After the storm seems like an appropriate way to think of this pandemic’s eventual end. COVID-19 has promised to change the structure of the world we held so dear before this all happened. Planning for a post-pandemic world means facing our feelings. There is nothing wrong with admitting that it is causing people to be more anxious, less certain of themselves, and questioning the future.
I can see it in my own world. My family is feeling the mid-quarantine cabin fever effects now, discussing plans to move out of state as soon as possible. I can feel it too, daydreaming about moving when the lockdowns lift and traveling. Close friends and some family members are left wondering what to do, now that many of their jobs have been eliminated and they are facing the ability to have a fresh start.
So the question that seems to be bouncing around everyone’s mind seems to be the same.
What do we do after the storm is over?
One thing is for sure after major pandemics, major changes to the world follow almost every time. Just look at the pandemic a century ago! We came out of it into a time of women’s rights, employment law changes, worker protections, and more. Those are all things we need to be looking at now while planning for a post-pandemic world.
I have a gut feeling that those changes will come. People will see plenty of changes, but the changes that they will make to their own individual lives are just as important. Maybe this is the spur that some people need to go forward in whatever direction they may be looking at next. They might make that daunting move, take that new job, or ask that person on a date.
Or we could sink back into the things we didn’t like about our lives before. We can cave into the fear of change. We can forget all of the lessons that we have learned from this. Wake up when the lockdowns lift, go back to the job we didn’t love, in a town we aren’t really at home or happy in, in a life that we aren’t totally in love with.
This could be a new opportunity…
…if you are ready to accept that change is scary.
The most important thing I can think of doing right now is getting comfortable with change even if you aren’t going to make any big changes to your own life. Change is part of life, so getting used to it is probably a good idea.
How to face down the big changes
I only know the best way that I have personally come up with to cope with big changes. I can’t promise that they will work perfectly for everyone every time, but they have worked for me so far.
My favorite way to prepare for a bigger change is to sit with my feelings. As corny as that may sound to some, I have weathered every storm by doing this. When I start a new job I am intimidated by (including joining the military), when I get ready to move, whenever I am afraid of things getting out of control, I use this tactic.
Everyone knows the anxiety of doing one of those bigger things, when your heart gets stuck in your throat and you feel that uncomfortable twisting in your gut. I figured out pretty early on that those feelings are usually what stopped me and those close to me from doing something good for us. Nobody wanted to confront those feelings and push through them to see the other side, they wanted to stay where they were comfortable.
That leads us to now: planning for a post-pandemic world
Facing down the barrel of a long time with this pandemic hanging over our heads seems pretty dark. Then I realized people will resume living their best lives, but maybe in a different way than before. I think a lot of babies will be born, marriages will happen, divorces will start, and people will move or change jobs.
We aren’t there yet though. States aren’t fully re-open. Some parts of our country cannot re-open yet. Our economy will be okay, and maybe we will see some interesting economic changes too, read up on the economy after the Black Death below:
https://eh.net/encyclopedia/the-economic-impact-of-the-black-death/
So it makes a ton of sense to spend some time now planning for a post-pandemic world. Think about that move you have been yearning for, or the job you dream of.
My personal post-pandemic plan
I think I, too, will participate in the chasing of dreams after this apocalypse ends. Move to my dream location on the Gulf of Mexico, stick with my dream job and learn everything I can, and open a dog rescue. I even think I may open my own business in the not-so-distant future.
It is the perfect time for almost everyone to really look closely at their lives and assess how they feel about themselves and where they are in life. Maybe they’ll find a small change like adding a volunteer hour a week at an animal shelter to give them the fulfillment they desire. Or maybe they need to move across the world and go on an amazing nomadic journey to find that same feeling.
One thing is absolutely for sure, we can all hope the planning for a post-pandemic world is not the most fun we have. Feel the fear and take the plunge anyway sometime. You might find out that it is well worth your time and anxiety.
