Due to the loosening of restrictions of the social distancing measures recently, many of our normal activities, such as schooling, working in the office, or dining out for dinner, resumed gradually. Some people may easily resume a normal life with minor adjustment after a long restriction. For other people, whose lives are greatly affected due to the long restriction, they may have difficulties in resuming a normal life due to different reasons. For instance, for those who lost their jobs in this 5th wave of the pandemic, it may be depressing for them to see other people resuming work life. As the job market may still need to be warmed up, it may be difficult for these people to find a new job as soon as possible. Another example may be the drastic reduction of clients in some industries due to the pandemic. Even after the restriction for social distancing being loosened, it may take a long time for them to resume their normal business. For those with social anxiety, it may be difficult for them to accept invitations from their friends for social gatherings. Their anxiety of meeting with their friends may exacerbate due to the prolonged isolation of social distancing measures.
Many people, who have difficulties in resuming a normal life after the social distancing measures being loosened up, may feel confused and worried about their future. They may want to resume normal life as soon as possible, or even to pursue a new life with prosperity and success. However, the more they strive to resume a normal life quickly, the more frustrated and disappointed they feel. It is because there are many uncontrollable factors contributing whether someone could resume a normal life or pursue a new life quickly. With this in mind, we should first settle ourselves with calmness and equanimity. Indeed, we need to accept who we are and where we are at now. That is, to accept our current situations and conditions with self-compassion. For example, if someone realised that he or she did not have the updated knowledge or skills to enable him or her to find a new job. He or she needed to accept this fact and be compassionate for oneself. With this acceptance, the person can humbly enroll in some courses for updating his knowledge and skills. As the same time, this person may also be more flexible in job search and try to apply some jobs in a different fields with lower level of entry requirement.
After accepting our current situations or conditions, we may engage ourselves in basic activities that are needed for a change to occur. It is important for us to be present and engage in our activities with attention and concentration. To be fully present at our activities, our performance will improve and we will be better at learning or achieving our goals. Furthermore, we will have a more stable emotion when we are attentive to our daily activities. It is because with present moment focus in our tasks, we will have less ruminations and worries about our future. In order for us to be able to stay focus and pay full attention to our daily activities, we may practice mindfulness meditation daily. A simple mindfulness practice can be focusing on our breathing as it is with acceptance and without judgment. When we are distracted, we can acknowledge our distraction and bring our awareness back to our breathing. With regular mindfulness practice, we are being able to stay focus more often and be living in the present moment.
As the pioneer of humanistic psychology, Carl Rogers, said, we can change only if we accept ourselves as who we are. No matter where you are at now after the 5th wave of the pandemic, be patient and accept your current self as it is with self-compassion.
