Covid-19: 20 Ways It Changed My Life For The Better

“Staying positive is the only way you’re going to get through it.”

There Are Some Negatives

This pandemic has made me become even more germophobic, with an intense desire to stay away from people. And if anyone coughs in earshot, forget it, I’m gone. Some days I wonder if I will ever be able to reacclimate myself back into my old life. You know the one, where I attended parties, actually hugged people, ate birthday cake someone else blew on, took communion out of a shared tray of crackers, ate at a restaurant where others have prepared my meal, let people pet my dog, and attended crowded events. I will definitely be changed forever. In the grand scheme of things, these are small life tweaks that are a small price to pay when compared to people losing their lives. I am very thankful that COVID-19 has not directly affected my family.

Trying to Stay Positive

I truly wish COVID-19 had never happened. The pain and suffering that it has caused so many people across the globe are unfathomable. But it did happen. And in an effort to look on the bright side of everything, I asked myself how it has impacted me in a positive way?

Here is my list of 20 ways COVID-19 has changed my life for the better:

1. Slower Life

There is no rush anymore. We aren’t rushing out the door for work, shopping, or social events. When the pandemic first hit and our state was in lockdown, I must admit that it was a little scary to not have any place to go.

Usually, I would spend the day working and then try to jam in as many errands as I could afterward. My weekends would be spent shopping and doing errands that did not get completed during the week, not leaving much time for relaxation.

In a lockdown, our options were limited to the grocery store, outdoors, our mechanic shop, and a few stores like Target. We adhered to the state guidelines of only going out when necessary and so we only went to the grocery store once a week, mixing in hiking for exercise and fresh air as much as we could.

Even though more stores and businesses have opened back up, we have continued to enjoy living our slower lifestyle.

2. Save Money

Prior to the pandemic, I was always stressed. Always working and having a long to-do list. On weekends, one of my releases was to shop. Acquiring new things made me feel happy and for that short period of time that I was hunting down a new purse or pair of shoes, I forgot about the stress.

When the lockdown happened, going to my favorite TJ MAXX store to find random goods was no longer an option. I was cut off cold turkey. In doing so, I was able to see that I didn’t need to obtain a materialistic item in order to find happiness. Spending time with my family was enough.

3. Better Use of my Time

Having all this extra time on my hands since I wasn’t able to shop or go anywhere helped me realize that I had so much to do at home. There were so many projects that needed to be done here.

I have more time to try new tasks that I normally would not do like changing the oil in my car.

4. Family Time

We started playing more board games and video games together. We have family movie nights complete with popcorn and candy. We come up with fun activities, like Lego build-offs, gingerbread decorating at the holidays, sledding when it snowed, indoor trick-or-treating, scavenger hunts, and art projects.

5. More Nature

Sometimes we take morning walks around the neighborhood, spend time in the backyard, or sit outside. We have also been fishing, kayaking, and hiking. I even got more into photography. I would bring my camera along and capture the beauty of nature on our hikes.

6. Work from Home

For me, with my increased germaphobia, working 100% virtual has been awesome. Knowing that I can control if and when I have interactions with people, not being stuck working around others, and not losing income has been a real blessing. My husband is working from home as well and I enjoy having him around all the time. I am profoundly grateful. I know that not everyone has that option.

7. We Have Lunch Together

We used to spend our days apart. Only seeing each other in the evenings. With both of us working from home we are now able to eat lunch together almost every day. It is such a nice break from the workday to be able to spend a few moments with those you love.

8. Not as Many Jerks

I feel like I run into a lot fewer jerks these days. Before I would get cut off in traffic, encounter someone jumping in front of me in the grocery line, or irritate me with some other form of stupidity.

Now, that rarely happens. I can only surmise it is because this chaotic world has made people be nicer to each other or maybe it’s because I’m not out as often as I used to be and therefore, I avoid more of them.

Either way, I am enjoying it!

9. Streamline my Schedule

We used to run to the store to get what we needed right when we thought of it. If I realized that I needed a plastic storage bin, socks, pens, or kitchen gadget then we went to the store the same day for one item. I never waited for items on my list to accumulate.

We never consistently planned meals. Often heading to the grocery store after work to gather what we needed for dinner. I always secretly envied those people who meal prep for the whole week and do not waste ingredients. In an effort to limit our trips out of the house, we decided it was time to start meal planning and now we only venture out to the store once a week to get groceries.

Amazon has been a good alternative, too. We tend to find things on Amazon that are cheaper, and it comes directly to your door in 2 days. No need to go anywhere!

Shopping once a week has really streamlined my schedule and given me extra time in my day to do other productive things.

10. Reading Time

I have started to enjoy reading again. Usually, by the end of the day, I am ready for bed knowing that I will have to get up and do it all over again the next day. There was not a lot of time reading and learning. Now with my streamlined schedule, no social events, and online shopping, I have had time to actually sit down and read.

It’s been wonderful to sit on my couch with the sun streaming through the window in the late afternoon and simply read a book.

11. New Daily Routine

My old way of life consisted of waking up just in time to get ready for work, hesitantly leaving the house, working in a stressful, quick-paced environment, returning home in the late afternoon, walking dogs, making dinner, taking a shower, and finishing up any tasks that I needed to do for that day, then trying to squeeze in a little relaxation time before having to go to sleep to do it all over again the next day.

My new leisurely life has given way to a new daily routine. A routine that I never thought would have been possible before. Now I wake up early, 4:30 a.m. to be exact. I begin writing almost immediately. It is quiet, everyone is asleep, and only the sound of my typing cuts through the chilled air of the house.

On warm mornings, after hours of writing, I take a walk around the neighborhood at 7:30 a.m., breathing in the fresh air and absorbing the sunrise. My family joins me, and it gives us time to catch up with each other before everyone starts their day. We talk about all kinds of things and it has been something I really look forward to.

When it is warm, I will spend a few minutes of my lunchtime sitting outside in the sun with my feet in the grass. It is a quick recharge for me in the middle of the day.

I’ve started reading several times a week. I want to increase that to every day, but reading is something that I did not do before so even a few days a week is an improvement.

Instead of pushing through my day like I normally do, I now meditate and take time to breathe throughout the day. Working in a deadline-driven environment I never felt there was time to take a breath. It was just onto the next thing on my schedule. Now I actually take a few minutes here and there throughout the day to breathe and be in the moment.

Although I do not exercise as much as I would like to, my new daily routine has allowed me to be more active. I’m not so drained by the end of the day that I can’t go for a small jog or run around my backyard with my dogs.

12. No Commute

To be able to just wake up, have your morning to yourself, and then start work without having to allow for commuting time. I also feel more productive because at that time that I would usually spend commuting is now spent working.

13. Sleep

I have never had too much of a problem sleeping. However, there are times that something might bother me, or I simply cannot sleep. When those nights happen, it can be very frustrating and lead to more anxiety because I am thinking about how I have all these things to do the next day.

Now I have no worries if I have an occasional night of bad sleep because working from home is an easier day for me. There is no place to rush off to or lunches to pack. I can just wake up and start work.

14. Less Stressed

I’m less stressed. With the new daily routine, fewer social activities, more breaks throughout the day, and increased productivity at work, I feel a lot less stressed.

15. More Time for Art

My streamlined schedule also allows me to spend more time with my art. Whether it is more writing, clay, drawing, jewelry making, woodwork, or painting, I love the fact that my day includes more of what I love.

16. Enjoying the Small Things

From neighborhood walks to afternoon reading sessions, I have been able to enjoy the small things in life that I did not have time to do before.

I’ve stopped to watch birds migrate, watched squirrels play in the yard, wrote letters to friends (yes, actual letters that require a stamp!), and caught up with old friends and colleagues.

I’ve taken up new hobbies, weeded out closets, made new recipes, and taken up a new venture.

Taking it all in and enjoying each moment has been such an uplifting positive light in this depressing and scary world we live in.

17. Realize What’s Important

Living in the moment with the people that I love has made me realize what is important. It is all the small things in life. The big accomplishments in life are awesome, but those can be few and far between. Focusing on what is around you, who is around you, and being thankful for all the blessings that you currently have is where true happiness is found.

We often get caught up in chasing the next big thing that we forget about the important small things.

Living in the now and not taking the small stuff for granted has really helped me to stay positive through all this worldly chaos.

18. Time to Think About Life and What I Want Out of It

The slower lifestyle has given me time to reflect on what I genuinely want out of my life. I’ve had time to think about things that I couldn’t focus on before when I was caught up in my repetitive rat-race schedule. I have now set goals for my future and identified dreams I want to pursue.

19. Happier

Overall, I feel much happier, more relaxed, and less stressed.

20. Realized How Amazing People Are

The nightly news always paints a grim picture of our society. When you dig deeper you can find stories of people that came together to make great things happen.

Creative people developed plastic hug walls so that grandparents could still hug their grandchildren, birthday car parades so someone’s day still felt special, and happy hour virtual calls so people didn’t feel so lonely.

Nurses and doctors came together to help save lives. Selfless crisis nurses drive all across America to help out at the next COVID-19 hotspot, putting their own safety aside to care for those in need.

Thousands of people have donated to food banks, domestic violence centers, animal adoption shelters, and countless other nonprofits to help people and pets who desperately needed it during this pandemic.

People are imaginative, resilient survivors. People are AMAZING!

What are Your Positives?

In the midst of all this chaos, maybe you could sit down and think about what positives you have going on in your life right now. Step away from the news reports, find a quiet place to sit, and ponder what awesome things you have going on in your life now. Express gratitude for the mere fact that you are alive and well, reading this article.

Please Pray for Everyone

God Bless all of the people who have lost their lives, the COVID-19 positive people who will have a long road to recovery, the families that have lost loved ones, the families that have been impacted by the loss of income, all the first responders and medical staff who are overworked with taking care of COVID-19 patients, and all those people who have become depressed and lonely in the aftermath of quarantine.

Try to find the good in every situation no matter how hard it may seem. Staying positive is the only way you’re going to get through it.

Post in the comments positive ways this pandemic has changed your life.