When a global pandemic hits, a great deal of learning takes place on so many levels. Since the outbreak of this COVID-19 pandemic, this is what I have learned about myself. First, I need personal and social connections. I thrive on it. They are my self-care drugs of choice. Self-distancing, physical distancing, staying home when one lives alone is hard. Being able to go to the gym, the yoga studio, travel domestically or abroad, meeting up with friends or family, going to work with colleagues have all become luxuries right now. These are things I deeply appreciate now that can no longer be done. These are things, moving forward, I will no longer take for granted.

Something else I have learned about myself during this pandemic is that technology really can be your friend. My general avoidance of it prior to this health crisis, opting for more organic and natural ways of being, has ironically been something I have embraced. Thank you Zoom, Messenger, Facebook, Google, Youtube, Whatsap! Thank you for keeping me connected so the loneliness doesn’t suffocate me.

Perhaps the biggest learning is that I know I am not alone in my experience of this. This new normal can and will be ok. So many people are finding ways to connect and reach out like never before, and in positive, supportive and compassionate ways like never before. This pandemic is creating new communities of people who are putting each other first. I hope this will be the legacy of COVID-19.

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