By Anne Welsh – Founder and CEO Painless Universal
July 2nd, 2020
The lasting impact of coronavirus is yet to be determined. However, there are a few hard truths emerging.
1. People are primarily a social species and we like interacting with one another, sometimes taking on our own health risks or projecting them on others.
2. Where people work and how people work is being disrupted from the norms pre-COVID.
3. Individuals are questioning what is important in their lives and rethinking how they prioritise.
Many governments went on massive spending agendas in an attempt to stabilise economies immediately after countries locked down in March. A consistent theme of these programmes was to support people that were immediately put out of work. In April the UN labour agency released an estimate that almost 200 million full-time workers were being impacted globally.
Now in the middle of July 2020 economies are opening up; however, there are strong headwinds against this being accomplished easily. Recent polls show that greater than 50% of the population does not want to return to work because they are scared of contracting the virus. Yet how does one survive without money coming into the household? Once government programmes end then reality of the pandemic’s impact on the economy will take hold. Unemployment will surely rise, the magnitude, duration and global distribution is the only question that remains unanswered.
People will have to venture out into the cruel world regardless of whether it is for social comfort or for economic survival. At Painless Universal we have taken the position that this transition phase is important for individuals, family and society to understand. A few simple rules can help.
Become socially distance aware and hygienically protect yourself. Do what you can to maintain your health by eating correctly, exercising and losing weight if needed.
The hardest part will be to put your mind into adaptive mode and convince yourself that you can work hard to find options in the new world economy. Here is how to build that plan. First of all, take the tact that all decisions are urgent. This will immediately put momentum into the actions you are taking. This is an important point. It has been so easy in the last few months to believe that this lull can go on forever. It just can’t so it is better to realise the pain that is coming to the wider society.
For the lucky ones, if you are returning to a stable job, then become the best at that job you can for the moment and until an option for a better economic outcome is available to you.
Think about what you are good at and use that to your advantage. You will have to be positive during this entire process because you will need patience and clear thinking throughout.
Is there a perfect plan? The answer is no. Stick with it, your mental toughness will ultimately deliver you happiness and a thoroughly brilliant life.