Believe it or not, there are a few pandemic takeaways to learn from.
Humans are Meant to Socialize
Mankind is meant to be sociable. Many experts believe social interaction is important for mental health, starting at a very early age. Just how sociable you (or your children) are is up to you of course, usually. Not so when forced to practice social distancing, isolation, or quarantine.
We were able to keep in touch with each other during the height of the pandemic through social media. Used exclusively to communicate though, social media can have a dark side. I saw lots of kind, considerate and compassionate stuff posted, but sadly lots of negativity and ugliness too.
The pandemic takeaway here is that we should strive to be kind instead of mean or judgmental. Looking after each other is especially crucial during hard times.
Staying Home When Sick
In a perfect world, everyone would stay home when they are sick, and keep their sick kids home too. However, with economies tanking and inflation rates increasing, more and more families rely on two salaries to survive. To compensate, employers would have to step up and agree to pay their employees to stay home when they or their kids are sick.
Working From Home
Working from home started out as non-negotiable for many early on during the pandemic. Almost two years in, working from home has gained momentum in both popularity and convenience. I know several people that are thriving while working from home, others not so much.
For some, the convenience and flexibility outweigh the lack of personal interaction with co-workers. For others though, social isolation is painful.
The pandemic takeaway? If the work from home option is still available, do whatever works best for you and your family.
Personal Hygiene
Like we learned way back in kindergarten, we need to wash our hands frequently. While hand sanitizer was worshipped early on in the pandemic, we know now that simple soap and water hand washing is sufficient to prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses.
If you didn’t before, one of the most crucial pandemic takeaways is that you should wash your hands after:
- blowing your own nose or wiping a child’s nose
- sneezing into a tissue
- changing a diaper
- returning home from a public place (stores, gas stations, restaurants etc)
Maintaining a Healthy Immune System
This pandemic takeaway is how important our immune systems are in the fight against disease, including the lingering Covid virus. Stress-free living, fresh air, sunshine, healthy eating, and frequent exercise top of the list of ways to keep our immune systems functioning well.
Discover Local Outdoor Activities
Early on in the pandemic, I found myself researching outdoor places to take my grandchildren to. I discovered that Ottawa has an amazingly large number of options. As the nation’s capital, we are fortunate to have the NCC (National Capital Commission) maintaining many parks and trails, both in winter and summer.
Mud Lake was a favourite place for my grandson and me to visit during the summer. Although we visited Shirley’s Bay in the summer too, we have since discovered the ice fishing opportunity there this winter.
Me, a Hair Stylist?
It has been almost two years now since my husband or I have been to a hair stylist to get our hair cut. I have been cutting (some might say hacking at) both of our hair. Hubby’s hair is pin straight, so very unforgiving, and he is much more particular than I am. As a result, his takes much longer to cut. Mine is slightly wavy; much easier to hide the mistakes. The cuts may not look professional, but who cares? I don’t.
I have also given up colouring my hair. I actually made that decision prior to the pandemic onset, with no regrets. The white colour may make me look older but I love the freedom. Not to mention the lack of white roots that would crop up a mere one week after colouring my hair.
Summary of Pandemic Takeaways
Many of these are my personal takes. Hopefully, you have some pandemic takeaways of your own. Learn from and maintain the positive ones; move on from or fix the negative ones.
