Preparing For Life After Covid-19

While many people are excited to come out of their houses and go back to work or school, it’s still wise to prepare ourselves to what we may be facing outside and what this “new normal” could lead us to.

When the lockdown is lifted, we can definitely expect change when people resume their daily routine. The most difficult part of the “new normal” is that it’s not comfortable and we’re expected to adjust. As we anticipate for change to happen and while we wait for a cure to Covid-19, we need to think of ways to better cope with the “new normal” and face the challenges head on. Here are some tips on how to prepare for life after Covid-19.

Begin with a healthy state. Health is a state of mind and body.  While some areas here in the Philippines are already in General Community Quarantine (GCQ) and many are still under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), we have to maximise the time on improving our physical and mental well-being. A healthy mind and body is something we overlook specially during this lockdown period, but it affects every facet of our daily life from how happy we feel to how well we perform our daily tasks or responsibilities. Work on maintaining a strong mind and healthy body. Make it a habit to always choose what’s healthy for you. When this pandemic is over, your good health is going to help you make better choices even in uncertain times and better handle challenging situations.

Lessons learned are weapons earned. Life is a continuous learning experience and this pandemic has caught most of us off-guard and unprepared but it did bring us valuable lessons to keep as weapons for our future endeavours. Simple things like being more cautious, being more kind and disciplined to an even deeper realisation like valuing what is most important in life could really go a long way. Hopefully, we’ll be smart enough to remember those lessons and will stick around for a very long time.  

Gain clarity. This pandemic may have blurred our vision or goals we have set for ourselves during the start of the year. It’s okay to revise our goals or reinvent the process after what we’ve contemplated and realised while we were on a lockdown. It’s okay to restart. The first step to achieving momentous goals is to ensure that they are specific and clear. Most people feel stuck because they are unable to set clear goals, they were blinded by failures and challenges that came along. Gaining clarity leads to action and commitment. While you sit at home and wait, ask yourself what results do you want to get when this lockdown is lifted? Plan ahead and develop the skills that you need. Gaining clarity will help you move forward, and when you’ve set clear goals, you will have something exciting to look forward to when this pandemic is over.

Embrace the challenge. Now that we’ve hit the restart button and plan for the next move, we can expect challenges to blur that clarity of the results that we want to achieve. Challenges, like the pandemic, are here to test you. Will you move forward and face them or move away? Will you give up when you are faced with challenges or push through to get what you want? Are these challenges worth facing to get to your goals? When you are truly committed to your goals, you’ll face these challenges openly and willingly. Those who are eager to step out of their comfort zones, those who are committed for growth and those who enjoy the process are more likely to succeed. Your willingness to welcome and embrace the challenges opens up your mind so you can stay ready for anything.  

Life is full of uncertainties but we shouldn’t make it an excuse for failure to plan and do nothing. Things will resume eventually and the time to plan begins now. Isn’t it more rewarding and fulfilling to come out in a crisis stronger and wiser?

I am certain that we couldn’t be ready for everything but when we have the intention to improve ourselves, I can guarantee the improvement of our surroundings. We must be willing to adopt and adjust over time. When we are able to see every situation as an opportunity for growth, then that’s the best preparation for life after a crisis.