We are now, officially, more than a year into the global pandemic known as COVID-19. When all is said and done, entire books and libraries will be devoted to all-things-this-pandemic, but for now, I just want to share thirteen things that I have learned from the past thirteen months.

1. Mantras Matter:

I will admit: I had previously never been big on reciting mantras. But it only seems fitting that, as so much has changed throughout this time of COVID, I just might hop aboard the mantra-train. The two mantras that have really buoyed me against many of the everyday headaches and frustrations of the pandemic have been: “Forward progress is forward progress” and “Control what I can control”–so simple, perhaps a bit banal, but easy to remember (and easy to use to psych myself up). Do you have a particular favorite mantra for yourself?

2. Keep Things Simple Whenever Possible:

Living through a global pandemic sometimes can feel like an all-consuming workday that never seems to really end, can’t it? Between the ever-sobering news-reel clips; to the up-and-down COVID metrics; to the Hunger Games-feel of the COVID-19 vaccine roll-outs, life can seem pretty maddening (and also rather bleak in nature). I have found that this might not be the best time to make too many major life decisions or take-on a lot of additional things (than if times were normal….you know, like in January or February 2020 BCE, which actually means Before COVID Era–regardless of what the History books might say). Have you recently cut out any soul-draining tasks or things that you took-on that were mostly joyless (before COVID), but that you did anyway? Now might be a great time to do some “life-pruning”, if you will.

3. Pursue True Passions:

This has been a time for me to really take a mental inventory of all things that are most important to me (and to then skim-off the chafe, so to speak). I actually found that this list is quite a bit shorter than I expected! I have a tendency to say ‘yes’ to almost anything work-related, but early in my career, still, I can see that that might be one of the surest way to experience real burn-out and disillusionment. I think we all need to have the time and space to pursue our true passions in our work lives; scholastic lives; collectives lives; and individual lives. What are some of your true passions in life? Are you giving yourself the time and space to pursue those particular things?

4. Practice Gratitude:

This is an area that really came into focus for me pretty early-on in the pandemic. When you look around and hear about people getting sick; being hospitalized; or dying; or people losing their jobs; not having health insurance; draining their bank accounts; or struggling in all sorts of different ways, it really seems to put all the daily frustrations, annoyances, and disruptions into a better perspective, I think. For me, to use meditation; prayer; creating gratitude lists, or coming up with other ways of taking an inventory of what I am truly thankful and gracious for, have proven to be tools that has been incredibly helpful–and, if I am being honest enough, things I need to be using even more! Amidst everything going on these days, what are you most grateful for right now?

5. Create a Daily Routine…:

Going back to one of my two regular mantras (‘control what I can control’), I think that so much in life–during this time of COVID–has felt like it is directly out of peoples’ control. So, this is an area that I have tried to incorporate, essentially, out of necessity. I found that creating a daily rhythm and routine has been something that has mentally helped me escape for short bits of time from this all-consuming pandemic. Have you solidified, or perhaps even just tried out, a particular daily routine that makes sense for you?

6. …But Also Embrace Adaptability:

This is another concept, I will freely admit–before the pandemic–that I would have perhaps laughed-off just a bit (largely because I just got done mentioning how helpful creating a daily routine has been for me, right?). But like so many other things that the COVID-era has taught a lot of us is that so much of life is still TBD right now: Events being cancelled left and right; plans being postponed; and more day-to-day life adjustments than can be counted–you name it. But, for me, I honestly think–in the long-run–this will be a good area of growth for my personal development. I love structure; routine; and predictability, but the pandemic has demonstrated the folly of becoming too dependent on those aforementioned things. I need to be more flexible; adaptable; and relaxed, and I may have the pandemic to thank for that in the long-run. How do you stay adaptable and flexible? I would love to hear some good suggestions!

7. Learn in a New Area:

As the course of this pandemic has played out, I found myself quite a bit more open to the possibility of learning new things. Maybe it was some of the freed-up time, or maybe it was to just take my mind off the surrounding doom-and-gloom, but whatever it was, I think this has been a good time to embrace new learning experiences. All over, I have seen people re-inventing themselves; delving deeper into their passions; figuring out creative ways to make extra money; and even taking their projects and hobbies to the next level–those things truly inspire me. While I have not done anything ground-breaking, I did decide to start this website; took a fully-online Psychology college-level course that I just finished (mostly just to learn more stuff); started a new clothing line; and learned more about real estate and investments (through different books and podcasts). Who knows? maybe as time goes on, these initial interests may blossom into something more. What’s a new area of learning, or interest(s), that you have pursued recently?

8. Consider a Creative Outlet?:

I am one of those people who believe there is an inner-artist inside all of us, and maybe it all goes back to being a kid. Most of us seem to start off life with a vibrant joy of making things; using our imaginations constantly; and having little to no reservations about being creative–it seems to come naturally to most kids. Over time, though, a lot of people seem to lose a lot of that (maybe because we compare ourselves too much with others or maybe we just hold ridiculously high standards for ourselves when it comes to choosing to pursue artistic endeavors–I don’t know). But what I do know is that our brains are meant to solve problems and be creative. I enjoy writing and also trying to come up with ideas for new t-shirts and things like that, for instance. Before the pandemic, I also was not listening to a lot of music, so I decided that I would create my own Spotify music playlist and look to regularly add new songs to it that I really liked–really simple. What is your creative outlet?

9. Practice Goal-Setting:

I wrote a little bit about this at the beginning of 2021, but one of my goals for 2020 was to run 1,000 miles in the calendar year. Realizing that goal actually meant a lot to me. For 2021, I have decided to up that 2020 goal by 5% (to be sure, a very modest increase). But I also had goals of paying off my students loans as quickly as possible (more on that coming soon); reading a set number of counseling/education-related books in each calendar year; and setting some fitness-related goals. My favorite parts of goal-setting are tracking my progress; using data/crunching numbers; and then trying to attain each goal. What’s a goal that you have set-out to attain in 2021?

10. Believe in Yourself:

If the pandemic has taught me anything, it has been to foster a greater level of self-belief. One of my other goals for 2021 has been to bet more on myself–nothing necessarily specifically, but just to not be afraid to have self-confidence and self-efficacy in a growing number of areas in life. I know that if I don’t know something, I can learn more about it; and I know that if I really want something, I may have to work harder for it; and if I am slow at something, I can become faster, more efficient. If I had one wish for everyone this year, it would be for each person to believe more–and not less–in themselves.

11. Slow Down (and Patience-Development):

Similar to being forced to develop greater levels of adaptability during this pandemic, I have also become more intentional about carving out opportunities to slow down and practice patience. Stress and a hectic schedule (without adequate breaks for rest) are not good for my blood pressure (and they can truly reduce one’s overall quality of life). I walk fast; eat fast; try to type fast–everything, it seems, I try to do faster and faster (and more efficient). But, I also know that there is a time and place to go fast and a time and a place to relax, even for just a short bit. Interestingly enough, I also found that the best way to practice slowing down and honing my patience-development skills are during those active times of my greatest levels of impatience (ah, the irony, huh?!).

12. Set the Bar Low:

I know everybody may not agree with this one, but during this pandemic, I have found it really helpful to not set a ton of high expectations–at all–with life right now. I am normally–anyway–a pretty low-maintenance, simple-living-kind-of-person, and the pandemic has only acted to heighten those particular sensibilities in myself. I reason that if you set the bar low, then there’s less of a likelihood of being disappointed, no? Again, some people have a preference for some of the finer things in life–and I can certainly respect that. But, for me, I’ll just stick to my normal frugality and lower-ish expectations. The flip-side? Maybe a little pampering and self-care, or splurging, is what is most-needed. What do you think?

13. Know That We Are More Than What We Do or Accomplish:

I know that I have spent the larger part of time here talking about setting goals and doing a bunch of different things, but I think the greatest lesson of all that I have learned over the past thirteen months of the pandemic is the understanding that I am more than a job title; more than a resume; or more than any awards, accolades, or recognition that might fall into my lap. Those things are fine, but they only offer a partial (and wholly incomplete) look into who I am–who we are.  Each of us is more than what we do; more than the amount of money we make; more than what we accomplish; more than what our social media pages look like–or any other thing that only partially matters (if they even truly matter at all). I know that, for a lot of us, this pandemic has been all about merely surviving or just trying to keep our sanity. For those folks, I admire your strength and determination to keep fighting. Times have certainly not been easy for more than a year now, so maybe the last mini take-home point needs to be this: Treat yourself (and others) well; encourage yourself–be kind to yourself.

–The Blue-Collar Counselor