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The last year has been a challenge for most people, there’s hardly anybody who hasn’t been affected by the pandemic. Aside from the obvious sad toll on patients, there’s also stories of the 20-something new graduate who cannot find work, and the grandmother who can no longer see her family. We all probably have stories to tell.
Here are 3 lessons I’ve personally learned over the last 12 months:

1.To slow down and appreciate the little things
The initial lockdown was a chance for many of us, in this crazy 24-7 world we now live in, to take a step back and pause. I speak only for myself, but I am a very on-the-go person by nature, and that’s only got busier over the last few years. To be able to spend time at home, stop flying off somewhere every few weeks, and learning to appreciate and have more gratitude for other things in life—such as a local hike outside in nature, having a good family, and meaningful work— has been a good thing for me personally. This past Christmas I was able to fly back to England and because of the COVID rules, spent almost the entire time in quarantine. The UK was in a lockdown anyway. Instead of the usual Christmases which involve running around shopping and visiting family and friends (no offense), this was surprisingly amazingly refreshing to just be alone at home as a family and not have to worry about anything else!

2.To not watch the news
This statement might sound somewhat controversial, but I know a lot of doctors who feel the same way. There was a time many years ago when I would enjoy tuning into the evening news every night. Nowadays, what passes for news broadcasts barely passes for real news any more. Modern cable and social media news are corporate-driven entities that rely on sensationalism and “click-bait” to drive their numbers and profit up. I do not believe the news has served us well during the pandemic, and if anybody out there hasn’t realized it yet— modern news media doesn’t exist to make you happy or more importantly, to truly inform you (and this predates the pandemic). It exists for viewership and to elicit emotional responses.
What I do now to stay informed, is browse the headlines on a few trusted international news sites a couple of times a day and go directly to websites such as the CDC or the United Kingdom’s NHS, to view health-related data. There has never been a time in my life where I’ve switched off this much from the regular news, and I’m okay with that.

3.Appreciate working in the medical field
Most clinician-focused healthcare websites are frequently overwhelmed with complaints about how bad the profession is and how miserable the people are working in it. Total doom and gloom. Of course, as with anything online, this will always be skewed towards those who are unhappy. Nevertheless, with all of the other things going on in society and with the economy, the last year has taught me not only that I work in a very meaningful profession where I get to make a positive impact on peoples’ lives, but also a very secure one too. I also appreciate the fact that I have not been working from home locked away in a room. In healthcare, we can never be starved of regular social interactions.

I liked my life, and the world, before the pandemic. I can’t wait for it to get back. I want to be able to go to a Broadway show, sports game, stroll the crazy streets of London or Manhattan, and walk into a crowded bar or restaurant playing live music. Maybe even go to a medical conference, although that can never be as much fun as the aforementioned things. I’m sure millions feel the same way. Yet when those days return, as I’m sure they gradually will (because I don’t believe all the doomsday predictions), I hope to take with me at least some valuable life lessons learned.

Suneel Dhand is a physician, writer, and YouTuber. He is Founder at MedStoic Lifestyle Medicine and DocsDox . Follow him on YouTube and Facebook.