Now, more than ever, we need to band together as a human race and support one another.
Arguably, our world has always been filled with disease, famine, war, poverty, and lots of other challenges since the dawn of time. However, I can't help but feel that with the onset of Covid in 2020, negative events at a global scale seem to be accelerating at an unprecedented pace. We can't seem to catch a break.
Whether the world is actually becoming worse, or whether readily available news coverage has allowed us to hear and know about everything in real-time as opposed to how we consumed information before, I'm not too sure at this point.
What I do know is that I have been stuck in somewhat of a dilemma in the past couple of years. I'm torn between being empathetic to the struggles of others and supporting them, and between taking time off for myself- to recharge and care for my own mental health.
My human instinct screams that we need to step up our efforts in helping our fellow humans in these challenging times, the other part is complaining that I too am suffering from the same challenges and anxieties as everyone else and that in the midst of this all, I too need to find ways to remain physically and mentally healthy.
I am coming to realize that there is no magic formula to this conundrum- it is simply a matter of recognizing red flags and acting accordingly.
If your colleague comes down with Covid, ask about them and pick up their responsibilities until they get better. If you know someone is going through a hard time because they were unable to go home due to travel restrictions, cheer them up and listen to them. If someone lost their job, try helping them out and share their cv with your contacts. After all, it is our unified human spirit that has allowed us to collectively overcome the worst of the virus, and it is the only thing that will carry us through the future.
However, on days when you feel completely burnt out and are unable to lend an ear to your friend or to support your colleague, there is no shame in letting people know that you need some space. Take a step back, recharge, work on whatever it is that you need to work on, and come back fresh, motivated, and ready to continue making the world a better place!
