The Positives of Quarantine by Ema D.

Disclaimer: This article is meant to shine some light and hopefully offer a positive outlook for the reader, not to glamorize a heavy subject.

Recently, times have been tough and difficult to handle. I think people all around the world can agree that the media has not been helping with the frustration, confusion, and worry surrounding COVID-19. The media can induce anxiety and create fear. Sometimes, it is best to just think positive, even if it’s difficult (especially in this situation). COVID-19 is an awful virus and is definitely the worst event of our generation. However, there are some positives as well as many other things happening around the globe as a result of the pandemic. For example, since the coronavirus has shut down schools everywhere, many overworked students get a small break. For some, distance learning may help reduce stress surrounding academics since school work from home is visibly slower and less demanding compared to normal education.

Another positive is that carbon emissions are down for the first time in an extremely long time. They have dropped by 17% due to travel being suspended, causing planes, boats, and trains not being used anymore. The use of cars has gone down as well because there is little reason to use them anymore.

The final positive is that since many families have significantly less work to do (not the case for everyone), people are seizing the opportunity to become more active and improve their lives. Not only have people become more productive, but they’ve also taken the quarantine and used it to shape themselves into better individuals. Everyone is feeling the anxiousness that has been brought on through this pandemic. This doesn’t mean that our mindsets have to be like that as well. This is a reminder that this will pass and that there is always hope.