If you are struggling to see the bright side of things right now, read below to see the positive takeaways from this time of isolation. 

We are finally learning to slow down in our never-ending, fast-paced society. At a time like this, we are forced to take a step back to look at what we have and appreciate it. Often, even when we get downtime, it’s usually packed between other activities. With so many places closed, and extra-curricular activities canceled, it gives us breathing space. Finally, we are able to slow down and catch our breath and stop ourselves from rushing from one thing to another. 

With the extra time now on our hands, the freedom to create and generate new ideas becomes vital in sustaining our minds. As high school students, we are always complaining about not having enough time. Our stress levels are usually through the roof and everyday life consumes our time and energy. There is rarely enough time to grow and develop ourselves and ensure our own mental health. This pandemic is awful, no one is going to deny that, but it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to discover more about ourselves and interests. It gives us the time we have craved for so long. 

If you think about it, when is the world ever going to stop like this again? When will we have all the time in the world to work on ourselves again and finally learn to play guitar or whatever it is we have been wanting to do but never had the time before? The isolation forces us to do something with our time and is it up to us what that is. 

Today we are blessed with the technology needed to communicate and keep life from stopping. With the advances in technology, today businesses and other online sites are able to keep from going out of business at a time like this. In addition to this, it allows our lives to stay connected and friendships to grow. Without face-to-face contact, we have to learn how to be a friend in a new way. Our communication skills must improve, giving us an opportunity to reach out to people we might not normally talk to. Without our normal activities, we are forced to find new talking points. 

Another positive effect of isolation is the ability to create and be innovative. Normally, our minds are overflowing with a million thoughts and ideas, and now we have time to organize and do them. Without access to many stores and products, innovation becomes necessary. Our minds grow from thinking creatively and finding new ways to do things. 

This time also gives us a new perspective. We are able to focus on what is really important to us. This time gives us a great chance to grow as a family. As a senior, time at home is precious, especially as I will be going off to college in another state and family will be farther. This extra time with my family is precious and something I can’t wish enough of. The constant flow of life does not always allow the time to know each other like we can now. 

Preparation and organization are primary time fillers right now for me. I am getting a chance to be prepared, to organize my life before I go off to college, to sort through my things and find what is really important and what is fleeting. 

Time is precious, perhaps the most valuable aspect of life, and we are blessed with an abundance of it. Our generation is able to learn time management in a way unlike any other. Despite all of its pain, this pandemic may very well be the best thing for self-improvement and growth. While it is awful, there is always a silver lining in life and we can choose to seek it out in time like this.