What Have I Learned About Myself During the Pandemic?
What have I learned about myself during the pandemic? We are still living in a pandemic but here in the UK we are trying to pick up something of our old lives and get used to new habits because of living with Covid-19.
I learned that I could survive months of lockdown alone with my children, but I needed external support. When I reached out for help, I learned which people I could truly rely on for that help. It was a hard lesson, but I feel it was necessary because since then I have been able to release my ties to the people that previously I gave a lot of time and attention to. Now I can focus on myself without feeling guilty. No more energy vampires for me!
I learned that my children are resilient and mature, and that they can adapt to change very quickly. They were naturally devastated when their lives came to an abrupt halt and our daily routine was cancelled. Then we learned a new routine during lockdown, and by the time we reached our third lockdown at the start of 2021 we felt more confident about how to handle it. We muddled through, we kept ourselves busy, and we came out of it feeling much more cheerful.
I learned that I need to devote time to myself, and that I can still do that even with my busy lifestyle. Even if it means sitting on the sofa for an hour at night playing a game on my Kindle (I’m addicted to Matchington Mansion!), it is my time to do as I please. Gaming makes me happy and forms a sort of meditation space for me. My alone time needn’t always involve spiritual pursuits or working on my laptop.
I learned to reassess my priorities and choose my battles. My bedtime routine with the children has relaxed a lot since the first lockdown, mainly because I accept that my children are growing older now and I don’t need to worry so much. They get what they need when they need it. Our lives are naturally chaotic but that’s what keeps us going. We like to be spontaneous, and there is nothing wrong with that.
I learned that I am happy with my life as it is. Throughout my twenties and thirties, I seemed to be chasing a “perfect lifestyle,” whatever that meant. I cannot control the people around me, least of all my husband, so I had to adjust my expectations or succumb to physical illness through stress. I had to search deep inside myself to decide whether I need to make big life changes or not. For now, I am going with the flow and following my instincts. Time will tell whether I made the right decisions.
What have you learned about yourself during the pandemic?
Catherine is the author of the adult paranormal romance series The Redcliffe Novels and also The Darkness of Love, She has short stories published in YA anthologies, freelance articles on various industry websites, and contributes to her personal blog, and her author blog .





