4 Lessons Covid-19 Taught Us About Our Health and Wellbeing

When the world rang in 2020, we sure didn’t expect the year to turn out the way it did. A global pandemic devastated families and economies worldwide, and it’s still going on right now.

Sure, we can look at all the hardships and devastation that Covid-19 brought forward. It’s something we cannot ignore. There’s another perspective we can view the pandemic, though, and that’s as a learned lesson for the future.

Even though we’re not finished with the pandemic, we can look back on the last eight months and pinpoint multiple lessons we’ve already learned. Here are four of those lessons specifically around health and our wellbeing.

Don’t Take Mental Health For Granted

Although we’ve made strides in ending the stigma around mental health and shedding light on the seriousness of it, Covid-19 did that even more. Through rolling lockdowns and gathering restrictions, many were faced with isolation. Constant isolation and the stress of the pandemic takes its toll on our mental health.

The pandemic has taught us to value and take care of our mental health even more.

The Importance of Future Planning

Now, we don’t think about planning for a pandemic. However, a few things we’ve learned recently do revolve around planning for the future.

First, do you have an emergency fund going? It’s an account you put money to (weekly, monthly, however often you want) explicitly meant for emergencies. For many families who lost their jobs this year, having that emergency fund means being able to pay the bills.

Another part of future planning is life insurance. The United States alone lost over 200,000 of its citizens to the pandemic. How many families were left with not just the grief, but also the bills and loss of household income? It’s essential to get life insurance coverage to protect your family from the uncertainties of the future.

Slow Down

We live in a busy world. We jump from task to task, barely taking any breaks in between to breathe. It’s all about the hustle.

Instead of being always on the go, take the time to slow down. When you’re always hustling and never taking breaks, at some point, you’ll reach burnout, which will force you to slow down. Prioritize what’s important in life and the day’s tasks to get what you truly need done finished, and so you have time to enjoy your life.

Practice Mindfulness

You’ve likely heard of mindfulness before and brushed it off as a “hippie” or “yogi” lifestyle, except mindfulness is a practice that everyone can benefit from.

Mindfulness ties in with slowing down – it’s about being present, rather than living in the past or worrying about the future. You learn to enjoy the things you currently have. Not only that, mindfulness techniques are excellent for maintaining our stress levels, which helps you live a healthier life.

These are four simple lessons from Covid-19 that can have a significant lasting impact on our lives. Use these lessons to help you shape your future so that you can have a long, happy, and healthy life.