ISSUE 05
EPISODE SUNDOWN
SAME STORM, DIFFERENT BOATS LIDYA M ANSHI
If you were asked to describe 2020 in a word or three, what would those words be? It is hard to describe an overwhelming experience with just letters formed into a word. I mean where do we even begin? I view 2020 like the unexpected ride at an amusement park. Imagine you’re out with your friends, having a great time, and then you decide to get on what seems a cool ride. But the ride turns out to be everything you did not expect it to be. I don’t know about you, but that’s how 2020 felt to me. I didn’t set high expectations, I just didn’t expect a pandemic. But if we switched lenses for a moment, we can agree that this pandemic birthed a unique story for us to share.
I find one of the toughest questions to answer is; whether 2020 is a good or a bad year? Perhaps, it falls somewhere in the middle of the scale. It was bad for countless reasons. But good things occurred too. For some, lockdown led them to discover new hobbies, following their passion, and making a fresh start. For others, it was spending quality time with family and rekindling lukewarm friendships. While we were physically distanced, we remained socially connected. On the other end, people lost their lives, their properties and had to cancel or postpone cherished events. It can be disheartening when we have no control over our circumstance. And all we can do is paddle through.
COVID-19 impacted people’s health, businesses, Although we experienced the same storm, we work and education. And those external things were all in different boats. We felt the strong wind, resulted in an internal effect. but it affected us differently. A study by Dr Louise Stone published by The It had a contrasting impact on each person due Conversation wrote, “A review of the literature to our varied coping mechanism and capacities. around quarantine shows the mental health
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