Though many nations are gradually starting to feel the relief of pandemic restrictions, global experts are fearing that this is just the calm before the storm. Within the last three years since COVID-19 hit international headlines, people’s lives have been perpetually adjusting in order to live with the virus. We’ve now grown accustomed to restrictions that hindered our basic needs to socialize and interact with one another.    

      

Wearing masks, social distancing, and isolating has put a wedge between many relationships and people have simply learned how to balance their social, personal, and work lives in the comfort of their own homes. Though this might seem like a minuscule dilemma to some, it was an overbearing experience for the majority of the global population. This is why many countries rejoiced upon hearing the news of a vaccine. It was the herald people needed to see a sense of hope for normalcy. 

              

After three years of the lockdown, borders have started opening up and life is progressively returning to normal. However, as a new chapter begins post-pandemic, the effects of COVID-19 lockdowns are slowly starting to become more evident and discernible. To put it metaphorically, it’s like seeing the carnage left by an overwhelming flash flood unravel before our eyes. 

       

The devastating effects of the pandemic have taken a toll on many aspects of society and as we go further towards the end, new types of problems are beginning to emerge. Leaders are advising their people to prepare for post-pandemic reverberations. This is the calm before the storm and we are far from reclaiming the reminiscent tranquility we had pre-pandemic.

Overcoming fear was something that hung on everyone’s shoulders during the lockdown. An impending sense of doom from uncertainty and skepticism carried throughout the first few months of 2020. While we tried to grasp for some sense of control over what was happening, we also had to continue living our lives as if the world wasn’t in complete chaos. Some people feared the virus, while others feared the idea of isolating themselves from the entire world.    

       

Though our generation had the upper hand when it came to technology, we soon realized that digital communication and social media were not enough to bridge the gap between real human interactions. People felt alone, especially without having anyone to tangibly share the fears and uncertainties brought by the pandemic. Daily routines changed and lifestyles shifted without giving people any time to develop coping mechanisms. 

  

Saturday nights that were usually spent in social immersions turned into fearful mandatory seclusion. Office buildings that were once buzzing with eager professionals turned into small digital boxes in video conference rooms. School halls that were once social hubs for students to exchange stories turned into social media chat groups and forums. Aside from these, unemployment and homelessness rose in number and people had to channel every bit of fight they had left in order to survive. 

This huge societal alteration took a toll among many people in different demographics and mental health became a worldwide problem on top of the pandemic’s many devastating effects. Anxiety and depression became a global issue and as weeks of lockdown turned into months, mental health struggles seemingly turned into another pandemic consuming the world. People also found themselves lacking sleep and energy which made it hard to maintain a steady composure throughout a long period of lockdown. 

         

Substances like alcohol became a coping mechanism for many young adults in order to alleviate any type of stress or anxiety induced by pandemic restrictions. Others have turned to simpler means of adaptation but many claim that nothing can totally distract them from the constant looming sense of uncertainty. At that point, inoculation was the simple solution everyone was hoping for. Vaccines signified freedom and a glimmer of hope to getting back the lives we once knew. 

Though experts say that this is just the calm before the storm, many disagree and believe that going back to normalcy is the only solution to the world’s deteriorating mental health. When inoculations became first available, some cast their doubts but many people believed this was the dawn of a new era. The effects of vaccination in different countries soon became evident and restrictions began to ease up one by one. Friends and loved ones started reconnecting and making up for lost time away from one another. 

However, though life is at the brink of normalcy, some psychology experts claim that mental health resilience isn’t the same for everyone. Traumatic experiences that happened among different demographics may cause some to have long-term mental struggles. Historical headlines that highlight the oppression among minorities in the west during the pandemic can cause serious post-traumatic stress disorder among individuals. 

Mentally preparing for a new world that allows us to cohabitate with a virus that caused the death of many is a psychological struggle society has to face. It’s also important to mention that though life ahead might seem normal, there are still implications brought about by the virus that is different from what life was three years ago. Mentally preparing for a new normal would still be challenging but it’s also a strong indication of how the human race is capable of surviving such an ordeal. 

However, if there is one positive aftermath from all the mental health struggles people had to endure during the pandemic, it’s the global recognition and knowledge that became the catalyst for better psychological understanding. This might only be the calm before the storm but we are now better equipped and informed. Because of the pandemic, there are now more platforms that allow people to address mental health issues without any sense of shame or apprehension. 

Within the first few months of the pandemic, unemployment became a clear social issue among different nations. Businesses were forced to shut down with everyone locked inside their homes. The service industry found itself in an uphill battle against bankruptcy and entrepreneurs struggled to look for better business options. At this point, everyone could see that COVID-19 wasn’t just a danger to people’s lives, it also endangered their livelihoods. 

For the majority, the foresight of a global recession is something unimaginable. It would have a drastically larger effect on the small to medium enterprises rather than the larger corporations. With consumer activities slowing down, small and medium business owners had to spare every penny with hopes of making it through to the pandemic. However, the fact that the end was uncertain slowly made it difficult to stay optimistic. 

The effect of the lockdown was evident throughout the globe. The once buzzing Times Square was an image of depressing desolation and with most companies taking their businesses online, industries were forced to digitally adapt along with their competitors. People who lost their jobs had no choice but to put all their hopes on state funding which of course, was not an unlimited supply. 

Some called it the calm before the storm but to many, it felt like they were in the midst of a natural disaster, grasping for any kind of palpable evidence that things would get better. Some felt the financial effects of the lockdown more than others and for quite some time, everyone expected that the stock market would take a deep plunge. This did happen for about a month and fortunately, efforts to keep wall street stable paid off. The stock market started recovering after the first quarter of 2020 and major indexes even hit record highs. 

As aforementioned, the effects of the pandemic had a larger impact on the lives of normal people and we are yet to see the global economy back in full swing. But as humans, we know that historical events, good or bad, are great opportunities to absorb and learn. Reviving the global economy would take some time and effort not just from international leaders and entrepreneurs, but also from each individual who conquered and survived the pandemic. As the world finally reopens, we have to start prioritizing the rights of citizens before anything else. 

Manpower and human capital are some of the strongest basic foundations of economic growth. Helping people get back on their feet to find new job opportunities can drastically affect the revival of business sectors across the globe. Prioritizing human resources through training and acquiring new skills can help expand the options available for citizens. Those who were severely affected by the lockdown are the ones who are considered to struggle the most in terms of recovery. Helping these individuals financially recuperate will have a direct impact on how the overall economy can make a speedy recovery. 

Focusing on modern workforce trends must also be implemented to catch up with the time that was lost. This includes creating and adapting long-term solutions that can serve as a safety net when another economic setback happens. Efforts to revive the economy in different nations can be seen through policies that are aimed towards the restoration of livelihood and employment. Since post-COVID inflation can severely affect the lives of many individuals, efforts must be made to balance financial capability and the rise of commodity prices. 

This can only be done through programs that prioritize employment by helping small to medium-sized businesses get back on their feet. Small and medium-sized businesses are highly important to the global economy since they create jobs for more or less half of the population in different countries. As we edge towards the end of the pandemic, questions about whether we should fear or be more optimistic about its arrival have been raised in different societies around the world. 

Is this really just the calm before the storm or is this the beginning of a brighter future? A future that is full of hope and possibilities after hiding in fear of a tormenting event that would forever be etched in history. Whatever the case may be, one thing for certain is that we as humans have found ways to conquer and learn in order to survive as a race. And if we can do it several times in history, we can certainly do it again and come out stronger than ever.