How We've Adapted Our Routines Since 2020
Back in March 2020,the world changed drastically. People have been impacted on an individual level; and even more importantly, they’ve adapted and sometimes have thrived.
How We Move Our Bodies
Like many businesses, fitness centers shut down for at least part of the pandemic — and many still haven’t opened back up. This has led many people to switch to at-home workouts in order to stay healthy and reach their wellness goals. While many people opted to buy expensive gym equipment to help them break a sweat, even those with a tight budget were able to participate in at-home workouts. Thanks to YouTube channels featuring videos with everything from weight-lifting to HIIT to yoga, it’s been possible for people of all fitness levels to keep up with their workouts during the coronavirus.
How We Work
Recently, many companies finally started to open their doors for business after a lengthy shutdown. The virus made a huge impact in many industries, and some people are excitedly transitioning into new fields. Many other individuals suddenly find themselves in the role of work-at-home parents, which Vox acknowledges may be a shaky transition for some.
As people continue to return to their jobs, things look different there as well. Many companies are requiring the use of masks. Social distancing crept into the office, with some businesses now requiring the suggested six-foot distance between employees where possible. Some companies are staggering their working hours to reduce the number of bodies in the building at once. Regardless of the changes, the vast majority of workplaces are visibly different than before the pandemic.
Alternatively, many people have made the bold decision of opening a business, whether due to job loss or the desire to change careers. If you're thinking of starting a business, know that you'll need to take basic but crucial steps like coming up with a name, picking a business structure, and registering it in your state. Read up on everything you need to know about starting a business here.
How We Live
While businesses waited to resume, there have been some aspects of our lives that we could not put on pause. Buying and selling homes when we needed to make a move and educating our children are two great examples. With many choosing not to sell their homes during the pandemic, a seller’s market has formed in many areas as inventory has been kept low.
To keep ourselves safe, we turned house shopping into an entirely online experience. Virtual walk-throughs and video chats, which surged in popularity during shelter-in-place orders, remain an option. We learned to trust our realtors’ judgment as they visit homes on our behalf while we watch from behind our phone screens. Even closings are adapted, with drive up paperwork and social distancing part of the picture.
School doesn’t look that much different from home buying in a sense, as remote education is another area that suddenly is an in-home experience. Some school zones are continuing to keep doors shut or utilizing a combination of in-person and online classes moving forward. This may or may not be good news to many families, as it’s one more adaptation to their fall routine. On the upside, families are spending more time together, even beyond schoolwork—bonding, exercising, entertaining, working and playing.
How We Behave
As a society, we adapt our behaviors based on outside input. When the coronavirus hit, our actions were suddenly very different. Instead of going to work, school, or even the grocery store, we started spending more time at home. This led to many positive – and some hilarious – changes in the way we live.
Many of us in the city and the suburbs are suddenly taking to gardening. Our children are learning for the first time ever where, exactly, their food comes from. We are taking care of our own beauty regimens, with many online training websites bombarded with things like videos on how to cut hair. Social media use skyrocketed to the point where many marketing experts even altered the recommendations on the best times to post on various platforms to enjoy the highest engagement possible.
Of course, the pandemic has brought about an increase in anxiety and depression for many folks. If you’re struggling to cope with the changes that COVID-19 has brought, it’s important that you seek professional help and coaching. You should also practice various forms of self-care, like eating healthy and making time for your favorite hobbies, to keep stress levels down.
All these changes don’t have to be looked at negatively. From finding a love of a new or reestablished career or learning how to navigate social media, we’ve adapted. And we will continue to make this new world in which we live a better place for ourselves and those who will inherit it from us.
Mindfulness is a wonderful technique to help you gain resilience during stressful times. Connect with Wellness With Molly for classes, workshops, or private sessions that incorporate Reiki, meditation, yoga, and breathwork.
Written by Sheila Johnson
Sheila Johnson left the corporate world and long hours behind to start her own business. She’s seen so much personal success with her health and wellness routine that she wanted to share it with others. By creating WellSheila.net, she hopes that sharing her story will help people put their physical and mental health first.