It all started in March 2020, over a year ago. We were urgently advised to stay at home, with the aim of keeping the amount of corona infections in society as low as possible. Many of us started to work from home and could only see friends and family one-on-one or digitally. We had to find new ways to relax, because it was more difficult to do sports (no group sports, gyms closed) and we couldn’t do cultural activities (concerts, museum visits, dancing or going to the movies). It was a year full of change, which we had to get used to and adapt to. It’s easy to get stuck in the negative, focussed on all the things we could no longer do. But corona has also brought positive things, both on a personal and social level; can you see those too?

Adaptation

In the past year, we have been able to see how quickly society can adapt in a practical sense if this is necessary (scaling up and adapting healthcare, working from home as a new norm) and how flexible we are as people. We have also noticed how important social contacts are to us and how difficult it is not to be able to just meet up with and cuddle your family or friends. In addition to the practical and social changes, we have also been able to see how important nature is, and experience how nice it is when there is some nature nearby to relax in.

Setting boundaries

The importance of communicating our personal boundaries has also been a big change for many of us; everyone dealt with the corona measures slightly differently and that required a lot of coordination. Do you hug or not and how do you say goodbye to each other? Are you okay with meeting up with more than one person, or do you prefer to stick to the rules? These were all things we needed to talk about and actively set our boundaries on. Do you recognize that too?

Personal changes

COVID has also taught us things on a personal level. Over the past year, many people have been looking for a new way to shape their lives. You have probably gotten to know yourself in a different way than you did before. Maybe you were surprised that you were so flexible and resilient, or maybe you were shocked by how much effort it took you to adapt to the new circumstances. There were probably times when you could find acceptance in the situation, but there were also times when you were completely done with it. COVID has given us the opportunity to get to know ourselves better, learn how we respond to bigger adversities over which we have little control, and practice trying new things to create a new balance in ourselves and our lives.

What have you learned the past year?

Take a moment to think about what this strange year has brought you. What have you learned about yourself, about the things you find important in life? How does your partner, family or friends feel about this? Think about the following questions, together or alone, and take a look at the things you have learned:

• How do you react to adversity? What has helped you with this in the past year?
• How do you deal with uncertainty, in the field of health, work or finance for example? What has helped you with this in the past year?
• How do you deal with change?
• How do you deal with the wishes or boundaries of others that do not match yours?
• What do you find important in your social contacts?
• What do you find important in your life?

Learn from it, and take these lessons with you. Knowing your own strength and pitfalls makes you stronger in the event of the next setback; you now know how you react and you probably also know better how to deal with this.