Catherine Rutland shares her experience of adjusting to normal life after the last two years of Covid.
After a break of over two years, it feels the life of trains, planes and automobiles has returned for many of us. Whether it be for leisure or work.
I feel like I am having to relearn to pack with speed; a skill I have most certainly ‘deskilled’ at over the last two years!
Travelling still is odd, with a huge variance in how people are comfortable, a mask, not a mask, appropriate distancing or not concerned.
Respect for people’s preference therefore seems to be key.
Striking a new balance
Whilst in some areas it can feel like life is moving on, for healthcare workers the threat of Covid still stands.
Starting our series of National Forums we are reminded of this as healthcare professionals. At the time of writing, we are still testing and pull out of work and events due to the virus.
Whilst it is disappointing not to be able to see members we have not seen physically for so long, the bigger issue is the constant impact on health, patient care and finances.
That said, it almost seems to have become an inevitability and part of our new way of life.
Our adaptability, as humans and as a profession, never ceases to amaze me.
We know from history that it occurs. Yet living through a pandemic was not ever something any of us would have planned or chosen given the choice!
It has been a joy to hear about so many lockdown projects whilst out and about meeting people again.
There are definitely a lot of dentists who took the time to improve their practices, homes and gardens.
It seems we are so used to being active and practical that turning your hand to a project that involved knocking apart, reconstructing or improving was the thing to do.
Choosing to turn a difficult and worrying time into something positive has been said to me many times.
Lack of ability to travel in leisure time also added to the time to work on a positive project.
As we return to the wider world and start to move around more, we will, I am sure, quickly relearn our packing and travel skills.
Yet I am mindful of the positive of being more home based and need to make sure I learn a new balance; taking the best of the new and the old as we move into the summer.
Read more Core Strengths columns from Catherine Rutland
- It’s time for some positivity
- Cultivating compassion
- Build resilience, not endurance
- It’s time to embrace change.
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