I know that this pandemic has been difficult for most of us, especially the ones that has lost jobs and loved ones. This crisis is definitely unprecedented as it has caused vast disruption to our everyday routines, from our freedom to stepping out of our homes to travelling for a getaway. This past year has pushed us to reconsider many things, especially how we have been taking things for granted. Personally, one thing that I noticed is how I have been taking advantage of the times I had with my family before the pandemic. Currently I am stuck, alone without access to travel back to spend time with my family. As I do not usually socialise much, I do not have many close ones that I can spend time with and this has affected my mental health during these hard times. Luckily, I am still able to interact with people several times a week as I have to be in my office, so that has been a relieve. However, I cannot stress how important it is to keep in touch with close ones during this pandemic, just to keep ourselves and them going and show that you are there for them despite the distance. 

So here's a list of takeaways from this pandemic that we should have experienced;

1. Quality time.

For those who have the privilege of working from home and being with your family throughout this pandemic, trust me you are blessed. Normally most of us are in a constant loop of work and busy lifestyles that we do not realise that time is flying, our parents are aging, our children are growing up and all that we are doing is chasing money. Yes, I understand that an income is important and we need it to get through life, but it can never buy time and happiness. Therefore a good balance between quality family & friends' time and work life is necessary for a happy life. Because sometimes we don't realise what we have until it is gone, and it will be too late for us to regret it.

So if you have been neglecting your close ones, you need to STOP and make changes. Life is too short for regrets.

2. Travelling

I don't know what is it like wherever you are, but here where I am, there are international travel restrictions so there goes all my travel plans to an entire year. But alternatively I had the opportunity to explore places within my country. If you are anything like me, which is a person that loves to travel to different countries and explore different cultures, you surely know how horrendous it is to be unable to travel for a prolonged period. Nevertheless, this past year has pushed me to travel within the country and notice the many beautiful places that I never got to visit before. In a way, I am glad that I finally got to visit these places and know more about my own country and how interesting it is. 

If you have been sulking about not being able to travel overseas, take the opportunity to explore your own country. It might surprise you. And it will definitely help to boost the economy of  the travel industry of your country as well. So in a way you are doing your part to support your country. 

3. Dating

If you are in a relationship during this pandemic, I'm sure it is challenging to keep the relationship going especially when there are movement control restrictions which prevents you from travelling more than a certain distance from your home. So even if you live in the same area as your loved one, you might not be able to meet them and that surely isn't a pleasant feeling. It might even feel like a long distance relationship even if it isn't. But we are so blessed in a way because we have technology that allows us to 'see' our loved ones virtually throughout the day. I know it isn't the same as being together, but it is something that will make us appreciate the relationship better. This situationship might even test your relationship, so you either come out stronger than ever, or you will learn from it. Either way, I do see it as an opportunity to appreciate times we spend with our loved ones. We should live and love like we might not live to see another day. 

And not forgetting the single ones out there. This is a tough time to be single and alone, but always see every moment in life as an opportunity to become the best version of yourself before you convince anyone else of your worthiness. Start working out, learn things that you have always wanted to learn, start online dating if that is what you want to do. There are so many things we can learn virtually these days, so there shouldn't be anything holding you back. Somedays you might feel down and lonely, so make sure that you keep in touch with friends and family. You need to be happy with yourself before you start attracting your loved ones.

4. Remote working

As many of us have been working remotely since the pandemic, it shows how most jobs could have been done remotely with minimal hardware access. We are living in the best times where we can enjoy the privilege of cloud technology, VoIPs, virtual meetings, collaboration tools and etc. This has definitely saved us all a lots of money and time as we do not need to travel to work frequently, which saved money for fuel and also provides flexibility. 

Obviously, working remotely can also be challenging and may not be the best options for some people and this is evident based on the stats from Buffer; However, if we can encounter this challenges by making changes, we will definitely be able to integrate the change and adjust our lifestyles better to face this pandemic.

5. Online business

This is the best times to invest in online platforms. Whether you plan to start your own blog, youtube channel, online business, it is a good opportunity now because people have a preference for virtual shopping, learning and entertainment currently. Also, this generation has gotten used to buying things online which will save them the time of going out, looking for what they need. In addition to that, it is not difficult to set-up a online business if you are really interested in doing so. You just need to invest some time for research and have patience. Learn digital marketing as it will be very useful for you to promote your business as well. 

Those were the 5 things that I have learned from this pandemic. I am sure that there are more to it so let me know what are your thoughts about this pandemic. What were the challenges you went through and how you overcame it? Also, please share your advice for those who are still struggling in this situation. Besides that, the vaccine is also partially available in several countries and there has been controversies about it (I'm sure you have heard of it too). So what's your input about it? Are you ready for the vaccine or against it?

Do share your thoughts in the comment section guys!

Hope you enjoyed the read.

Have a great day/night wherever you are. 💙

Lots of Love, K