The PeopleAlchemist Edit: change & transformation, business & lifestyle experimentation for TheWomanAlchemist - behind the scenes

Hello and welcome back to my monthly Behind the Scene blog; this month looking at getting ready for the new normal. With Covid-19 and all mandatory restrictions, working ways have changed significantly for many people. It also impacted the way we have carried on with our life. Many have faced complex challenges in both their professional and personal life. Work time, downtime and family time got all tangled up and mixed, with technology playing an ever-increasing part. However, it has also been a time of (forced but ever so needed) simplicity; you could say Covid-19 has taught us how to pare back and reconnect with the things that really count (health, family, friends, good neighbours, love). Before Covid, we were all so busy living the 'life' that many of us did not take the time to spend with our loved ones. There was always tomorrow. Suddenly, with Covid-19 and no possibilities of seeing them in person/visiting them even when sick, that became what really mattered. And learned to live more simply (who would have thought we didn't need to buy that many shoes?! Go figure!).

Some Covid-19 welcome changes

1. With the economy shutting down in most parts of the world and minimal movement, traffic decreased dramatically. NASA satellites documented around 20-30% reduction in air pollution in major cities around the world
2. Schools, universities, and colleges were shut down like everywhere else. And so they had to find a way to deliver still - welcome online classes! Even though (let's face it, for some, it was quite disruptive) not every parent enjoyed home-schooling, this has brought them closer to understanding how classes are taught and their children's awareness. Additionally, the online education system/market is a growing industry with more opportunities for all
3. The pandemic has encouraged people to embrace preventive measures and better hygiene practices. Hygiene now is not just a good habit, but a very much needed survival skill - a lifestyle change for the good - we now know what can happen if we don't
4. The pandemic has made people question what their priorities are, and ultimately that nothing matters when health is not there
5. Companies came up with products & services to enable people to be connected with work colleagues and loved ones. And, in turn, people go resourceful with ideas, hacks, tips, & tricks to connect with others & help the community and creative ways not to get bored.

"We sense that 'normal' isn't coming back, that we are born into a new normal: a new kind of society, a new relationship to the earth, a new experience of being human" - Charles Eisenstein

Getting ready for the new normal

Now that we are moving out of the big lockdown restrictions, it is important not to go back to all the old practices. Getting ready for the new normal shouldn't be an adapted version of the old. But a new chapter instead where we use technology instead of it using us. Where we find a way to stay connected to our loved ones, never forget to show them, tell them we love them (there is always time for a five minutes call). And remember the elderly neighbour that needs some help ( do you actually know your neighbour?). Getting ready for the new normal also should mean looking after our health, always not just when we are sick. And what about you? What does it mean to you getting back to 'normal'? How are you getting ready?

Let me know your thoughts and share the love x