I think that the toughest thing that anyone can experience is not being able to see family and friends, such is human nature that we need interaction with people, we need human contact, and we need to feel connected.
Lockdown and isolation has taken away this aspect in our lives FOR NOW. All is not lost however, one of the strongest urges in human nature is the will to survive. We find ways of circumventing our immediate situation , in this case staying connected when the whole world is saying “STAY HOME“!
On a professional level I think as a company we have been able to embrace our current situation and adapt to the new way of working quite well. Staying connected with our CEO, management and colleagues has been quite easy as I have been utilising all the tools I have at my disposal i.e. telephone calls, WhatsApp calls and WhatsApp messages , Microsoft Teams , Zoom conferencing , Skype and email correspondence.
The same rules of engagement have been applied with regards to staying connected with clients and stakeholders.
With regards to family and friends WhatsApp video calls has been a tremendous blessing by means of staying in touch. I have family and friends WhatsApp group chats whereby I have been able to stay in touch with everyone near and dear to me. Virtual reality will never be the same as reality but like I said we adapt to survive, we adapt to stay sane, we adapt when we have no other choice.
Normally I am a person that thrives of off human connection, I like seeing people face to face and getting a read off their aura, I like co-working spaces, I like collaboration but I must admit I have adapted quite easily to this new normal. I feel blessed to have access this type of technology where I can reach out to another person by the touch of a button. I also appreciate the fact that I am able to take a break from the rat race, I appreciate that I am no longer always rushed off my feet every single day, I appreciate that I have an extra 3 hours, in my day that allows me to slow down a little (my usual commute time to work and back home).