The pandemic of COVID-19 has – undoubtedly – brought a wave of disruptions all over the world. You might think this is “just another flu,” or believe it’s a virus fabricated in a lab in some shady neighborhood. You might think it’s a game-changer for humanity. In any case, you and I definitely agree COVID-19 has forced us all to rethink our ways of living life as it is.
Choosing Our Partner
Before the pandemic, you woke up in the morning with that person, maybe you also had coffee or breakfast together; you didn’t see them until at least six hours later. You weren’t there when their colleague Elsa didn’t copy them in the email – anger alert! – and you never thought you would spend the whole weekend with them, every weekend, for two months.
Now more than ever, saying “better be alone than in bad company” makes total sense. Yet, all the thoughts and talks you both had about “giving each other space” didn’t go to waste. That space should be – temporarily – mental only, and the ultimate test for your relationship is now, because, practically – and ironically- you can’t go anywhere!
So how can Covid19 help you assess the health of your relationship with your partner? When you go to sleep tonight, ask yourself those questions, then you will know:
Do I want to spend another twenty-four hours of confinement here with that same person? Do I want to binge on more useless series with them? Am I okay asking them – over and over again – to wear their headset when they put their music is on?
If you feel you are better off alone, then it’s time to listen to yourself. Don’t wait until “this is all over,” because social distancing is here to stay.
Feeling Comfortable at Home
Spending so much time at home made us value that comfortable couch we eventually chose to get, and the juice blender we bought a few months ago. The lucky ones among us cleaned the dust off their old rowing machines, an accessory they owned but never used, and has now turned into a necessity. The rest of us less fortunate, wish they purchased that 10 Euro jumping rope that was calling them at Decathlon exit lane: “BUY ME!”.
Every penny and bit of energy we had put in the past, in making our homes more comfortable turned out to be an excellent decision today. COVID-19 taught us to take better care of our personal space, its hygiene, and its organization. We are now rethinking, redesigning, and reshaping our mental and our living spaces. We finally have time for it, or did we only just realize it’s essential for our wellbeing?
Eating Sustainably
Sustainable? You mean it matters if I eat a broccoli instead of a steak? That it makes a difference where I buy that green cabbage from? The answer is yes to both, it appears.
Thanks to Covid19, today we are buying food that is closer to us; the food, and us, are traveling less. We are currently doing it out of convenience; what if we continue to do it after the pandemic eases off? According to Meyer and Reguant – Closa (2017) “Eat as If You Could Save the Planet and Win! Sustainability Integration into Nutrition for Exercise and Sport” – it turns out that by eating sustainably, we can do two things better: feed more people and live longer. Not bad!
We – as humans – are doing and will continue to do what we do best: adaptation. One thing will hopefully not happen in our minds and in the minds of our country leaders: go back to our old bad habits as we manage to contain the chaos. Will we choose wisely?
By, Lamis Khoury, Chief Business Development Officer @ Mimetis Biometrials.
Lamis Khoury is a healthcare professional with over 10 years of experience in commercial launch and business development of biotech companies. She is currently the Chief Business Development Officer of Mimetis Biomaterials in Barcelona, Spain and the co-founder of Mazahr S.L., a strategic consulting company for biotech startups.
To know more about the author, visit this link.
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