO and CDC.
Another way of defining it is as a tool to put a lot of consequential things that were previously deemed inconsequential into perspective — while adhering to the health and safety measures outlined by each government in the fight to eradicate this.
Most times all we need is an unprecedented occurrence for us to retreat to the “normal” way we ought to live. Reason being that if everything panned out the way we planned them, there would be no difficulty and hence, no growth. But not every difficulty has to be such a bad omen as it has its bright sides too.
This list also includes the usefulness of this critical time to critically evaluate our lives thus far and moving forward.
The rude awakening of the pandemic coronavirus (COVID-19) is the beginning of wisdom.
The need to be consistent in practicing good personal hygiene.
What separates you from the crowd during this critical time is your personal hygiene. Personal hygiene is how you take care of yourself — to minimize the chances of any disease occurrence, infection or other health risks. What this critical time is telling us is to be consistent in maintaining our personal hygiene and not do so only when we are faced with dire consequences.
What separates you from the crowd during this critical time is your personal hygiene. Personal hygiene is how you take care of yourself — to minimize the chances of any disease occurrence, infection or other health risks. What this critical time is telling us is to be consistent in maintaining our personal hygiene and not do so only when we are faced with dire consequences.
The best way to manage a disaster is to prevent it in the first place.
Gratitude
This can never be overemphasized. Gratitude is what you should be feeling and expressing now if you’re hale and hearty, if nothing, including the virus, is involved in your current status. There’re patients out there inflicted with the virus and seriously fighting for their lives.
In conjunction, there’s fear and panic almost everywhere which has led to associated behaviors such as panic-buying and price inflation. If you’re opportune to conquer both (as excruciating as it was) then you have a cause to express gratitude because there’re others out there who are hit harder and cannot afford to alleviate their fear and the virus at the same time.
There’s gratitude in knowing that certain things we have and take for granted are what others cannot even dream of — with respect to everything. From shelter to live and self-isolate in, down to owning private cars to drive around with and thus purchase gadgets and pieces of equipment for precaution’s sake, down to affording food, light, water to continue isolation etcetera — despite all.
Good Management skills
Knowledge about eradicating this virus is not certain yet, so that means that practicing the act of saving and managing whatever you can, to sustain you for this period of time, over your loss is the way forward; this includes time, money, food, food items, electricity, light, water, and other essentials — this critical point in time.
Management doesn’t always equate to “not having enough”, it could also mean having but making good use of it.
Togetherness
One seemingly advantage of this critical time is the bringing together of everyone. With this virus, everyone has a common goal, to stay safe. In so doing, we’re advised to practice social distancing and self-isolation and although we may not be physically around others, friends, family or other loved ones, this point in time has helped drive home the point that we can still be alone together.
Forgiveness and reconciliations
This is particularly for the group of people (a couple, family or friends) who are in the same space practicing the precautionary measures (isolation/social distancing) together. This critical point in time poses as an advantage to mend relationships that are broken. Being together in the same space with your “enemy” forces you to at least talk to them — even if it’s about the flimsiest things. This may be the period to kiss and make up with your spouse or to have a rethink about that person in your social circle or family (dependent on the type of group you’re quarantining with) who have offended you or you offended — to forgive or seek for their forgiveness respectively.
Life’s too short to hold onto any grudge much less, this period of time, that’ll certainly pull you back especially when there’s a greater fight out there — a matter of life and death.
Lone-self-isolation
If you’re self-isolating by yourself, well, this is the best time to learn to be alone. Learning to be alone is one of the greatest achievements that is underrated. It gives you the chance to get in touch with yourself and truly determine who you are versus who you’ve always portrayed yourself to be during your busy times. When you’re alone and in a quiet zone, it gives you room to put attention to (mostly, wise) subconscious state which will aid self- awareness, and self-acceptance, boost self-esteem and curate appropriate self-talk mechanisms to put you in check always.
Learning to be alone isn’t only about reflection but also the action afterward. This includes doing things that you normally enjoy doing, your favorite hobbies you haven’t had time to indulge in; reading, writing, cooking, dancing, making videos. You could create a journal or video entries to keep track of how you survived lone-self-isolation. You may find out the witty, creative and fun side you never knew about, or for the online (business) experts, this may be the best period to utilize your time and showcase your skills to make ends meet.
This may just be that much-needed break you need to work on yourself, that important idea you’ve been procrastinating, that startup project you tossed to the side indefinitely. This is the best time to prepare for such a similar time again when the need to be alone arises, a period where you’d not panic or develop anxiety by the mere thought of spending time alone.
2020 isn’t over yet
Life is hard enough; the economy is destabilized enough, poor health and infrastructure are debilitating enough, lack of education, corruption, and whatnot, to include a deadly virus to the list. It’s all the more so painful to be experiencing such a deadly pandemic and into barely three months of the year 2020. But all in all, there’s hope. Hopes that things will normalize just like it was during the previous outbreaks, that 2020 isn’t over yet and there’re still a few more months left for recovery and adjustments.
Developing the abundance mentality, this critical time will protract your ability to live in the moment with hope, backed up with actions, that things will turn around for the better — in the next couple of months.
Delay is not denial
If you anticipated or are anticipating for something you haven’t received yet due to this critical time, it’s noteworthy that destiny can be delayed but not denied. It may take time to get back your freedom, that job offer you were promised before the hit, down to getting that wedding ceremony done, to setting your business afloat, settle your debts and bills, that funeral, birthday get-together, you name it, but you’ll surely get there.
Better to be safe than sorry
it’s not how far but how well
whatever is worth having is worth waiting for.
To recapitulate,
Coronavirus caught us off-guard, as a thief in the night and only unintended preparedness by practicing and maintaining good personal hygiene fights it off, painstakingly. But during this period of time, a lot of advantages, as well as disadvantages, have been incurred and just as any other challenge or difficulty life throws at you, you must endeavor to look at the bright side of it. For this sole reason, a lot of consequential things to put into perspective during this critical time include practicing gratitude that you’re still here and getting by despite all, that you’re opportune to stay in close touch with your enemy even if it’s to monitor their next move, to exercise forgiveness when the best becomes unbearable, to learn to be alone and get to know who you are and most importantly, adopting the abundance mentality and believing that year isn’t over yet and thus, there’s hope for things to turn around, with the virus completely eradicated or properly managed within the few more months left.
And when you want to relent in your hope that someday, what you’re destined for will materialize, don’t forget to remember that it’s only a matter of time before you get what you’re due for.
We pray for those who have died from this virus, those who are fighting for their lives at this critical time, the medical front liners catering to them, and rejoice with those who have fully recovered.
Let’s all stay safe together — individually.
