15 Important Life Lessons I Learned During the Pandemic
This has been a crazy year. We have all learned a lot of important life lessons from the Pandemic. I don’t want to make light of it either. It has been a tragic year and many of us have faced some very difficult times.
But what can we learn from it? What did you learn from the Pandemic? Did you find any unexpected blessings hiding behind a year of slowing down?
I have always valued keeping life simple but let me just say that nothing has made me value minimalism and simple living more than this year.
Let me share with you what I learned about myself and the important life lessons I learned from the pandemic.
Important Life Lessons from the Pandemic #1 Rest
One of the first important life lessons I took from the Pandemic came from the early days of the stay-at-home order.
We all need rest. A lot of us need to learn how to rest. We need to rest more than we actually NEED to do a lot of things.
I learned that I don’t HAVE to fill every second of the day and I don’t HAVE to run myself ragged.
“Friendly reminder: Doing your best does not meaning working yourself to the point of a mental breakdown.”
Unknown
Important Life Lessons From the Pandemic #2 Self Care
Before the pandemic, the entire notion of self-care was completely foreign to me. And if did think of it, I thought it was for spoiled women with too much time on their hands.
Now I understand, self-care is not primping. Self-care is taking the time you need to care for yourself. In other words, it’s ok to get dressed nicely even though you aren’t going anywhere. It’s probably a good idea to take a little break to read a book, sit in a hot tub, sit on the porch, have a cup of tea, or paint your nails.
Self-care is about realizing when you need a moment and taking that moment so that you can go forward as a positive and energetic team member. Self-care is not selfish. It helps you help others.
In fact, what I learned about myself if that self-care is a necessity, not a luxury.
“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”
Anne LaMott
Important Life Lessons #3 Develop Healthy Habits
I always said that I would exercise every day if I ever had time. Finally, the excuses were gone. I got a great home workout routine and it made me consistent!
This year has taught me to really focus on taking care of my health by having healthy habits eating better and moving more.
Nothing could have proved that quote more true than this year. I learned to love exercising and I’m still working on eating better!
“If you don’t take time for your wellness, you will be forced to take time for your illness.”
Joyce Sunada
#4 Make a Plan!
I always loved using a planner but ironically this year, when I had way less I had to do, was the year I truly learned the value of using a planner.
You can make any day productive and you can achieve big goals with small chunks of time if you write it down and stick to it! This taught me to self-motivate and use my time for good. The more I write on my to-do list the less time I waste on phone scrolling!
Instead of feeling like a wasted time during the Pandemic, I feel like I made steady progress towards some big goals I’ve had for a long time. None of that would have happened without a plan.
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”
Antoine De Saint-Exupery
#6 The Daytime Is For Doing
You know what I didn’t do during the Pandemic. I almost never watched TV during the day. In fact, at some point, I established an unspoken rule.
The daytime is for doing.
I love to chill and watch TV in the evening but as long as the sun is out I ask myself what needs to be done and I do it! When I reach the end of what needs to be done I ask myself what I want to do that will be productive.
I also noticed that I was much more productive when I stopped hanging out in pajamas all day. For my own self worth I got dressed on put on my makeup every day.
That doesn’t mean I don’t take a nap once in a while. Naps can actually increase productivity! When I take a 20-minute nap I wake up ready to get more done!
“Action is the foundational key to success.”
Pablo Picasso
#7 I Should Have Been Learning More Often
Speaking of lessons learned from the Pandemic, I learned to learn again. When was the last time you learned something new? I think I have learned more during this Pandemic than I have in the last 10 years.
Finally, I took the time to learn some Spanish and Hindi for my friends. I picked my fiddle back up and relearned it. I also taught a young friend ASL on Zoom. And oh ya! I learned A LOT about blogging!
The best part of learning new things is that you spend time doing something that lights you up. Instead of dulling your senses, you feel like your brain has become a fireworks show! Gotta love that feeling!
Making learning a regular part of my life is one of the most important life lessons I learned during the Pandemic. For a happy simple life that is fulfilling I need to keep growing!
“The beautiful thing about learning is that noone can take it away from you.”
B.B. King
#8 Flexibility Is More Important Than Money and Stuff
Did you notice that during this pandemic people were actually more stressed out about money than the actual virus?
Don’t get me wrong. We had our own money issues. I was one of the “unfortunate” unemployed during this time and we had to make some major changes to make it all work.
But one of the important life lessons I learned is that money isn’t what saves you. What saves you when things get really hard is flexibility and the less stuff you have, the more flexible you can be.
“Be flexible so you can change with change.”
Bruce Lee
#9 Stuff Is Worthless If You Don’t Use It
Life changed so much that a lot of stuff we own just wasn’t necessary anymore.
I looked at my closet, for example, and I wondered when I would use all these pretty skirts and non-yoga pants again. Jk. That stuff is useful cause we won’t always be living through a Zoom window.
But seriously, another one of the lessons learned from the Pandemic is that everything you don’t use is just kind of useless. It doesn’t matter how many pretty shoes you have if you can’t find toilet paper. I want to remember that as things normalize.
“You home is a living space not a storage space.”
Francine Jay
#10 Declutter Your LIFE
Important life lessons came every day during the time I was stuck at home. Another thing I learned was the meaning of “essential”. If something is essential, you need to live.
Get rid of everything that isn’t ESSENTIAL. It’s just not worth it to drag around a bunch of junk so declutter your home! But more than that, declutter your life!
I learned to really weigh whether or not certain things in my life were necessary and I learned that I did not have to work as hard as I was working, I did not have to buy as much as I was buying, and I didn’t need to stress about everything I was stressing about.
The pandemic helped me streamline my life. Even as work and life pick up, I’ve now seen the rat race for what it is and I’m not getting back in it!
“Noticing what you love will help you release what you don’t.”
Courtney Carver
#11 Learn To Be Resourceful and Creative
When things got weird and we couldn’t get normal stuff at the grocery store I learned the value of being resourceful and creative.
We kinda went back to basics and made wine, cheese, bread, and more. It was kind of amazing what we could do with really basic ingredients.
I learned to stop pushing for normal and start learning new ways of doing things. I learned how to grocery shop without ever going in a store and I learned how to make something out of next to nothing.
Most of all I learned another important life lesson. What is it? I learned to look at every challenge as an adventure!
Be like a flower. Survive the rain but use it to grow.”
Unknown
#12 People Are the Only Thing That REALLY Matters
I bet I know what you missed most during this time. Your family and friends. That is good. That is probably the most important life lesson that we should all carry for the rest of our lives because, in the end, it’s not money or movies or concerts or Disneyland that really matters. The only thing that really matters is people.
I learned to reach out to my friends and family in new ways and I rejuvenated old friendships because suddenly distance didn’t matter anymore. Every time I felt isolated and lonely I realized that I was the one at fault and I texted someone or set up a Zoom coffee date!
We must reach out. Relationships take effort. We must show love by putting the health and wellness of others above our own selfish longing. Never forget to take the effort to make those around you feel loved. Even if you can’t be with them physically there are so many other ways to reach out. Don’t hold back because we never know what the future holds.
“It seems they had always been, and would always be, friends. Time could change much, but not that.”
Winnie the Pooh
#13 Be Ready To Look at The Other Side
Tensions ran high this year and devastating social issues tore at the fabric of society. It seems that nothing is fair and no one agrees on anything.
People will ask for your opinion and then tear you up for giving it. We live in a society where people do not want to hear anything but what they already think.
This year should have taught us, in the saddest way possible, how important it is to take time to listen and learn from others, even when they don’t agree with you. It’s one of the most important life lessons we can learn. When you don’t listen then you become the fool.
“Don’t listen to the person that has the answers. Listen to the person that has the questions.
Albert Einstein
#14 Get Outside More
One of the best things I learned from the Pandemic was to look to nature for my entertainment. The creation offers so much more than any blockbuster movie and it gives you health and refreshment in return! It is also usually FREE!
Instead of going to the mall why not go to the lake or take a bike ride or a hike!
“The earth has music for those who listen.”
Shakespeare
Important Life Lessons #15 Count Your Blessings
All of the important life lessons from the Pandemic kind of boil down to this one.
Stop. Count your blessings. Don’t look at what you don’t have and what you can’t do. Stop pushing for a reality that isn’t here. Look at what you do have and what you can do. Love your people and appreciate your home and the food you have to eat. Look at the glass half full. Appreciate that you are here and you are ok.
“Appreciate every beautiful little moment in every day of your life. Give it a try and you’ll see the world from another perspective.”
Thea Kristine May
Don’t Forget the Important Life Lessons You Learned!
My goal is to never forget the important life lessons I learned from the Pandemic! I want to remember what I learned about myself and what I learned about staying positive.
I don’t want to let life run me ragged anymore and I don’t want to accumulate junk that weighs me down. As life gets busy I still want to learn new things and take care of my health while enjoying the simple pleasures!
What lessons did you learn from the Pandemic? Comment below! I would love to hear from you!
Do You Want Make Life Simple?
There is really no reason not to start enjoying simple living! Now is the time to try the minimalist lifestyle! Learn why minimalism is good for your mental health and relationships, how it can transform your finances, so you can start having more energy and time for the things that matter!
But what if simplifying your life sounds like an overwhelming task?
If you want to simplify your life but the big bad word MINIMALISM scares you let me help! I wrote Doable Simplicity (Minimalism For Normal People) to help you get the inspiration you need to simplify your life and then take solid steps that make simple living doable for you!
