As the year comes to a close, 2020 will be best remembered for how the Covid-19 pandemic changed our existence. Whether it was our waking hours or the time we retired for the day, we came to learn about the "new normal", which meant practising social distancing, wearing face masks, constantly checking body temperature, and working from home, and more.
While most of us have gotten accustomed to living under the new normal, the ride has been anything but easy.
The reality is that the Covid-19 pandemic is still sweeping the planet, and we, as individuals as members of the human family are living through a crisis together. Amid this daunting global crisis lie hidden changes to every person's life, which has brought to attention the normally hidden human values of care and collaboration to the forefront and forced us to re-invest in ourselves and communities.
As 2020 draws to a close, challenging days still lie ahead of us but I feel now is a good time we hit the pause button and reflect on these drastic changes after the coronavirus first surfaced earlier this year. In so doing, I have noticed that every one of us has been handed an opportunity to reshape our new normal.
As I continue to go about my daily chores and think back about how my life has changed since the pandemic, I have started to plan how and to what I want to reconnect with.
Taking time to ponder always helps. It is during these moments of self-reflection, I ask myself whether there is a way to do away with needless daily habits that consume time and mental energy? After looking at the larger picture, I came to the realisation that for me the less is more mindset works perfectly.
Reviving life's possibilities brought me to a crossroads of decisions in how I can direct my time and energy. Can I, or better yet, will I continue to build upon the care and friendships I've exhibited to those in need within my circle? This is something for all of us to reflect on.
As I contemplate living under the new normal in 2021, I see myself moving forward by taking little steps, knowing that I can get there faster by moving slower. In the rush to return to normal, contemplating which parts of normal I really wish to go back to might help me simplify my life.
The need to keep calm and continue to grow as a person is part and parcel of the benefits of reflective practice. Development specialists say that the benefit of reflecting is that it promotes not just a culture of learning and self-improvement but it also heightens one's ability to adjust during a crisis.
Living through a pandemic, I noticed that most of us come across self-care and reflection.
Globally, I have noticed that this so-called space connects both the free and house-bound, who are grateful and resentful but also safe and in peril. Many among us are figuring out how to reside in this state of what feels like internal limbo as we pause to find out when life will return to some form of "normal", questioning if that is even possible or desirable.
Living through the various ramifications of Covid-19, I also find my emotions and thoughts bouncing to and from the extremes more, which leads to greater fluctuation than ever before experienced in pre-pandemic times.
As a result, I tell myself it is a process and that I am gradually letting go of my pre-pandemic mindset. However, what do I need to replace it with? Moments of reflection make me ponder about a range of questions that can help shed light on the direction I need to take.
While introspecting, I jot down the questions that come to my mind, especially those about self-care and caring for others. I have thought about the words kindness and grace and asked myself: how can I show more kindness and grace to myself? When I got the answer to that, my follow up question was: How can I extend this kindness and grace to others?
Afterwards, my mind wandered off to what kinds of practices will help me through the uncertainty of the times I live in.
The bottom line is that we are in this crisis together, the rich and poor, the educated and illiterate, so how can we help each other process our experiences, emotions, and expectations during this time?
Like many of us, I am still figuring out the answers myself. I grapple with them daily, but I have found that self-care by reframing, like all habits, will take root after regular practice.
The importance of care and collaboration in a time of uncertainty goes a long way.
Yvonne Bohwongprasert is a feature writer for the Life section of the Bangkok Post.