We aren’t out of the woods yet. But, with the vaccine looming ever larger on the horizon, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Although at the moment, as we scroll through Netflix looking for something new for what feels like the billionth time, and bake yet another loaf of banana bread, it might feel like there are no positives to have come out of the pandemic. We’ve dug deep, and found a few rays of light though, to get you through this last little push.
1. Internet coverage
Okay, we’ve started strong! But seriously, this is important. As more and more children have been studying at home, the importance of internet and data reach has hit the headlines. Rural areas are negotiating their cell tower contract terms in order to increase reach to places further away. Even if you don’t live out somewhere this will immediately benefit yourself, with more and more companies embracing the advantages of working from home, it might mean that you have more options of places to live in the future.
2. Savings
Unemployment has been rife throughout this pandemic, there’s no denying that. However, if you’ve been fortunate enough to come out of it with your job still intact, you might just have been able to put some money aside for a rainy day. There’s no denying the importance of having a healthy-looking savings account. It might be some dollars you’re putting away for a holiday, once things start opening up again, or so you have a bit aside in case of emergency. Whatever the reason, savings are an important part of adult life.
3. Communication
How many of us have been guilty of letting months, maybe years, slip by without communicating with friends and family members who are long-distance? Many of us have friends who live in other countries and, pre-pandemic, lots of people would wait until they were face-to-face to have that catchup. Now, however, with no other means of getting together on the table, companies like Skype and Zoom have exploded. The way we communicate with one another has changed, and that’s something that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere fast.
4. Working
Although for some people, work has been affected negatively over the last year, for a few people they are now able to work from home which has offered more freedom and flexibility to their routines and lives, also saving time and money on what might have been a gruelling commute. It also means that many jobs that were previously less accessible to people who would have had trouble coming into the office are now more open to people with disabilities or other access needs.
There aren’t many positives to be drawn from the last year and we’d definitely still trade the few we can find if it meant that Covid-19 had never happened. But all we can do is look to step forward into the future in the best way possible, and that means taking the positives where we can find them.
