Valuable Life Lessons We're Learning From This Pandemic #covid19

Positive Life Lessons That You Can Learn From the Coronavirus Pandemic

“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.”

- Mahatma Gandhi

If you hate being at home, your house is not a home.

I completely understand that extended periods of isolation can cause restlessness and depression, even for introverts - but if you're never comfortable at home, then it might be time to make some changes. Your house should be your fortress of solitude, the most comfortable place to relax, a place of comfort and joy. Change what you dislike about your surroundings, make comfortable spots irresistible, and surround yourself with inspiring art and colors. Your home should be perfect for you at all times, not just in times of crisis.

If you're going crazy being around your spouse all the time, it's time to relearn each other.

I can't stand the way he puts the dishes away!

I can't stand the way she leaves her makeup all over the bathroom counter!

He never listens to me!

She cares more about her hobbies than me!

He follows me all over the house! I never get any me time!

She's ignoring me! She never wants to talk to me!

Phew! For a couple who are used to spending most of the waking day apart working separate jobs, staying confined with each other can be a bit nerve wracking. Now is the time to confront those little annoyances that slowly grow to become BIG annoyances. Communicate with each other rationally and calmly about what's bugging you. Sometimes your spouse is completely unaware of the issues, and they'll never know unless you say something! Also, learning your spouse's love language can help truly help you live in harmony. My husband's love language is quality time and mine is acts of service. He knows that it makes me ecstatic when he offers to wash the dishes and it brings him joy when I step away from the computer just to talk to him about his day. I know learning your spouse's love language might seem like a hackneyed idea, but if you're having issues at home, I implore you consider learning about them.

If you hate your job, and you still hate working it in the comfort of your own home - it's time to get a new job. We spend a considerable amount of our lives at our jobs, why spend that precious time doing something you hate? Sometimes it's our co-workers or work environment that make us grimace and groan at the very idea of getting up in the morning; but when those contributing factors aren't in your own home office, then you'll see that it might be time to consider a new career when all of this blows over. No one deserves to suffer for money.

Boredom is a choice. We all get bored. When I don't have writing, crafts, homeschooling or housework to do I get bored! But if I stop to sin on the couch to mope about having nothing else to do, I have purposely given in to the misery of boredom. If you're struggling with boredom now or if you have chronically in the past, then it's time to look at your surrounding with new eyes. Look for books that you've never read, project you haven't finished, new apps you'd like to try, etc. If you can't find anything, a simple internet search can provide you with tons of great ideas for keeping yourself entertained indoors, in your own yard, by yourself, and with your kids. For some creative ideas, please check out my post: Don't Let Quarantine Clip Your Wings: How to be a Free Spirit While Stuck at Home

You can teach your children.

Unless you were already a homeschooling parent, you're now at home with your children, overseeing their education. Most schools are now providing students with work so that unprepared parents don't have to scramble to develop a curriculum. If you've ever wanted to homeschool your children but doubted your competence, you are now learning that you can do it!

Money is precious.

"I don't care too much for money - money can't buy me love", sang the Beatles. But money CAN pay your bills. Money buys food, clothing, and shelter. Right now thousands of people are without jobs, seeking unemployment, taking out loans, struggling to care for their families. Many of us didn't have much of a savings - maybe your savings is recovering from a previous misfortune. Maybe you had just started a savings account, or maybe there was no money being saved at all. The point is, we all need to understand that money is crucial for survival, especially when you have children to care for. Squandering each paycheck on frivolous purchases that will only bring you pleasure for a few minutes is a habit we all need to cease. There is nothing wrong with treating yourself, but paycheck-to-paycheck living due to excessive spending is very unwise. Put money aside from every paycheck for an emergency fund and don't touch it. We are now living in the days that savings and emergency funds were made for.

Life is precious.

We are all learning a very tough lesson that lives can come to an end on a mass scale without violence or natural disasters. A virus has entered our world and has killed (as of April 9, 2020) over 94,000 people worldwide. 94,000 souls... gone. And to know that someday it could be you or me, or your family or friends to be next to die from this horrid illness... well, it makes one see the value of life and how short it is, and why we should strive to see each day as a gift and enjoy every moment.

“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”

- Mother Teresa