Hey everyone, hope you’re all keeping safe and healthy. It’s been a while! Although the zoom quiz nights with your pals have subsided and we’re starting to see a new normal beginning to form (fuelled by the sweet taste of a much-needed pint from the pub), this global pandemic is still very much going on. In this blog post, I’m going to throw some ideas around about how I think this pandemic could shape the future. I realise ‘future’ is an ambiguous word choice. Future of what? Medicine? Politics? The Entertainment Industry? Sports? No, I guess I mean the future of the relationships we have with ourselves and the way we think. Again, I realise this still sounds quite ambiguous, but keep reading and you’ll hopefully get what I mean.
Ultimately, I want to believe that this crisis is giving us time to rethink our connections to modern society so that we can move forward in a healthier way and, well, remember the things that really matter so that we can be a little less miserable.
Shifting perspective
2020, what a wild ride. Today, I don’t want to dwell on the negatives, because, well, what’s the point? I could write a whole post about how messed up I think some governments are, but we know that already. Don’t get me wrong, we need to complain and get frustrated about politics to work towards change, but we mustn't let it consume us.
Unfortunately, there are always going to be stupid politicians and things will continue to be unfair, that’s just the way the world works. As we continue to educate ourselves, use our voices, have uncomfortable conversations, and be the change, I have faith things will gradually become a little less crap. They will never be perfect, but so much progress has already been made and we need to keep the momentum going.
Although frustration and anger are often the foundations for change, we also need to focus our time and energy into trying to see our current world situation from a positive perspective. What do I mean by that? I guess it comes down to gratitude, inner peace, and compassion. I’ll expand on this later, but firstly let’s briefly acknowledge the anxiety-inducing state of the world right now (and I will keep it brief).
Play your part and stay safe
This global pandemic we’re facing is scary and every death is deeply saddening. My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones. Businesses are going bust, people are unemployed, mental health issues are skyrocketing, and the anxiety lies in the uncertainty of it all. Will winter bring a second wave? Will our governments and health services be able to cope? So many unanswered questions come to the surface every day and we’re craving the ease of the normality we’re used to.
Play your part in protecting yourself and others, but remember that the course of a pandemic is pretty much out of anyone’s control. Yes, scientists are frantically working day and night to develop a vaccine. Yes, we (in the UK) are lucky to be blessed with the incredible heroes of the NHS. But as we come out of lockdown and have exciting things to do again, the virus has nothing else to do other than continue to spread, develop, and get smarter. It’s scary, but that’s the reality. To continue our livelihood, we must accept risks every day. Until everyone is vaccinated, contracting COVID19 when you’re out and about has become one of those risks. Remember, personal circumstances will affect the level of risk people are willing to take. Respect this.
Pre-pandemic pace
Pre-pandemic, most people found their purpose and worth through rigorously following tight 9-5 schedules. The weeks consisted of rush hours, lengthy commutes, packed transport, traffic jams, and most of us were just moving bodies within the all-consuming rat race. Weekends were for letting go and doing stuff to forget about work.
I don’t want to sound like one of those people who actively hate the rat race. I don’t. It’s the way society works and we’re all part of this system to some degree. If you are comfortable and content about what you do (remember you don’t always have to be ‘passionate’ about your career paths), then that’s great. I don’t have a problem with that. I only start getting annoyed when miserable people constantly complain about their work and express how much they hate the soul-destroying rat race, but never have enough courage to do something about it.
Not everyone will agree with me, but I believe the relentless fast pace of work culture in modern society is unhealthy. Technological advancements within industries have made jobs redundant. But the efficiency in which things can now be done, combined with the alarming rate technology is developing, has meant that humans are now working harder and faster than ever before. Why do you think stress and burnout are so prominent in the 21st century? We don’t know how to slow down because society has never let us. Until now.
Finding calm during crisis
Although COVID-19 has made a hell of a mess out of everything and has caused a great deal of suffering, this slower pace of life has given us the gift of time. Time to be alone with our thoughts, reflect, and take a big deep breath.
Because we’re not used to having this relationship with time, the lockdown has no doubt negatively affected people’s mental health. Why? Because whenever we humans are stripped of freedom and can’t do what we want to do, we get pissed off and like to complain a lot. Although people are now adapting to a new work culture, this change of routine has been a challenge for everyone because, well, humans don’t like change.
The consumeristic culture we are often sucked into means that people are so focused on the future that they forget to acknowledge the small precious moments in the every day. I’m very aware that I’ve started to sound like a spiritual guru, but I’ve been meditating and reading a bunch of self-development books over lockdown and I guess I’m going through a phase.
So what changes during lockdown periods? We can’t see friends as much as we’d like to, go to the pub, travel easily, go to school, go into the office, see live music, go to festivals or hug strangers. Also, the economy is rather screwed up and people are losing jobs. But it’s nothing we won’t come back from. I mean, it’s bad. But it isn’t that bad. Although we have entitled, oblivious, privileged 'Karen's' in America who think getting a hair cut is more important than saving people's lives, I think most of us are settling in to the new normal just fine.
All of you reading this probably have a roof over your head and have the funds to put food on the table. That in itself is something to smile about, really. We’re spending more time with our loved ones, learning new skills, and remembering what we’re grateful for.
We’ve been given a break from the everyday grind of modern society and have been given space to acknowledge what truly matters to us. I’ve been keeping a gratitude journal throughout all of this and it’s helped me stay somewhat calm and collected. Don’t get me wrong, I still have days where all I want to do is drink gin for breakfast, but thankfully I haven’t gone through with it… yet.
Moving forward
This virus is here to stay and eventually, we'll all be well adapted. This crisis has shed light on what world leaders deem as important, caused some chaos, and, if you're reading this, is probably the biggest thing we'll live through in our lifetime.
This gift of time has forced us to take a good hard, uncomfortable look at ourselves in the mirror. It's changed the way we look at the world. One of my favourite authors, Matt Haig, recently expressed a view that stuck with me. It goes something like this; whilst I understand lockdown poses its own complex challenges and means we're missing out on lots of wonderful lovely things that make us happy, I think we need to stop pretending that our former world was perfect. We need to take responsibility and understand that our former world was far from a mental health utopia.
As we move forward, remember to appreciate the small things every day. Let go of the strict etiquette and codes of life we are so used to and don't be afraid to feel the full terror and wonder of existence (from Matt Haig's Instagram, highly recommend following him right now).
Surround yourself by nature. Don't go too long without watching a sunset or a sunrise, swim in the ocean, and remember that we're all going to get through this. A beautiful new normal is forming, we just need to be patient.
That's all for today my lovely friends.
Until next time:)
Big love,
Belle x
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