What a year this has been. Doesn’t it feel like we just rang in the New Year yesterday? 2020 was the year that everyone who grew up in the 90’s looked forward to. Most of us have memories of ourselves drawing posters of how we envisioned the year 2020 was going to be, and humming along to the patriotic song “Wawasan 2020”(Vision 2020) each time it was played on TV and radio. Some of us might also have read books written back then which predicted that people in the future would be able to access almost everything imaginable at their fingertips. While many of those technological advancements have indeed become a reality-you can buy anything your heart desires online, keep in touch with loved ones living thousands of kilometres away at any given time of the day, and even consult a doctor online regarding your symptoms-no one ever saw this pandemic headed our way.
Almost everyone thought it would just come and go, without much effect on our lives. But life must go on, despite this inevitable adversity. What can we do for ourselves, to make the rest of this year more bearable? In about 2 months, some of us will be celebrating Christmas, which simply put, is a celebration of love. So make the most of the remainder of this year, to practice self-love, and always look at silver lining in the cloud.
If travelling has always been your means of escape, and you are unable to do so because of travel restrictions, you can take this time to do in depth research of the places that you intend to visit once the pandemic has passed. How many times have you wished that you’d done your research properly before flying off to an unfamiliar place, only to regret when you come home and realise that you’d missed out on something really interesting?
If you’d always fretted about not looking your best in your holiday pictures, why don’t you take this time to embark on a fitness journey? You don’t necessarily need a gym membership to be fit and strong--your own bodyweight, determination and discipline will suffice. Start a food journal and you’ll be amazed at how healthy eating will boost your overall health.
If you’d been delaying that long due appointment with your aesthetic doctor because you were worried about that long but unavoidable downtime-now is the best time to call them up! Masks are compulsory, so you can avoid intrusive questions about your downtime from strangers.
Just remember, if you intend to have minimally invasive treatments done on your face—double check if your doctor is fully qualified and certified to carry them out. There are many more things which you can do to make yourself feel better—just practise precautionary steps to keep yourself protected if any of these activities involve some form of contact with others.
Remember, nothing lasts forever, not even the bad times.
Dr. Arzhealza R.
Anna Hoo Clinic
