The glimmer of hope

Amongst the darkness that is COVID-19 could there be a a glimmer of light that represents hope for us all? No it’s not a healthier economy or vaccines to prevent further pandemics but it’s that of human behaviour.

We’ve seen the good and bad in people around the world, some of which has been despicable and other actions that will warm your heart for days.

With so much uncertainty day to day and not knowing what tomorrow will look like let alone 2-3 months from now, it’s only natural that we start envisaging how the world will be post COVID-19. No doubt the world economy will look different, our healthcare systems will be under review, our leaders will be judged and so many families will be recovering from such horrible grief and loss, but will this pandemic change human behaviour for the good?

Significant changes in your life often have the greatest impact on how you see the world. Losing loved ones or experiencing hardship as well as achieving success or the birth of a child, all changes you as a person. So if that’s the case what does a world wide pandemic that has stopped us in our tracks do for our perception?

In our “normal life” we are often sweating on the small stuff and taking things for granted. Imagine for a moment a life where you were more grateful for everything you have... the freedom to see family, the freedom to gather with friends or the freedom to go to work. Imagine what positive impact this could have on your every day experience?

In a time of uncertainty, what we can be certain about is the impact of gratitude and how it improves our overall wellbeing, promotes positive mental health and impacts our resilience to bounce back from adversity.

So imagine if the greatest lesson we learnt from all of this was to be more grateful? To appreciate the little things in life and to stress less. The significant impact this would have on relationships and how we function as a society would outweigh the negatives in the world. The positive change in human behaviour could just be that light of hope that we didn't see coming.