Did you know that the term “YOLO” entered the Oxford English Dictionary as a word in 2016? The term “YOLO” stands for “you only live once” which is something most of us are thinking about during the Coronavirus pandemic. What if things never get better? What if things do? What would you do if everything went back to normal tomorrow? 

Nowadays, our “free-time” is mostly spent on our phones, or computers streaming some show on Netflix, and COVID-19 has really helped us see how much we took time for granted. We’ve been YOLOing.. So when things do go back to normal, are you going to go back to normal, spending time on your phone or spend more time talking and spending time with your friends? 

Most people would actually like to go back to school, go back to normal, or go have dinner at a restaurant, visit their grandparents and the list goes on and on. But the rest … they are actually scared to go back to normal. 

We have been in quarantine for three months already, social distancing, cooped up at home from fear for ourselves and family members, so what if when things go back to ‘normal’ … it all backfires? By this point, ‘normal’ will be achieved through four stages according to Governor Phil Murphy. The first stage allows “relaxed restrictions on low-risk activities,” the second stage will be opening more activities such as outdoor/indoor dining, libraries, and museums, the third stage is when most activities will be open, and ending with the fourth stage, the normal stage. Even Though we don’t know a whole lot about what ‘normal’ is going to be like or how society is going to operate in the post-coronavirus era, change is hard, always will be and always has been, and it is especially hard when you have little control over it. 

The four stages, especially the third and fourth stage can also be really hard to cope with, people have been hiding out in their homes (for the most part) and may feel overwhelmed that it is too much, too fast. That is okay. There is a lot that can’t be solved right now, but you know what? … it is the best time to do some yoga, really think and ponder about your life, about what you have accomplished and your dreams/goals, set priorities for what you like to do rather than wasting time on other ‘non-enjoyable’ stuff, and then make plans for all the stuff that you would like to do, take charge of your health and your future. You have time.