Pandemic Boundaries: Are You Keeping Them?

One of the recent trending topics has been “boundaries,” especially in light of the various pandemic rules.

The virus has resulted in evaluating lots of things, including our daily habits and the quality of our personal relationships. Whether it’s a flustered morning routine, a family member who we once saw fairly often, or an exhausting work commute, having to keep a “social distance” has literally, put “distance” between us and our usual routines.

This has provided the opportunity to not have to engage with certain people or schedules and has had some unexpected results. Before COVID, we were all in the usual humdrum. We saw the same people, followed the same routines, engaged in the same relationships. However, with the mandatory lockdown(s), many have realized that the distance from particular people and schedules has been a positive experience. So…will we keep those “distances”?

There have been many discussions about how we won’t be going back to “normal.” For example, some have realized that a two-hour commute is exhausting, uses all our fuel, adds hours onto our workday, and keeps us from time with family. Others have realized that they feel much happier not having to sit next to a certain always-complaining work colleague. In fact, many people have decided to keep some of the boundaries which COVID forced upon us; they’re viewed as a positive “side effect” of the pandemic. So…will you be hanging on to any of these boundaries?

For example, I’ve never worked from home as much as during this pandemic, but I’ve fully embraced it and found that it’s afforded me more time for both my family — and for myself. I haven’t missed being stuck in traffic every morning, or the exhaust fumes blasting in my face. Another big bonus? I’ve never been “a morning person.” My body and brain are just wired to be at my most creative and productive from midday onwards. Working from home has afforded me the luxury of being able to saunter out of my bed at a leisurely pace. I now glide to my breakfast room with a sense of contentment. I can now start my day a little later; it now has a sense of ease and grace that it never had before. I’m not forcing my body out of bed when it’s not ready, neither am I forcing my brain to consider complex business solutions when it’s hardly awake. I seem to be getting much more done, I’m sleeping better, eating better, looking better, and most importantly, I’m feeling better.

I know that I will never work in a conventional office city job again. It’s just not for me.

So, if there’s one thing that I can thank this pandemic for, it’s for putting boundaries in place which, although I initially resented, have opened up a whole new wonderful way of living and working. How about you?

-Catherine Smith

Photo by Jessica Tan on Unsplash