Has the pandemic made life better in any way?

The pandemic caused multiple deaths, mental health concerns, and increased calls to suicide helplines for help. People felt incredibly lonely, restricted to their homes, and many struggled to feed themselves and their families due to job losses. And remote workers lost a sense of time, boundaries and felt burned out. Countless people felt distressed during this period, and it affected everyone in some way or the other.

But it also helped people to think differently and change how we live our lives. Remote work has helped people save time commuting, work with people from different cities, eat healthier food, and appreciate healthy living. And companies saved millions on utilities and operational costs. Flexible work hours from home have helped people gain more time to indulge in activities.

As gyms and yoga studios shut down, people found cheaper ways to work out at home. Online courses grew exponentially, and online businesses took this as an opportunity to build virtually. Technology has probably been the most helpful during the covid pandemic.

So, there’s a silver lining, and enough good opportunities arose from the terrible pandemic. It has changed our lives for better and worse, but here are some ways the pandemic has improved our lives.

COVID: How life has changed one year into the coronavirus pandemic

Health Awareness

68% of people reported that they’d made lifestyle changes to improve their health. People are going outdoors more and appreciating nature. Many have started eating healthier and improved sleep patterns. Food and exercise habits have drastically improved, realising the importance of a healthy lifestyle. And businesses providing mental health care are booming as the need and mental health awareness are increasing by the day.

Individuals focused much more on their physical and mental health by becoming more aware of risk factors for health issues such as stress, weight and physical fitness, and lung health. The pandemic has also improved personal hygiene, with the government promoting regular hand washing and covering one’s face while coughing or sneezing.

How the Pandemic Has Changed Our Lives

Valuing relationships

The pandemic has brought human beings together. People are more empathetic towards others, perform acts of kindness. And the crime rate also went down. Many people volunteered with different organisations to provide food, daily supplies, and medical supplies to people struggling with the pandemic. 

Doctors, nurses, psychologists, and support staff worked overtime to provide the necessary care to those in need. Artists and businesses raised money for people who couldn’t afford healthcare. Additionally, volunteers teamed up to feed street dogs and helped pet owners with supplies.

The pandemic has improved family relationships to a large extent. People reported that they’d formed new friendships, forged strong bonds with their loved ones, and valued the importance of relationships with people. 

Coronavirus: How are people helping each other during the outbreak?

Work From Home

The pandemic had made an enormous impact on how we work. Companies shut down their physical offices, and employees worked from their homes and found ways to make remote work possible. And with the relaxation of covid lockdown rules, many decreased the number of stressors such as horrendous traffic jams and the city hustle by moving out to work from peaceful and calming holiday destinations. 

Many companies welcomed the change and took the opportunity to run their businesses online, saving millions of dollars in rent and utilities. Technology helped drastically with meetings being conducted on Zoom and Google Meet. Work hours became much more flexible, and reports suggested that employees are more productive when working from home.

Work-life balance improved as employees could choose their work hours and tend to their chores during the day, such as taking an online class, being present during house repair work, taking care of children or pets, and so on.

COVID: How life has changed one year into the coronavirus pandemic

The Benefits of Working From Home Beyond the Pandemic

New-found Love for Natural Surroundings

In 2020, movie theatres, restaurants, and malls shut down; people found their love for nature by visiting parks in the cities to escape the indoors. Being surrounded by nature has its benefits. A medical journal, The Lancet, reported that visiting parks and natural habitat help improve mental health, promotes exercise, better sleep, decreases stress levels and improves cognition. 

Spending time in nature has helped people manage the negative aspects of the pandemic. And there’s a lot more awareness and interest to protect flora and fauna since the pandemic. Parks have changed how we spend our time outside. Instead of visiting crowded places, social distancing at parks improved and gave respite from life’s daily stressors. Each pandemic in the past has taught us lessons, this could be the biggest lesson we learned from the COVID pandemic.

Public love for nature during Covid-19 highlighted by new survey | Natural England

References:

COVID: How Life Has Changed One Year Into the Coronavirus Pandemic. (2020). Fortune. https://fortune.com/2021/03/09/covid-pandemic-how-life-has-changed-coronavirus-one-year-later-march-2020/

BBC News. (2020, March 23). Coronavirus: How are people helping each other during the outbreak? https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-51995089

Courtney, E. (2021, November 1). The Benefits of Working From Home: Why The Pandemic Isn’t the Only Reason to Work Remotely. FlexJobs Job Search Tips and Blog. https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/benefits-of-remote-work/

G. (2021, August 27). Here’s How the Coronavirus Pandemic Has Changed Our Lives. Cleveland Clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/heres-how-the-coronavirus-pandemic-has-changed-our-lives/
Public love for nature during Covid-19 highlighted by new survey. (n.d.). WiredGov. https://www.wired-gov.net/wg/news.nsf/articles/Public+love+for+nature+during+Covid19+highlighted+by+new+survey+02102020142200?open