If you’ve been online at all these past few weeks, you’ve
probably seen this Tweet floating around:
Many people are feeling the pressure to be productive during
this quarantine. There are YouTube tutorials that teach you everything from doing
a backflip to creating a painting. People are sharing websites that teach you a
new language, lists of books to read, and recipes to try. Fitness gurus are explaining
how to do at-home workouts, and beauty gurus are showing how to look glam even
when you’re just at home. Additionally, many people are starting up new side hustles
as a way to make some extra cash during these tough times.
However, many others are finding themselves struggling right
now. Those with mental health issues are experiencing an exacerbation of
symptoms, and even those without mental health issues are having a rougher
time. Many people are now working from home and are having a hard time adapting
to the lack of scheduling, while others have been temporarily laid off due to
the virus. Parents are transforming into homeschooling teachers, while high
school and college students are figuring out how to switch to online classes.
The transition to this new stay-at-home lifestyle is
drastically impacting countless people around the world. Because of this, the above
Tweet received major backlash. Then, someone edited the Tweet and this started
circulating the web:
Everyone handles trauma differently. Some people have high
resiliency and are better able to handle stressful situations, while others
have a much harder time with coping. But the bottom line is this – there is
nothing wrong with not being productive during this quarantine. “It’s okay to
not be okay.”
While it is important to keep up with taking care of
yourself, you shouldn’t feel bad for not learning how to speak Japanese or
starting a new keychain-making business. Comparison is killer, so try to avoid
comparing yourself to everyone being productive right now. Not being productive
does not mean that anything is wrong with you.
Not every single moment of your life has to be productive;
it’s okay to relax for a while until things get better. Capitalism shouldn’t
dictate your life – it’s okay to just exist and not make anything out of it.
If you did nothing today, there is nothing wrong with that.
If you find yourself struggling to make it through each week, there is nothing
wrong with that either. You are a human being doing your best to get through
this pandemic, and you should be proud of yourself for making it through this
incredibly difficult time.
