26 Weeks

It has been 26 weeks since my local WW Studio held the very last in-person Workshop thanks to COVID-19. 

 

On one hand, the time since the closure has felt long.  On the other hand, it has passed by quickly.  It was really tough at first.  Sort of like a death where you don’t get to say your goodbye, which I have heard people talk about COVID similar to other types of grief, I didn’t have a chance to say “see you later” to my favorite WW friends.  The longer this drags on it feels like maybe I missed saying “goodbye” to all my favorite WW friends.  The longer this drags on it starts to feel like we will never get back into our in-person Worships and I will never see those friends again.  

Thankfully, two of my local WW Centers are open for at least a weigh-in/check-in a few days of the week.  I was really hopeful that in-person Workshops would follow because other areas around the USA are opening. 

Alas, he were are 26 weeks later and still no in-person Workshops.

I am very thankful WW joined the Virtual Meeting platform on Zoom and I still have the ability to connect with my WW Coach and several other WW members.  I think without the virtual meetings, I might really be completely lost as far as WW goes, which has been a huge part of my life for almost 14 years.  The virtual workshops are just as engaging and motivating as those in-person.  It just isn’t 100% the same.

There is so much of life that isn’t the same post-COVID.  When I really think about it all, I get really depressed.  I mean really depressed.  I was just watching a reality show that was filmed in Vegas and got sad knowing that is no longer what visiting Vegas is like.

While not all sad and depressing (but over 50% is) there have been some good things that have come out of the post-COVID shutdown weeks.

I appreciate downtime more than I thought I would – I am usually a go-go-go type of person and on my days off, I was rarely home.  The COVID shutdown forced me to stay home more and afterwards, I really enjoyed staying home more.  Plus, having to wear a mask everywhere you go makes me re-evaluate if I really want to go.

Reaching out to your friends and loved ones is up most important – I can’t even imagine if I had to be separated from my loved one during these pandemic times.  I feel so sad for all those people in nursing homes.  If you have not called a loved on lately, make sure you do ASAP.

I was able to re-gain control of my weight loss – Even though I hated the shutdown and restriction, it was enough of a change to kick start my weight loss again and helped me to strive towards important goals.  

I interacted with my friends more often – Thanks to apps like Marco Polo, I am connecting with my friends more now than I did pre-COVID.  While we may not be able to see each other in person, the quick video recordings allow us to check in and say hello more frequently.

I value those things I missed even more – While the risk of COVID still exists, when I am able to partake in something I’ve been missing, I value it so much more.  Once restaurants re-opened and travel restrictions were lifted, we decided to get back out there.  It has been really helpful to my mental health to do so.

 

There is still so much unknown with the world these days.  That old saying, “if we could only go back…” or “if we had only known…”

If I had only known that March of 2020 the world would change forever, I sure would have done a few things differently.  There are lessons to be learned in all this, a silver lining of sorts, and hopefully a light at the end of a very long tunnel.