I don’t know about you, but I am not sure if I am quite ready for things to get back to normal yet?
I am worried I won’t remember to brush my teeth twice a day! And to be completely honest, I am not sure my tight corporate dresses will even fit me anymore! Make-up! What’s that? Luckily a pair of glasses can hide a multitude of flaws in a virtual meeting and its been great only having to make my top half presentable, while those tracky pants get a true workout day after day!
I acknowledge that there has been massive negative fallout from COVID-19 and we will feel the ripple effects for a long time to come. In no way do I wish to seem insensitive or flippant about the severity of the impact on society and the economy.
However, I do feel it has been an opportunity to ground ourselves, get back to basics and work out what is really important in the grand scheme of things.
I feel there are some positives to be found around this Pandemic and in our stand ups last week, I asked everyone to share their top 5 positives about the current situation and here is what was said:
Family Dinners - families have been able to sit down at the table and have dinner together each evening. Nobody is travelling interstate, or overseas and this is precious family time
Exercise - Exercising with the family is becoming the norm. More and more families are seen cycling around the neighbourhood and it’s wonderful to have bit more time to fit it in each day. Lots of people are using their normal commuting time to exercise. I personally have enjoyed doing a work out in the garden each morning with my kids.
More time – our staff are loving not having to rush in the morning. Some use the time to sleep a little longer, others to sit in the garden and enjoy their morning coffee and a lot of us to get moving – all equating to a less stressed day.
Less pollution – I have plants in my garden that haven’t flowered for years that are doing so now. Canals in Venice are a lot cleaner and the air just feels a lot fresher!
Pets love COVID! – If you are a pet psychologist, you will be busy when all their owners return to City life and our poor furry friends are left to fend for themselves!
Overseas connections – I for one, am loving being able to chat to my family and friends in the UK more. We are all working from home and hence lots of overlap. As a Pommie, living here at a time when borders are closed and the prospect of a trip home to see everyone is a distant dream, it is certainly helping me to stay connected.
Community spirit – we feel the general good nature of people is shining through in these times. People are offering to deliver shopping for elderly neighbours who they barely know and communities are really pulling together, which is lovely to see.
Resurrection of Hobbies – all those hobbies you started, didn’t continue and never seem to have time for are suddenly within your grasp! Sit down one evening and brush off that dusty guitar, pick up your paintbrush and make a start on that artwork – don’t stop and think, just do it now before it’s busy again!
Exploring your own suburb – in a time when we have been unable to go far, it has been a great opportunity to discover beautiful new spots that you never knew were on your doorstep.
No public transport – Mine is the last bus stop before the City and there are never any seats left by the time I get on. I usually spend 45 minutes of my morning swinging like a gorilla from one of the straps whilst trying to balance in high heels and apologising profusely to anyone within a 1 metre radius as I repeatedly batter them with my oversized rucksack! I don’t miss that!
People are easier to contact when working from home – we have all had some really great conversations with people who are notoriously hard to get hold of as they have a bit more flexibility around their schedule.
Relationships – my colleagues feel that if you can get through this as a family without getting divorced, then you can get through pretty much anything! Many of my colleagues have been surprised at how their children have stepped up to the mark in terms of taking responsibility for school work and how working at home with their partners has actually been much more enjoyable than expected!
“Smell the Roses” – having a bit more time on our hands enables us to look around at our lives and have a new appreciation for things we may have taken for granted before.
Sleepwear is the new work-wear – which has helped one of my colleagues Agnes, finally justify her expensive sleepwear habit to her husband!
Opportunity to transform yourself – with all this time to exercise and still get work done, this is an opportunity not to be missed. One of my friends has embraced this new way of life, has set up a work out area in her garden and has lost 10kg’s since restrictions began – amazing effort!
Rainy days – on those days where you would normally have to drag yourself and the children out of the house after spending twenty minutes finding umbrellas/raincoats/dustbin bags, it is lovely to be able to wrap up warm and stay inside without feeling guilty.
I am a big believer that every tragedy has a silver lining if you look for it. So, let’s try to embrace the positives while they last, because in 6 months’ time we will be reminiscing about this slower pace of life and wishing we had made the most of it.
“It is worth remembering that the time of greatest gain in terms of wisdom and inner strength is often that of greatest difficulty.” ~ Dalai Lama
Amanda Glacken is the Division Manager at Parity Consulting; specialising in the recruitment of Product, Marketing and Digital professionals. In her spare time, she is a cheese connoisseur and considers herself a bit of an ABBA enthusiast. For a confidential discussion or to further discuss the topic of mature professionals entering the workforce, contact Amanda Glacken on 0450 291 368 or aglacken@parityconsulting.com.au.