It has been a full year since the first announcement of the Philippines' strictest quarantine. Most people were confused. Some were afraid. Some felt relieved, for after a long period of incessant work, finally a period of rest. As for me, I just wanted to take the opportunity to catch up with my pending tasks then. I had a couple of articles awaiting submission and an extended rest was a blessing in disguise.

Days passed and the said quarantine reached a complete year and is still counting. The period of rest that I thought I will enjoy turned to be a source of anxiety and uncertainty. As of this writing, we are back at square one. Back to the strictest quarantine category, and only God knows when will this end.

This pandemic has taken a heavy blow in the lives of people. Minimum wage workers, members of Class D and E of society are the most vulnerable sectors of society. I have seen news of how drivers and vendors resort to begging just to survive the day. I can imagine how they swallowed their pride and sense of dignity just to feed the mouths that they promised to fill. This pandemic pushed us to the edge of ourselves, and we can only hope and pray for this nightmare to end.

But what can we do aside from trying to fix and hold ourselves together? How can we work things around in these trying times?

Pray and have faith

I don't know what you believe in but as for me, prayer sure gave me strength that kept me going. When anxiety pushes me so hard, what I do is cry out to the Lord and unload my emotions. I feel encouraged and hopeful when I remind myself that He is still in control even when everything is a mess. Faith gives me perspective, helps me in my confusion, and eases my frustrations. I don't know how things will be if not for the hope God gives me. 

Connect with Friends

Friends are our first line of defense when things don't go well in our thoughts and decisions. They are our cheerleaders and prayer partners, helping us make sense out of our confusing situations. They help us, sometimes materially, sometimes relationally, and emotionally. A simple "hello", "what's up" and "how are you doing" cheer us up. If you are used to being alone and you want a shoulder to lean on or a listening ear, perhaps it is time to connect and reconnect with friends. In this time of the pandemic, it's a huge help if we have extra hands to help us. 

Try to do your usual routine

Work from home is a new concept for many. It requires adjustment and familiarization. No more small talks in the office pantry, no more Friday night hangouts, no more frequent visits to someone else's table. The good thing is there is also no need to endure heavy traffic and the long queueing lines just to board a UV Express. This change causes anxiety to some. So my tip is to try to be as usual as possible. Wake up early in the morning, take a shower as you would before going to the office, dress up, put on makeup if you like, and try to regain your usual routine. Though there are limitations to this, still this might help.

Things are difficult and this pandemic is seen to not go away soon. 

But we are all in this together. Soon, when this ordeal is over, we will be able to heal together as one and this period will be a memorable testimony of how we survived a pandemic and came out victorious and stronger than before.

Read my other blogs:

• What to do When Stress Overwhelms You

• This is Not My Season - A Memoir

• Work. Work. Work.

• How to Bounce Back from Failure

Hi, I am Marts! I am a writer, and aside from my stint here in read.cash, I also have my own blog - martsvalenzuela.com. I appreciate it if you pay me a visit! I plan on growing my readership as I learn to improve my craft and journey towards my passion to write and publish books that add value to people.

Let's rock!