After much thought, information and debate, many minds are simmering on how to handle the COVID-19 pandemic. While panic and buying every last toilet paper roll have seemed like a great option, we think that there's another way to look at it all.
We've decided to look at the bright side.
And here's what we came up with...
Family Time
Whether your kids are home from school, or you've decided to self-isolate with your significant other, it's all a great excuse to put some extra time into your relationships. Use this time to enjoy creative projects, play and have one-on-one time with people you may only see running out the door in the morning, or too exhausted for any real conversation in the evening. Which brings me to my next point...
Escape the Rat Race
Self-isolation is different from a holiday; it's the everyday, on your terms. While some people aren't able to work from home, those who can, can do so how they see fit. So while you may not be able to make it a literal holiday, you don't have to sit in traffic for hours each day, have your boss breathing down your neck, and have the pleasure of avoiding all office politics and stress completely.
Being able to take control of you work and life schedule also means being able to take that full hour of lunch. Not only that, but you can take that lunch in your lush, green garden, or even your closest park. Bake in the sun for a minute, read a chapter of your book and come back to your work truly feeling recharged.
Travel Light
A slightly sad realisation, but the stats about air and water cleanliness are coming in at a rapid rate. Because we're not driving, flying and not outside enough to be throwing our papers everywhere, the World is becoming a cleaner and less polluted place. A big positive to something that has affected us so drastically.
A Time of Reflection
Personally, I find the brightest side to this pandemic the self-contemplation that COVID-19 has allowed. In these days of solitude, we are able to take the copious amount of time given and reassess our current situation. It's a time in which we can assess how the year has gone thus far. Have we achieved any goals or even made an effort to get them started? If we think of our lives at this very moment, are we happy with where we are? Can we make a change if we aren't? Use this time to think, to reflect.
While these are all brighter sides to the spread of COVID-19, I wonder if these could simply be brighter sides to everyday life? When all this is over, will it be possible to escape the rat race, enjoy a lunch and cut down on green house gas emissions on a daily basis? I always find it funny how people only find pleasure in times that are out of the ordinary or chaotic. Once you're done reflecting, reflect again, and see what changes you could make.
And if not, just remember that it's not the end of the world, and that there's always a brighter side to look for.