What if I didn’t accomplish anything during COVID?
Now that we are beginning to see the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, a new set of questions and worries has begun to plague us. We may find ourselves asking:
What if I didn't get enough done during COVID?
What if I didn't learn anything new, didn't start any new hobbies, and just waited for it to end?
Will people judge me if I'm basically the same person I was before?
Overachievers may be particularly prone to these questions. At the start of the pandemic, many overachievers and high-achievers were learning to make homemade bread and cleaning out their closets. Some started new workout routines and new hobbies. For many of us, the first few weeks of the pandemic were an interesting opportunity to rest and learn something new.
And for most of us, that wore off after a few months. The homemade bread came to an end, our Netflix watching went up, and our waistlines grew wider. The uncertainty and isolation of the pandemic has taken a toll on most of us. We may even be wondering if we are the same people that we were before.
Surviving the pandemic is enough
Articles about people having started businesses and losing weight during the pandemic increase the shame that you may feel if you didn't take time to learn a new skill or improve yourself and your life. Overachievers, high achievers, and perfectionists often struggle with thinking that what they've done isn't good enough. If this sounds like you, then the end of the pandemic may have you questioning if you just wasted a year of your life.
The fact is, we were all living through a state of uncertainty. We didn't know where we could go, when we could go, how to get things done, who we could see, and most importantly, when this would all end. During times of uncertainty, humans tend to enter into survival mode and we can't accomplish much when we are spending all of our energy to survive.
It’s okay that you didn’t get more done
While there will always be people who made the best of their time in isolation, most of us are struggling. Over 40% of Americans report an increase in anxiety and depression, and more than 60% state that they gained weight during COVID. If this sounds like you, have grace for yourself. Be forgiving. Remember that you just spent the last year enduring an extraordinary event that will be studied in history books for centuries. Our entire way of life changed. And if you spent that time just trying to survive it, that's okay.
Accept yourself, let your fears about not being good enough go, and move forward into our new normal.
Reach out if you need help
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