I think its important to step back and reassess how the bleak picture that is often painted differs from the reality of day to day life. One of the reasons it w

I think its important to step back and reassess how the bleak picture that is often painted differs from the reality of day to day life. One of the reasons it was difficult to convince people to take effective action like social distancing and quarantine is because even at its worst (in the US), most people didn't get sick, and very few that did experienced severe disease. For the majority of people, beyond the restrictions to day to day life, Covid didn't seem that different from a flu season in terms of the burden of the disease. Ironically, I personally have been pretty cautious in my interactions over the course of the pandemic, and as a result 2020 was the longest stretch of health my family has ever had. None of this is to say that the pandemic is no big deal, or that it was handled well. But the point is that between mainstream media and social media, the picture, not just of the pandemic, but for any given topic, is always taken to the extreme. Every new bit of information is evidence of the apocalypse, the collapse of society, and the impending extinction of the human race. Enemies are everywhere. Nothing can be trusted. You are always being taken advantage of. The dystopia is now. You can't even google symptoms for an illness, without, as my doctor puts it "discover that your stubbed toe is actually terminal cancer and you have six months to live". The reality is that there are definitely things worth being concerned about both as a society and individually, but very rarely does it live up to the "hype". I've found that the more I unplug and spend that time and energy engaging in my day to day life, the less bleak the world seems, and the happier I am.