There’s no denying that 2020 was a year of h*ll on earth. 2020 literally started with a threat of a third world war and the first month of the year ended with Kobe Bryant passing away. If there was ever hope of the year getting better, it definitely diminished then. Still, no one expected the year to get as bad as it did and before you knew it, people were fighting for toilet paper, you couldn’t touch your face anymore for fear of getting sick, and you were isolated from everyone. It’s obvious that a year of historic events would leave an impact on many, but how exactly has it changed your life.

Mental Health went down the drain

Imagine someone who likes writing down their future events, meetings, etc down in their planner and being that one friend who is always organized and knows exactly what they’re doing with their life? COVID-19 enters the chat and the idea of consistency is gone. The uncertainty of the pandemic and the lack of information about COVID-19, the decline in jobs while still having to pay college debt and bills on the monthly...how could people not get anxious and stress?

Your social skills probably suck now

Do you even know how to approach people anymore? Do you even have friends? After months of being inside and only talking to your dog, you may feel awkward to new people. This doesn’t mean you’re not excited to see people but there might be some hesitation to approach them. When the pandemic hit, the most common places to meet people such as schools, workplaces, and places of worship all closed, forcing everyone to rely on the virtual world. How do you take a months long texting conversation into a new one? Yeah we don’t know either but you should definitely try doing it.

Motivation? We don’t know her.

When you’re feeling helpless, there’s absolutely no hope. When there’s no hope, there’s no positivity. What is positivity? Motivation. What is motivation? Nonexistent, and when there’s no motivation, nothing gets done. When people first started working from home, people were unsure how to go about it but eventually many saw the benefits in it such as saving money, being more comfortable, among other things. But what happens when your home, a place meant to relax and spend time with your family, now also becomes the workplace you can’t escape from? Burnout happens and every single task becomes a drag regardless of it being easy. Feeling burnout feels absolutely terrible but know it's normal a feeling, especially during a pandemic. Pro Advice: Take a break. 

Silver Lining: You’re talented now

With everyone inside with nowhere to go, you have three options: TV, video games, and social media. As we all know, Tik-Tok thrived in the pandemic as more and more people downloaded the app. People learned how to make iced coffee at home while others learned how to dance. Some became Bob the Builder in their gardens, and others learned how to code. If this wasn’t you...welp, at least you learned how to wear a mask properly (unless you’re one of those people who don’t cover their nose then you absolutely learned nothing).

The pain of living through 2020 was real but imagine the actual pain of not getting to live through it which was the actual reality of many. Although we want to erase/block/forget it, remember that you’re not alone and it’s okay to resemble a zombie living through apocalypse. The important thing is you’re still here.