7 Lockdown Lifestyle Changes Worth Preserving Post Pandemic
The pandemic has changed us. Grueling as it has been to be on lockdown, it has helped many of us to reflect on our lives. For those of us fortunate enough to have kept our jobs and health, it has been a time of experimenting with a different lifestyle. Many of us have discovered habits and interests in our stay-at-home lives that are worth preserving. Here are some changes to maintain in our post-pandemic world.
Family Dinners: More cooking at home means more family dinners! With dining out presently not being an option, families are using their time cooking and eating dinner. Sharing delicious food is always good, but spending time chatting around the table is psychologically nourishing. Hold on to family mealtimes in the post-pandemic world.
Ethical action and activism in our highly interconnected world: Our global health crisis shows us how interconnected we are and how much we impact each other. People are uniting globally to battle the pandemic, provide aid, fight racial injustice, and reduce our carbon footprint. When people in communities everywhere add their voices to these causes, it creates ripples of hope that we will get through this, and come out stronger than before.
Back to nature: Reconnecting with nature has been a crucial way to maintain our psychological wellbeing. The natural world has its rhythms and resilience that calms us. Spending time in nature offers psychological comfort at this time of uncertainty. From going for meandering walks to meditating in our backyards, hiking, kayaking, growing herbs like mint and cilantro on the patios, or growing vegetables like celery and scallions in tiny glasses on our windowsills, people are finding solace in nature in creative ways.
Working from home: With governments issuing stay-at-home orders everywhere, millions of people are working home. And it turns out we can work as effectively in the comfort of our homes busting the myth that remote work isn’t practical. Working from home offers some added benefits like saving hours spent commuting, less stress, more sleep, and no pollution. Of course, work from home isn’t an option for everyone, for instance, a healthcare professional working at a Covid-19 clinic in Hawaii doesn’t have this privilege.
Caring about shopping local: The economic crisis has pushed many of our cherished local stores and businesses to close down. This crisis has given birth to a strong movement encouraging local businesses. People from all walks of life are going out of their way to shop local and keep the local businesses in their communities alive.
Taking Charge of Our Health: From cooking at home to exercising, practicing hygiene, and finding time to recharge, people have taken affirmative action towards our health and wellbeing in the past year. Covid-19 has forced us to evaluate our habits and lifestyle. For instance, many who do not get immunized for other diseases like flu have chosen to be vaccinated. Covid-19 vaccine clinics in Hawaii are seeing patients eager to receive the vaccine.
Unplugged: With the pandemic news constantly making us worry about finances, school closures, health, work, and family, unplugging from our devices is one way to manage our wellbeing. Jenga, cards, board games, jigsaws, and crossword puzzles have made a comeback along with pianos, guitars, poetry, chess, and books. People are rediscovering the small pleasures of life forgotten in the fast-paced of our pre-pandemic world. Setting aside time to pursue some unplugged fun is worth carrying into the post lockdown world.
