The reality of our return to clinical practice has been one of distinct change. After spending 64 days in isolation, we returned to a space that feels familiar, yet is punctuated by plexiglass, hand sanitizer and masks. Other changes are harder to see, yet even more important.
As a team, we’ve been reflecting on the timely lessons learned during this time, and on the positive new habits we’ll be working to maintain. Realizing how much we shared with each of you across our ‘isolated’ experiences has been one of our most formative learnings from this separation: we are all changed and we have all refocused. We took the time to collect some of the silver linings from our personal isolation experiences to share with you.
Natalie
“My biggest takeaway is that so many things are so completely out of our control, which is a pretty scary thought. Sometimes we have to accept that we can’t control everything, and once we do, it’s easier to find the positive side in such uncertain times. Moving forward, I’ll never take living in Vancouver for granted again. We are lucky to live in a city with mild weather and beautiful nature, where you can do outdoor activities all year round. Even though restaurants and bars are closed, I was never bored on weekends or after work with so much to do outside. I’ll also never take my work family for granted again. I missed them!”
Marianna
“I really missed seeing my family – my parents and my brother – very much, but the silver lining for me was definitely spending more time at home, not running around as much, and having quality time with my kids. I learned that a simple life really is a happy life, and that you have to do whatever makes you and your family happy. Early on, I stopped comparing myself to social media and feeling the pressure to suddenly become Martha Stewart. All that being said, I’m glad to be back at work. I missed the team, the connections we have with each other and our lives.”
Sandi
“The silver linings of COVID are many for me. Firstly: the overall slowing of ‘life’. I valued learning to live in the moment with what I have, and being present – with life’s distractions gone, I could just be in my own skin. My big light bulb moment was the confirmation to myself that I made the absolute right decision to leave the acute hospital setting and start derm nursing. I love our team and I missed them very much. Our work culture is of the ‘elite’ kind.”
Cat
“For me, the silver lining was the slower pace of life, allowing more quality time spent with my family. I learned that we don’t need much, and family and health are what’s important in life – I’ll never take them for granted again. While I enjoyed spending quiet times at home, I didn’t love working from home. I really missed seeing the team every day, and of course our lovely patients!”
Jessica
“Although I missed seeing all the smiling faces of my coworkers and the great patients we see every day, it was wonderful to have a lot of family time – especially precious quality time with my toddler. My biggest takeaway (besides the fact that I’m a pretty good baker!) is that our community needs to collectively look out for our vulnerable populations, especially the elderly.”
Trish
“My biggest takeaway from the COVID-19 pandemic is the incredibly resilient nature of humanity. With an unprecedented situation that seemed to occur almost overnight, I was amazed at the way governments, businesses, families and individuals were able to pivot quickly to rearrange their lives and ways of doing business – ways of going about day to day life – and jump in to a new, quieter, smaller way of doing things. It underscored the rather wasteful way we had become accustomed to living (multiple trips out to shops, going here and there when it wasn’t really necessary). It put a fine point on what is really important.
I continued working full time from home through the shutdown, but found that I missed my teammates and colleagues terribly. The true nature of our close-knit team was brought into focus when we connected via Zoom or other video conferences. Our team is strong and deeply committed, and not seeing them in person for 60+ days was difficult. We are so happy to be working together again. Also, wearing scrubs and sneakers to work as opposed to skirts and heels is absolutely a game changer!”
Ameei
“Having the time to invest in family and my kids was the biggest silver lining for me, but I’ll never take the freedom to see and spend time with friends and family in person for granted again. While I really missed my work family, the team, the doctors and our patients, I learned that I actually enjoy homeschooling my kids. Oh, and that you REALLY don’t need that much dry pasta, dry lentils, rice or toilet paper!”
Monika
“I will never take family time for granted again. I wish I did more and enjoyed it more than I did! I learned that work at work is best, and uninterrupted family time at home is even better. I always thought working from home would be the best job ever! So wrong. It is incredibly difficult to work from home with a toddler. I have a new appreciation for moms that do it full time! I missed the team, the patients, the interactions with people. Being at home just wasn’t the same as being in the office with the hallways buzzing.”
Emma
“One of the greatest silver linings for me was the ability to FaceTime my family more. Usually, due to the time change between here and Ireland, I rarely speak with my family during the week. As there was more flexibility on my end and their end, I was able to catch up with them more than I previously had which made me very happy. That being said, because I live away from my family, the team at work is like my family, so not being able to see them every day was difficult. I always looked forward to our coffee catch up mornings.
Another major takeaway for me is to be more present in day to day life. By nature, I am a planner, I love to have my weeks ahead planned out, I have 5 year goals, 10 years goals etc. I will make a conscious effort to not plan every detail and live life more in the moment. And I’ll never take a hug with my loved ones for granted again!”
Janet
“There were many silver linings for me but the best one is that with everything shut down, I finally got extended time off to focus on my children. And with me not being so rushed all the time, my relationship with my children and my husband became much closer. We spent a lot of time outdoors – having a lot of green space all around and near my home is something I’ll never take for granted again. Although we were all in a form of lockdown, we were able to easily enjoy sports and other activities and still maintain physical distancing.”
What were some silver linings for you? What will you be carrying forward as a result of the pandemic closures and self-isolation? We’d love to hear from you over on Instagram!