The older I get the more difficult I find it is to get a good night’s sleep (the proper, deep and restorative REM kind). With age and more life experience, comes an increased amount of knowledge. And knowledge can sometimes weigh heavy on the mind. At the present moment, amidst this Coronavirus crisis, I’m finding it almost impossible to sleep. Insomnia is kicking my ass. Right now, what’s weighing on my mind (and it seems the rest of the world’s) is the Coronavirus pandemic (a.k.a. COVID-19). 

As I’m an empath and an anxious-minded person by nature, I find myself worrying about every single person this pandemic could possibly affect. Some of these people include, but are not limited to: people with mental health issues such as contamination OCD, old people, people with weak immune systems, people with jobs, the unemployed (like me), the self-employed (like my mom), homeless people, smokers, and the list goes on. All of these people could be either directly or indirectly affected by this global disease-induced mayhem―so in essence I’m worried about the entire human population of the Earth. And that kind of worry fucks up your mind and your body, and makes it hard for you to function “normally” in everyday life. I imagine a lot of people share a similar feeling right now.

If you’re dealing with “what the fuck is going on right now?!?!” anxiety, just know that I understand (all too well) how you feel. Deep breaths. This too shall pass (eventually). The constant loop of doom and gloom media coverage isn’t helping my anxiety either. So I’ve decided to stop watching the evening news for now (and have been switching off my phone for periods of time). As the media coverage of Covid 19 seems to be all-consuming and omnipresent at the moment, I have tasked myself with finding the positives in this gloomy global situation. Here is my list of silver linings:

1. If you’re of an introverted nature, government advised self-isolation (if you’re ill or physically vulnerable) and “social distancing” is already a hobby. Solitude is sometimes just what the soul needs. Netflix and chill for the win. But if you’re able to, I hope you’re getting some of the Springtime sunshine at the moment, too. It’s essential right now. 

2. Overpopulation could be slightly alleviated with the rising death toll from the virus. (The current global human population is estimated to be 7.8 billion, according to Worldometer, as of March 2020). We need less people on the planet, people. A bleak sentiment, I know, but true. We’ve collectively damaged the Earth enough. I see this as a sort of karma on humans for their bad environmental behaviour…

3. We’ll get to see how resilient we are in difficult times. We haven’t been united like this, globally, in a long, long time. I believe the negative effects of Coronavirus will give people a much-needed kick up the arse to be more altruistic. Solidarity, and all that heartwarming good stuff that happens when people help each other out. I just hope that we remain mindful of potential hidden political agendas in the wake of the crisis, and the way disaster capitalism could be utilized to control people amidst all of the chaos. Shock creates passivity, and passivity is dangerous for the general public. 

4. Travel bans lead to decreased carbon emissions and decreased levels of urban pollution. Mother Earth is rejoicing for her much needed respite from our global jet-setting and urban pollution. China has seen blue skies recently.

5. People will develop better levels of personal hygiene. (Why did people need to be told to wash their hands???) The constant “WASH YOUR HANDS” reminder on the news, social media, and the radio sounds vaguely dystopian to me, like Big Brother from the novel, 1984, is watching me. I can’t imagine what those with compulsive hand-washing tendencies are experiencing right now, though. Probably a personal version of hand-washing-all-the-time-induced Hell. 

6. People who normally have jam-packed schedules will have time for neglected hobbies. 

7. Events, mass gatherings, courses, and classes may be cancelled or postponed, but that means more time for personal self-care. We can take this newly gained free time to read (actual books, not screens), write, dance, listen to music, exercise at home, or do more of whatever it is that helps us maintain our sanity. 

8. Pets will be happy you get to spend more time with them. Yay for fur babies. 

So, basically it’s a shitty and uncertain time, but it definitely always helps, mentally, to shift your perspective and force yourself to think of the positive side-effects of a bitter pill to swallow. Otherwise, it is all too easy for your mind to fall into an overwhelmingly deep, dark, and depressing pit of despair. So, what are your silver linings for this pandemic? 

*Photo by George Gvasalia on Unsplash