The Pandemic May Have Changed Our Bodies

And it’s time to embrace that change.

A quick look at the mirror shows the stories our bodies are telling.

The unprecedented change in work and lifestyle may have come with more discomfort than we expected.

It’s impossible to say we haven’t been tempted to compare what we formerly looked like before the pandemic to our current state.

For many, it comes with mixed feelings. Going through past photographs and activities is one sure to tell how much has changed.

Truly, our bodies tend to reveal a lot about what we have been through for the past few months. Visible signs of the new normal are weight gain or loss, eye- bags, wrinkles, grey hair, back pain and disrupted menstrual cycles amongst others.

The response to the unexpected disruption of normal activities wasn’t envisaged by anyone. So much has happened due to the unavoidable sedentary lifestyle which many have been forced to live.

Undeniably, our bodies have housed a lot of feelings and most people are cracking under the pressure of remotely working with kids to cater for and chores that never end.

Boredom, apathy and emotional strain have forced a lot of people into a state of distress. This distress may have come with many unintended consequences.

At no point in time in this contemporary age has human resilience been tested this much.

To this extent, Dr. Ada Stewart, a family doctor in Columbia, South Carolina notes, “the pandemic has truly impacted the health of our nation and not just necessarily with the Covid disease itself.”

Just as the narrative has changed, our bodies are also adjusting to whatever seems acceptable.

Many people are still working from home, from their beds, on the sofa, on the kitchen table, and from other unlikely spaces for long hours. With all these, there’s no way our bodies won’t have been altered, internally or externally.

Excessive or inadequate sleep, home learning, sudden change in routines, endless zoom meetings, anxiety about job security, financial struggles and isolation are daily incidents that we have been forced to adapt to.

A lot of people have also developed unhealthy relationships with food as a way to address their feelings. Eating disorders and food addiction have become more rampant than we knew it to be.

Through all these, let’s not forget that zoom meetings have forced many to worry more about their appearances as they have become fixated on what they look like, the perfect camera angle and whether to use light makeup or not during such meetings.

Where does this change leave us?

Despite all that has happened, a lot of people are openly talking about their weight gain and other health issues that they are dealing with.

There are daily jokes by people on how their clothes don’t fit anymore. Dieting, binge eating and staying in shape are daily topics.

Sadly, an American survey revealed that nearly half of the people who partook in the survey complained about losing their confidence, compared to what it was before covid-19. While 42 percent said they were no longer felt comfortable with their bodies, the other 40 revealed that they were not happy with their reflection before a mirror.

While most people have complained about strained eyesight because they have had to acclimatize to working with a smaller screen at home, others have complained about their feet getting bigger because they haven’t been wearing proper shoes.

It may seem surprising to wake up to the realization that just as the world is changing, our bodies are changing too!

Dealing with your pandemic body

Now that the pandemic still continues with no clear end in sight, we may have to accept that these bodily changes are normal. Struggling with a new body isn’t something to be ashamed of or to give apologies for.

The truth is, many people hope to return to their former bodies once the pandemic is over. There is nothing wrong with this.

Although it’s hard to accept certain comments about how much one’s body has changed, the best way to break out of any circle of bodily comparison or guilt is to focus more on body positivity.

Even if you don’t like what you see in the mirror or how you feel, reframe your thinking to focus on treating your body well, rather than conforming to society’s standards of what the perfect body should be.

It starts with mindfully replacing negative with positive thoughts.

Remember, you can still love yourself and be a work in progress