Do you still remember how you were before this whole COVID pandemic happened? It has only been over 100 days since Metro Manila (and eventually the whole country) was put on lockdown but to me it already feels like a whole damn year! As someone who lives a fast-paced and multi-faceted life, the abrupt pause on my life is so impactful! This, I am sure, is not an “only me” thing. My friends complained the same thing over our Zoom e-numans and we agreed on one thing: It’s okay not to be okay. Bingers, let’s sit down for a few minutes, look back at how the pandemic has affected us, and accept the present and what the future holds for us. 

It Is Okay Not to Be Okay

There are things that are really out of our control. As a control-freak, this is one fact that I have learned to bitterly accept. When everything was still normal, my days are packed! It usually goes this way: work- gym blog events rest. Sleep was barely a part of it. I was practically non-stop and my energy was more than enough for my busy days. Well, that was all in the past now. Since the lockdown happened, it was as if my world was also put on hold. Events were cancelled. Gyms were closed. Work was taken home. My office is a few steps away from my bed. My meetings are now virtual and so are my events. Practically, my home is now my world.

This is a stark change from my end. To be honest, I may have experienced a minor depression on the first few weeks of the lockdown. I guess a huge part of it accounts to me being a social person. Human interaction fuels me whereas since I spent every single day at home, the people I regularly interacted with is my family. I mean, yes, we have social media but it is not just the same! With this depression came my loss of motivation to be productive and the fuel to create content. I would have totally lost it if not for my family, friends, and my partner. Also, I guess it helped that I was reminded that I am still lucky to have these people behind my back, my stable work, and the comforts of my home.

Now the question is, how am I going to deal with the new normal moving forward?

Moving On and Embracing the New Normal

The world is changed. That is a fact. Things will not go back to how they were before this whole COVID pandemic has affected us. There really is a new normal now. As for me, how am I going to face the new normal, you ask. Well, I am not entirely sure. First off, there is still an uncertainty in the air when it will be safe to head outside. That is the first factor in getting back to normal- going outside. That has been a new privilege for me. From barely staying at home, I am now barely getting out of the house. The only time I get to see the outside world is during my dad and I’s bi-weekly grocery run. And that’s it. We can’t even roam around the mall due to the fear of contracting the virus. We stick to a plain route. So the first thing for my new normal would be to start planning the shortest route as possible with least contact to people. And yes, this includes saying goodbye to my travel plans.

The next thing would be accepting to do more things at home. Before, I hit the gym every single day. Now, despite my gym’s strict safety measures for their upcoming reopening, I will have to accept that my workouts will now be done at home. Home workout are not new to me, by the way. But they were my last resort, only for days when I was too lazy to drive to the gym.

And lastly, I will learn to be more grateful for what I have. This pandemic affected lots of lives. Some families faced death while some are facing hunger due to unemployment. Lucky for my family, our company is stable and my parents’ business is barely affected by the pandemic. These are things that I used to overlook but now, I learned to appreciate more. Not many has this privilege and so I try my best to reach out to people whenever I can.

The COVID pandemic hit the world hard. My problems may have been trivial as compared to the more serious ones faced by others but they still count. They still matter. We all have our ways of dealing with our problems and that’s okay. Also, if you are feeling less productive and less motivated these days. It’s okay. Remember, it’s okay not to be okay. Breathe.

This story is an entry to ComCo Southeast Asia’s “Write to Ignite Blogging Project”. The initiative is a response to the need of our times, as every story comes a long way during this period of crisis. Igniting and championing the human spirit, “Write to Ignite Blog Project” aims to pull and collate powerful stories from the Philippine blogging communities to inspire the nation to rise and move forward amidst the difficult situation. This project is made possible by ComCo Southeast Asia, co-presented by Eastern Communications and sponsored by Electrolux, Jobstreet and Teleperformance.

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