I think we’re all going through grief in a way. Grief that the old life might never come back. If we follow the five stages of grief—denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance—I think I’m probably in the depression part. Ok that clinical depression. But feeling low. Like Monday blues forever kind of low.

I shared yesterday how I don’t know what’s normal anymore. But after more than a month indoors, I can feel an inkling of acceptance blooming. Acceptance is a nice, positive word to use, but in actual fact it’s actually more like impatience and frustration with holding out hope and waiting with no end in sight. There’s no point wishing away the reality that’s becoming increasingly stark and clear:

Normal died, in February.

So, if this is how life will be like for the indefinite future, how would you face it?

So let’s assume for now things will not return to as before, and we’re faced with this entirely new set of lifestyle constraints indefinitely. What will these new lifestyle constraints look like?

• Staying home all the time, unless for essentials.
• Working from home most/all days.
• Schooling your kids from home.
• No more traveling to other countries or even states for leisure.
• No more malls, cafes, entertainment venues.
• Most consumables come to your home, contactlessly.
• Socializing only in front of a screen.
• No more coffees, dinners, meetups in real life.
• Handshakes and hugs are dead.
• Sneezes without a mask is like unprotected sex with strangers, in a dirty toilet, of an old rundown bar.
• Coughs become more anti-social behaviour than farts.
• Your movements outside are heavily monitored and frowned upon.
• Your wages/earnings go down, the wages for “essential services” (like cleaning, enforcement, food delivery) goes up.

If this is the future, how can I better prepare for it? What do I need to start doing now?

More to come…