I bet if we were all told 5 years ago that we were going to be in a long term lockdown due to a global pandemic, working from home for a year, perpetually having to wear K95 face masks whenever we left the house for “essentials”, with kids doing remote learning from home, never in a million years would we believe it. It sounds like a terrible, low budget sci-fi movie that nobody would spend their money on to watch, yet here we are! It is our new normal, so to speak and I pray not for much longer. However, as challenging as the last 14 months have been, I can’t help but look for something positive. Some silver linings, if you will and I’ve come up with 3 things:

1. During this time in lockdown, I took the time to redesign my condo. Truthfully, it was a project so long overdue and feeling like I was going to be stuck at home for the foreseeable future, I really wanted to create a beautiful sanctuary for both Maxwell and I to enjoy until the world opens back up again. I take so much pride in the home I have created in the last few months. 

2. Mental health and wellness has always been an important part of my life, however these last 13 months have forced me much deeper into the practice of self-love, self-care and mindfulness. These three pillars have been critical for keeping me rooted and grounded during this challenging time. I have also discovered therapy (I had NO idea how much I needed it) and I have gotten so much out of investing in this area of self-care.

3. The “WFH” lifestyle is not for the faint of hearts when you’re a parent, let alone a single parent, but you know what, I have witnessed so many of Maxwell’s amazing milestones that I would never have seen firsthand if I was working outside of the house. We have developed an even deeper closeness over the year that I am certain can be attributed to this unprecedented pandemic.

And more from some amazing humans that mean so much to me…

– Alex Elle, Bestselling Author, After the Rain @alex_elle

This pandemic taught me to take better care of myself. It taught me to heal on a spiritual level. It showed me that my anxiety needed my attention and that I could no longer push my mental health aside because of “busyness.” The silver lining of it all is the realization that I need myself, too—on a deep level. Being a mom of 3 and wife, I can sometimes forget that. I am grateful for my health, my ability to choose, shift, and change—and my willingness to reclaim what it means to practice self-care. Cheers to getting back to basics and getting closer to our true selves this past year.

– Kayla Grey, Sports Anchor and Host of The Shift @kayla_grey

The pandemic has shown me that even in some of the most challenging of circumstances, I can still find a way. It’s been a beautiful gift to receive the confidence of knowing that I have all the tools I need. 

– Jillian Harris, Founder Jillian Harris Design Inc. @jillianharris

This past year has certainly been filled with many ups and downs. However, through all of the confusion and messiness that we have faced throughout the course of the pandemic, I’m truly grateful for everything that has unfolded during this time as it provided me with the space to learn more about myself and the journey of OTHERS. Over the course of this past year, my team and I have taken the time to dive deep into topics such as diversity, equity, and inclusion for the first time ever and I’m proud of the learning and unlearning we have done so far. Though this journey is far from over for us, I am so appreciative of the shifts it has allowed us to make as a team and within our business through tough conversations, welcoming new contributors to our site, diversifying our team and working hard to amplify voices of underrepresented and marginalized groups. This is just the beginning.

– Catriona Smart, Founder Coco & Cowe @cocoandcowe

Though this year has been filled with many ups and downs, my silver lining has to be the time spent with my little family. Though we have been known to drive each other up the wall (I like my alone time!) being able to have time to really be with them has been pretty amazing as I look back. With my partner, Jimmy, we’ve been able to focus on working on our communication, as running away (both physically and figuratively) from the problem isn’t an option in a pandemic and that has really helped us. As for my daughter, I have had time to do things with her that I couldn’t in the past because I was always physically in my office. Working from home has given me more freedom to do things like midday walks with her when she’s on virtual school recess and long chats about nothing because she has no one else around to talk to. Ha! Though it can be frustrating, I am beyond grateful to have them and know that they are for sure my massive silver lining in this Ponderosa, Pon De Replay, Potato of a Pandemic.