What did Covid teach me??

One of the biggest lessons this pandemic taught me is about the unpredictability of life. Our lives changed upside down overnight. These two years showed me actually what matters the most in life. Unlike most of us believe, it is not money or a high-paying job, or all those luxuries. What really matters is how many people we have around to love and care for us. Who is there to lend a hand when we need one to hold on.

The lesson from a blank Whatsapp Status!!

During one of those initial days of the pandemic, an incident happened. My daughter was playing with my phone. By mistake, she updated my WhatsApp status with a black background. Just plain black.

I never noticed that till a few people messaged me back and asked if everything was fine. To be honest, at least 3 or 4 of them were just ‘silent contacts’ in my phone list for almost 2 to 3 years!! I am not saying other friends and family who didn’t message me do not care for me. They might have guessed that it was a mistake and hence ignored that. But those few special ones spent an extra minute to ensure I was alright. That made my day!!

This is what I want to remind you of today. To be like the few ones who messaged me back. To be more human-centric. End of the day, what matters is how many people we have in our lives to care for and love us, isn’t it? That is what makes our life happier, not just money or fame.

How to maintain your relationships through Love and Care?

When you have to multi-task between the office, housework, children’s studies, and all that daily chores, it is quite natural for us to feel overwhelmed. This stress can create problems in your relationships mainly with your kids and spouse. Kids can be troublesome many times. Your spouse may not understand your situation and may not be helping much. It is very human to get upset and angry or even shout at people when the stress levels go beyond the limit. That is okay, as long as you can compensate for that with your love and affection. But do not wait for a week to do that, do that before you go to sleep.

Hug your kids and tell them how much you love them. Explain to them why you were an angry mom or dad. They will understand for sure. Spend time with your spouse. Say sorry if you were harsh with your words or actions. Talk to him/her. Communication is the key. Make people around you feel loved and cared for whenever you can. Do that more often. So when you slip at times they know it is just a passing cloud of your bad temper. And you will get that back in most cases.

Laugh, Love and Care more.. life is too short!!

Some may not be lucky enough to get an understanding partner or family. Is that the end of everything?? No, if you are ready to look around and open up a little, you will meet many wonderful people who will eventually be your best friends and soul mates. Friends are also family, right? Sometimes they understand us even better than family.

So take time to make new friends when possible, stay connected with your old buddies, and check on them if everything is fine with them. Have virtual meetings with your friends’ gang. Talk about your teenage crushes only they know. Crack silly jokes. Life seems to be far less stressful when you laugh a lot, as you know that it is the best free medicine available right now :).

A few of you may ask, if I am not lucky with both options above, then what??
My answer will be to make yourself as your best friend. Its the best way out most of the times. Start writing journals. Start a hobby. Rekindle that old passion of yours. Life is too short to regret in the end. So make it a meaningful one in whatever best way possible.

The uncertain life!!

What this pandemic taught me is irrespective of who you are, how much money you have, or what dignified positions you hold in life – the situation can change in the flip of a moment. People whom we saw laughing and talking well yesterday are no more today. I lost a few people whom I know very well to Covid. It took so much time to overcome the shock of losing them, because the memories of the days I spent with them are still very fresh in my mind.

Life seems to be so unpredictable. So celebrate that with people who matter. Celebrate good emotions. Celebrate love and friendship. Learn something new that you longed to do. Laugh more. Do not hold on to grudges. It is okay to get angry or upset but when you are not ready to let go of that, it affects your mind and body. So ignore negativity and negative people.

There are 100 reasons to be upset or tensed if we open social media or news channels. So limit your exposure to those negativities and spend more quality time with your loved ones. Focus on the positive things in life. Listen to good music and read more.

Live your life instead of just being alive. On the day when we leave this world, what will be left behind is how we made others feel. So let’s make that a special one, which cannot be replaced so easily.

See you soon in my next post..till then take care and stay safe.