Top 10 Covid 19 Inspired Life Lessons

Today is March 25.

Ordinarily, this would be just another mundane day, one amongst the many in the stack of 365 days that make up a year. However, thanks to the events in our recent past, this date has found itself forever etched in our collective memory. For this was the day, exactly one year ago, that a nation-wide lockdown was imposed thanks to a tiny yet dangerous foe – The Covid-19 Virus.

For the first time in history, each person in India did exactly the same thing- we stayed put! Suddenly, hashtags like #stayhome, #StayhomeStaysafe & #WorkingFromHome started trending! Our typical conversations were now spiced up with words like pandemic and quarantine. Even our ingrained perceptions of positive and negative changed- now, it was a blessing to be “negative” and utterly catastrophic to be “positive”!

The months that followed were arduous, often punctuated with a heart-breaking loss. It gave many, including myself, the time to reflect and introspect. Let’s take a look at the Top 10 Covid 19 Inspired Life Lessons that I managed to learn during this pandemic.

Top 10 Lessons Learned From Covid 19

Life Lessons Learned During COVID 19 #1: Embrace The New Normal

Learning is a continuous process and it’s the only way to stay ahead of the times. One of the life lessons that Covid19 taught us is that it’s really never too late to learn new tricks. The stringent Covid19 protocols saw many of us adopt innovative ways to navigate through the old routines. We had to open our minds and adapt to new technologies like webinar apps for online classes, banking apps for routine financial transactions, online software that enables virtual, real-time collaboration with clients and colleagues, etc.

Remember- If you have never updated yourself, you risk the chance of being outdated.

Life Lessons Learned During COVID 19 #2: Unlimited Friendship Plan

With so much time on hand and nowhere to go during the lockdown, it became a necessity for most people to subscribe to streaming portals like Netflix and Amazon Prime. However, while these were paid forms of entertainment, there was one source of fun that was absolutely free – Our Friends! We probably would’ve gone insane with boredom had it not been for Whatsapp, Skype, and Zoom that brought our friends virtually into our homes! 

Thus we arrive at the next life lesson from the Covid19 pandemic- Always value friendship. True friends are our strongest assets and they will always be there for you regardless of the distance.

Life Lessons Learned During COVID 19 #3: Personal Distancing

This Covid19 lesson for life is actually inspired by one of the main protocols that we now follow- Social Distancing. However, while this protocol aims to safeguard our physical health, Personal Distancing is meant to promote our mental well-being! 

Personal Distancing advises us to:

• Keep away from toxic people and relationships that drain us of our energy and are a complete waste of our time and effort. Eventually, such relationships will lead to bitterness and resentment.
• Maintain your personal space. This is where you are free to grow and be “you”. Ultimately, you become a unique, full-fledged, independent and strong-willed individual. 

Life Lessons Learned During COVID 19 #4: Even One Person Can Make A Difference

Nothing proved this more than the Covid 19 pandemic. If a single infected person has the potential to turn an entire locality into a hotspot/containment zone, then imagine the latent possibilities that each of us possesses to make a difference in this world. A single thought, word, voice or action from anyone anywhere might be the catalyst that is required to bring about a definitive change in all our lives. 

Think about this the next time someone says: “Why Bother?”

Life Lessons Learned During COVID 19 #5: The Show Will Always Go On

This oft-repeated phrase in show-business has been tweaked slightly to become the next life lesson learned from the Covid19 pandemic, with the revamped version being- The Show Will Always Go On… Regardless you’re in it or not.

The stringent lockdown protocols limited the number of people allowed to attend events. Unimaginably, weddings were held with less than 50 people while funerals needed just 20. Suddenly, we had to become more discerning and examine the true worth of each and every relationship. For how else could we decide who to invite and which invitation to accept? 

This is when we realized something- our presence/absence would matter only to the ones who matter. Prioritize the relationships that matter, because, for the ones that don’t, life would go on as usual. Even without you.

Life Lessons Learned During COVID 19 #6: Be Prepared

We often forget that change happens within the blink of an eye and are seldom prepared for it. During the Covid19 pandemic, many companies had to downsize and some were even compelled to shut down forever. People with umpteen years of experience and expertise now found themselves either unemployed or forced to accept pay-cuts. It goes without saying that the financial burden in such cases is often unbearable. 

This brings to mind an old adage that will serve as an important life lesson after Covid19 – Always save for a rainy day. Practice the habit of setting aside money, as this will help tide over the hard times. This pandemic has reinforced the need to be prepared for any and every eventuality. 

Life Lessons Learned During COVID 19 #7: Inner Beauty Unmasked

Nothing serves as a more visible reminder of how life changed after Covid19 than that unusual addition to our wardrobe – The humble, yet effective Face Mask! Today, donning the mask before venturing outside has become standard practice. Apart from being a protective shield, it has a rather surprising advantage as well. It’s actually a time saver! Why waste time applying cosmetics to a face that no one is going to see?!

And, here lies our next Covid 19 Life Lesson- True beauty doesn’t really need makeup. No mask can hide it for it is an intrinsic part of our character. It’s visible in every kind of gesture we make and in the way we treat others. So, stop focusing only on the superficial standards of beauty.

Life Lessons Learned During COVID 19 #8: Back To Basics

During this pandemic, everyone had to revisit their childhood to remember what we used to typically hear at the health & hygiene class at school and sometimes even from our grandparents. Somewhere along the line, we chose to ignore basic etiquettes like washing our hands and feet when we enter our home, covering our nose & mouth while coughing and sneezing, etc. It took fear to start doing things that should have been the norm!

We had to relearn these fundamentals to ensure both our’s and everyone else’s safety. This was a basic life lesson taught by the Covid19 pandemic.

Life Lessons Learned During COVID 19 #9: Tomorrow Is Too Late 

The Covid-19 pandemic has become an incessantly painful reminder of our mortality. We were used to flippantly remarking “Life is short” without understanding the true depth of that phrase. We had become accustomed to taking our lives for granted. We preferred postponing our dreams to a remote future. And, unfortunately, right now that “tomorrow” is being held hostage by a virus!

We must remember that our time here is limited and that each day that we get is a blessing. So, don’t waste it. Create your moments and memories today. Start living your dreams today. 

Life Lessons Learned During COVID 19 #10: Humility

We now come to the last of the Top 10 lessons learned from Covid19. We humans have always blatantly prided ourselves on being the “dominant” species on this planet. And yet, with all our advanced gadgetry and superfluous pageantry, we still got our behinds kicked by a mere virus! 

Be humble – this is Nature’s way of reminding us of our actual place in the grand scheme of things. And, She did so with something as insignificantly minute as a virus.

Well, these are the Life Lessons that I learnt/re-learnt during the pandemic. There’s no doubt that there are still plenty more out there. And, if you would like to share a few of your own, please do so in the comments section below.  Also, take a trip down memory lane today by reading this highly entertaining article on the Top 10 games we played with our kids during the lockdown!

Till next time….