Remember the three weeks of lockdown in order to “flatten the curve?” A year and a half later, after life was put on hold- delayed graduations, conferences, wedding celebrations, and even funerals – coming out of this society-wide limbo has many feeling downright giddy.
Writing recently in The New York Times, Soumya Karlamangla described how, when the pandemic rules began to loosen, she experienced “a small burst of joy.” Every return to some old, familiar activity, from hugging people to getting haircuts to wandering the aisles of grocery stores, became “almost wondrous” to her. At least for a while … But then, she admits, the feelings began to fade.
Now, Karlamangla has some advice for people looking to preserve that “post-lockdown feeling”: practicing the lost art of gratitude.
“Once a day, stop and appreciate what you’re able to do now that you weren’t last year. You can make a mental note, tell your partner, text your friend or write it down in a journal. The method doesn’t matter, as long as you’re making a deliberate effort to acknowledge that things have improved.”
She cites scientific evidence of the physical and mental health benefits of cultivating gratitude, including better sleep and higher levels of happiness. “Feeling thankful for the little pleasures in our lives,” she concludes, “can add up to make us happier people overall.” Precisely because the pandemic was so disruptive to normal life, our emergence from it provides incredible opportunities for embracing this kind of gratitude.