“Sweet, sour, salty, mixed,” that’s how I can describe the year of the COVID-19 pandemic that has not ended yet.

Last year, the first few cases were announced. Some people panicked and started preparing for a massive quarantine, some were still in disbelief, while some thought everything was going on as usual, as if there was nothing to be afraid of.

Now, every time I step outside the house, people are wearing masks, checking the temperature every time they enter a building which has become a habit and everything has limits. A year has passed, this is the new normal.

With or without pandemics, I am still trying to find something that I can learn through. Even though I didn’t go out, I exercised at home. I do online physiotherapy at home. I would never think that I could ever do online physiotherapy. Luckily new technologies and digital communication have gone some way to ease the toll. My physiotherapist will monitor me through the screen and she came out with all sorts of new exercises that I never thought of.

I miss my old lifestyle, I do. But it would be remiss of me to ignore the fact that while I’m doing less stuff, I’m making more room for rest— something my body always craves.

Now life has slowed down for me, I am finally giving my body the rest that I had denied for so long.

In this phase, I am finding myself saying yes to rest. I am seeing how much my body has craved this break and how this new restful time has proven very beneficial for me. I am learning that it’s okay to take a break. It’s okay to listen to what your body is telling you.

I hope that someday my lifestyle will pick up the pace again. Maybe not the way it was before but enough to keep my inner overachiever thriving. And, when it comes, I’ll remember to prioritize rest this time around

Although we do not have an exact end date, we do know that the present situation is not a permanent way of life. Focus on what is important to us. When all this is over, our life will flow again. Let us be mindful of each other and be there through the journey. Remember that there is no rainbow without rain.