⌦Conscious Disconnect⌫
April,2020
It’s really easy to get lost in the chaos of these uncertain times. In-between all the messages from corporations trying their hardest to make it seem like they care about their employees, to all the close friends and people I’d consider my family out there struggling, it’s easy to get discouraged and to fall into a vicious cycle of avoiding the news by diving into social media to either distance yourself from reality - or to connect with others who feel the same way you do.
Social media has always been such a double-edged sword, and it becomes even more apparent in situations like these. I think one of the hardest things to figure out currently is how to best help those who still have to go out there every single day. It’s hard to imagine what they have to go through when getting up for work every single day. Everyone from healthcare workers, to custodial workers, to food delivery and warehouse employees, and everyone in-between. We never notice the behind the scenes of it all until it's too late.
These people deserve a whole ass year, decade or memorial - to signify how invaluable their efforts are in this crucial time of need. Even when we’ve officially declared that we’ve gotten past “this”, things will have changed so drastically, we won't be able to go back to life as we know it. And we shouldn’t. We’ve now seen what sort of stress this pandemic has induced on not only our brothers and sisters but also on the very infrastructure and institutions that we rely on for day to day life.
Going back to the status quo shouldn’t be an option, and it's up to us to accept that and move forward when the time comes with these lessons learned in mind. My mom has to get up every day and keep running the restaurant that we’ve operated for almost 20 years now. It’s less about making money at this point and more about trying to stay afloat. I spend at least an hour a day on the phone with her trying to navigate the ins and outs of loans that we may or may not receive when we need it the most.
Small businesses are liable to take the brunt of this economic downturn - and a lot of them won't ever open their doors again. That's a terrifying prospect for something that a small business owner has likely sunk their entire life into.
It feels selfish to sit here and worry about things I can't control, but when you have too much time to think, the mind gets lost. The most important thing to do right now is to practice healthy communication and be available for those that you know may be struggling - in any form. Mentally, physically, etc., everyone is fighting something that we can't see on the surface.