Almost 3 years into the pandemic and working fully remote, I am growing.
Here are some lessons that I learned.
I’m more resilient than I thought
As the pandemic swept through Europe and lockdowns settled life felt like a freefall into an abyss. The bottom wasn’t visible. After the initial bout of anxiety and panic, I eventually settled and fell into a new rhythm.
I lost family, pets, and friends and through it all, there was a silver lining, I kept humming. Life threw stuff at me and I handled them one byte at a time.
I can live with no expectations
This was difficult to wrap my head around. Everything has a timeline, deadline, drafts, and plans… The pandemic offered none of that — we entered into lockdown after lockdown and there was (still isn’t) an end date in sight.
It took me over a year to get comfortable with the unknown. Eventually, it brought me peace. “ God’s will” or how my mind accepted there were major circumstances beyond my control that would play out, and I would be just a spectator.
Friendships — revisited
In the first year, it became very clear who are your real friends and who are just acquaintances. Zoom parties became the norm and then Zoom fatigue settled. Some friends disappeared and we haven’t talked for ages…for over 2 years. Others, who I thought were just superficial, appeared to be strong, resilient and blossomed while people were dropping sick in the thousands. You, my friends, pulled me through the darkest days.
Colleagues — revisited
There is something to be said about work relationships. We all adopted different approaches to cope with the stress. Despite that, my colleagues were there for me when I needed time away to deal with stress, mental health and the stress of moving houses during the worst of the pandemic. It was sad that we could only see each other through a screen, but it helped. We all showed up every day for each other.
Colleagues — work-life balance
My teammates showed me I can look beyond my own needs for the greater good. I was the first one to crumble in the beginning but once up, I was up and could step in and help everyone else. A diverse team where members had different needs made me step up and be the glue. I became a strong advocate for work-life balance. We are more than workers, we are humans first.
Alone, not lonely
For the first time in my life I get to live alone, and it has been interesting. After the initial shock of the silence, I discovered I could do stuff — all kinds of activities from reading the Kindle with my feet up the wall to watching the sunrise with a cup of coffee, and zoom calls… in peace. It does come with financial costs and bills. However, freedom is worth the investment.
Keep on rolling, my dears!
