d be lying if I said living through the pandemic was easy. It was like living in a bottomless dark pool of unknowns while the walls I was swimming toward continued drifting further away. While on the outside, we had lots of privileges during this time. I still kept my job, and I was able to make ends meet. Keeping the financial ruin dogs away is one thing, but life still remained a challenge on many levels.
One of the challenges that arose early on in pandemic living was how people were going to connect. How was I going to really connect with people? Communication was everywhere, but a lack of true connection was a real concern bubbling under the surface.
In an effort to raise awareness around this issue, I wrote about it in my best-selling book — How To Thrive In Remote Working Environments. Other groups, such as Thrive Global, also shared knowledge products and social media bytes around it as well. It seemed apparent that the issue of a lack of real connection was a chasm that needed to be closed. But how?
Coming out of the pandemic, I’ve been blessed to travel all across Canada from Yukon to Prince Edward Island, and one thing I’ve noticed is that connection starvation has led to a reset in child development, competency development, and an erosion of social norms, to name a few.
It has also led to folks looking at their neighbors a bit differently. Airports are quieter than ever as folks communicate on devices yet lack real connection with the humans sitting beside them. I’ve heard stories of children not knowing how to play together and parents struggling to find ways to make that happen. I’ve heard others share anecdotes of office cultures crumbling at a vicious pace because companies have forged ahead without pausing to take stock of team norms, culture, and human-centered leadership approaches.
So, where does this leave us? Will we continue being void of real connection? Will “meeting a new friend” be done through an app or else become a thing of the past? Will neighbors still speak to each other regardless of their political and ideological views? Will we see people as people and accept our own imperfections while bringing humility to our relationships? Will children have the time and space they need to “catch up” with the social and emotional skills they need? Only time will tell.
As we embrace post-pandemic life and improve our connection as a society, a great starting point is to embrace your post-pandemic self. This is something I’ve been aware of for some time and have written about extensively in my journal. For me, embracing my post-pandemic self meant I needed to be aware of (and embrace) these three things:
1. It’s Ok To Be Socially Awkward For At Least A Year
This year, I’ve granted myself permission to be ok being socially awkward for at least a year. I am not who I used to be (and that is ok). In giving myself this permission, it actually allows me to be less awkward because I am going easier on myself in social situations. I still say awkward things or misread the room from time to time, but I do it with grace and self-love. Should you not do the same?
2. Give Permission And Space For Social Awkwardness For At Least A Year
In giving myself permission to be socially awkward for a year, I’ve also extended that to others as well. How can I expect them to be socially perfect after two years of staring at screens and only talking to the dog? Giving people a pass and accepting them for who they are can create a beautiful space for dialogue, support each other’s mental health, and get us back to a deeper connection over time.
3. Pushing My Comfort Zone Takes Both Will And Execution
During the latter phases of the pandemic, I found myself shrinking into my comfort zone rather than pushing outward and living on the edge of it each day. I got comfortable with my daily routines, life frequency, and “ok” with certain areas of my life.
While this isn’t a bad thing, I’ve recently had a David Goggins-type of awakening that I need to be pushing my comfort zone each week. I need to do something that terrifies the hell out of me and makes me better and more alive. I need to nurture the human need for adventure, rich experiences, and deeper relationships. Below is a photo I took recently at 8200 ft while alpine skiing in the Canadian Rockies. Before this photo, I skied along a rocky ridge with about a 300ft drop and nothing but a small rope and my rental skis separating me from that drop.
In summary, as we move back towards one another in more loving, meaningful ways, we have to start with ourselves first. We must acknowledge what we’ve been through, who we’ve become through that time, and who we want to be in a post-pandemic world. Not easy to do. However, if we don’t start today, we risk drifting further and further away from others and further sliding into a world devoid of connection yet filled with communication.
The choice is up to each of us.
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Previously Published on Medium
internal image courtesy of author
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