Will We Remember 2020 as the Year of Corona?

As we are currently living through the global pandemic, it is evident that we’ll remember 2020 mostly as the year of the corona. It is undeniable that we are experiencing a significant historical event. 

The latest months have brought almost incredible moments, both odd and tragic. From the daily death count updates and the inability to hug our loved ones to ghostlike empty cities, large group events that vanished, mask-covered faces, and working and studying from home, 2020 will be remembered by most as the year of the things we missed.  

The COVID-19 pandemic has put a halt to everyday life as we knew it. But what will we remember a couple of years or decades from now? 

How Our Emotions Impact Our Memory?

Our memory doesn’t allow us to remember each minute, day, face, place, event, or mood we experience. Most of our experiences become a blur, and we remember only fragments or significant moments in our lives. 

Emotions play a significant role in us remembering something because emotionally charged vents have a massive effect on our minds. Powerful feelings, both positive and negative, impact whether we remember something or not. Each of us will remember 2020 differently, depending on how emotional our experiences were during the coronavirus pandemic. 

For those who were self-isolating at home and who were tremendously blessed not to lose a loved one to the virus, the memories of 2020 will become cloudy. 

For most of us, 2020 will go down in history as the year of what got canceled and did not happen.   

Healthcare workers and others on the frontlines, who witnessed the toll coronavirus took on lives, will think of 2020 as of the year of overwhelming stress, sadness, and anxiety. People whose loved ones got sick or died alone may develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other mental health disorders.  

Come what may, almost each and one of us will know someone who got sick or died from COVID-19, so that no life will remain intact by the ongoing pandemic. 

The Year of as An Opportunity for Improved Self-Care

But is there a way to give some sense to this peculiar year? The year when the world stopped can also be remembered as the time of increased self-awareness, improved resilience, compassion, and personal growth. 

Many people are more likely to experience positive personal changes and growth during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This experience may teach you better coping strategies through self-care, mindfulness, gratitude practice, and connection with nature, increasing your resilience. 

Many of us have taken the advantage of technology to get in touch with childhood friends. We renewed some old, forgotten relationships. 

Or, perhaps, you took time to learn a new hobby, a new language, or a new instrument. You signed in for inline cooking classes and surprised your family with a fresh, delicious meal.  

If you are volunteering during the pandemic, you may experience improved self-confidence, greater empathy and compassion, and renewed purpose in your life.

The consequences of this pandemic will be far-reaching. Life will change, but it cannot be stopped. Hopefully, once everything is over, we’ll appreciate the blessings in our lives that we’ve taken for granted and use what we learned during the pandemic to improve our lives.