I was traveling in France with Yves when the Covid-19 pandemic hit our home city, Hong Kong, in late January 2020. Before the trip, we already got a few face masks to bring with us just in case.
When the coronavirus broke out, we received news about newly infected cases and death tolls every day just before we were about to fly back to Hong Kong. Looking back, I couldn’t imagine again the scene of us sipping wine in the French Alps while our friends and family in Hong Kong were panicking about not having enough face masks, toilet paper, rice and flour. Photos of empty shelves at the supermarket and news of confirmed cases filled up our Whatsapp chats.
People in France and in Europe in general were very chill. We flew back to Hong Kong via Switzerland first week of February. Luckily the flight didn’t get cancelled. On our way to the departure gate at the Zurich International Airport, we were the only ones wearing a N95 face mask and everybody thought we were crazy. (One month later, our friends who flew back from Europe to Hong Kong told us that almost everyone in the entire plane was wearing a mask and some even full-body hazmat suits).
Upon returning from the holiday, I started to work from home (WFH) since the pandemic started. Time seemed to pass quickly as I began to catch up with all the emails and conversations. I was too busy to think about the pandemic. But during the WFH time, I also experienced moments of down time because of the negative energy, the empty streets and the lack of liveliness. The gloomy weather and dropping temperature surely didn’t help either.
But everything has a learning phase, including the ability to adapt to rare things like a pandemic. I told myself that I needed to do something.
I started running (and I never liked it)
I started to form the habit of running and I swear, I was never a runner. I hated running or any cardio exercises as I wasn’t used to breathing rapidly and sweating so much that my back was getting a rainstorm. Later on, I did some research on running and realized there are lots of physical and mental benefits of running. I started walking up to the hill nearby for a short run of 15 minutes almost every day. Though it didn’t really help with calorie burn, the effect was magical… I got to see the trees and flowers, to hear the birds sing and to feel the gleams of sun on my face. I immediately felt more positive and motivated to get to my desk and start my day. I also went on short hikes (like the one shown in the image of this blog post) to the peak to enjoy the beautiful views.
Spend more quality time with people you care for
The second thing I benefited the most from this pandemic is that we got to spend more time with loved ones. Yves and I have a very busy schedule and we only see each other in the evening after post-work exercise or on the weekends. With the WFH arrangement we spent more time talking and listening to each other, cooking together, opening some nice bottles of wine that were lying in the wine fridge for months and binging on Netflix series. I also tried to call my family much more often and tried to initiate more dinners with them. I feel much more close to the people who I love and care about.
B.R.E.A.T.H.E…
The third thing and perhaps the biggest benefit is that I could take my time to slow down. I noticed the change in my breathing, that I could breathe more slowly. I no longer had to worry about little things that got in the way of my daily schedule or errands I needed to run. I took my time to brew a cup of fresh coffee every morning and to read news that isn’t limited to pandemic.
If there’s anything that the pandemic has made me feel good, it’s the realization of quality time spent on something worthy of your energy. You have to ask yourself, what is worthy of your time and attention if the world is going under tomorrow? It’s never too late to reconnect with old friends, send thank you notes, say “I love you” to your family and take care of yourself. A little self-love will go a long way, as building a good relationship with yourself is key to having good relationships with others.
That’s no time like the moment. Capture the moment and enjoy as much as you can!
