Global pandemic lesson 3: Learning to adapt

When change is forced upon us, we are better off if we adapt to it. Fighting the realities of the pandemic only delays the adjustment to it and prolongs suffering.

It was difficult for me at first to adjust to the changes. I no longer had my usual income. I had to constantly update myself on the latest findings of the virus in order to know what kind of precautions to take and how much. I had to face the daily news of death and be exasperated by slow-to-act leaders and officials. I also had my own anxiety to process. 

Waking up every morning to bad news didn’t seem real until it became normal. The shock lessened as my brain kept getting exposed to the daily rates and numbers. Pretty soon I got used to a new routine. With the right protective gear on, I became less afraid of going to the supermarket  The virus, while still formidable and the cause of so much sadness and death, became less alien and scary. Now I exercise indoors and adopt a meticulous hygiene protocol to avoid cross contamination. Eventually, I found myself less and less interested in the daily news and press conferences, and more and more into creating well-being independent of the outside noise.

I had spoken often of turning a new chapter in my life but never got around to making it happen. The virus’s emergence has done it for me. It has turned the page and now I realize I can welcome this change. I won’t need to struggle against it since change was what I desired. Now I have time to do more writing, for example. Time I didn’t have previously.

When we choose what gets chosen for us, things don’t seem as bad. I realize I can adjust to this and find my own happy place in midst of it all.

I hope you can too.

Check out my book The Power of Zero Expectations: 7 Steps to Freedom from Disappointment on Amazon.