How the pandemic has pushed us to pursue happiness

Having more free time and less people to spend it with has led a lot of us to find new ways to de-stress, keep busy and have fun

Dani Penaloza

(Ess Ravensbergen went camping as a way to distance themselves from their pandemic anxiety. Submitted by Ess Ravensbergen.)

From moving back to their hometown, to completely changing career paths, Ess Ravensbergen has been pushed by the pandemic to make big changes to their life.

Before COVID-19, Ravensbergen regularly took the SkyTrain to attend concerts and festivals, hang out with friends in Vancouver, and attend queer events.

But now, things are very different.

Hanging out with friends, unless they’re in your “core bubble”, is generally discouraged. Events and social gatherings have shifted online if they haven’t been cancelled or postponed. Public transit adds an additional risk of unknowingly coming into contact with COVID-19.

Ravensbergen’s life, as they knew it, was turned upside down.

After moving back to their hometown to live with their brother, sister-in-law and their kids, they find themselves at home a lot more. They also have a lot more time on their hands since being laid off in June.

“I’m cooking more, which I didn’t really think was possible because I already thought I did a lot. But now that I’m home so much, and especially not working a 9-5 job, I have all the time in the world to make food. And I have people that will eat it,” they say.

Cooking and sharing recipes are a key part to their new wellness business they’ve been building and are hoping to launch by January.

(A smoothie bowl made with peaches and berries bought fresh and locally, topped with seeds. Submitted by Ess Ravensbergen.)

Simultaneously excited and terrified, Ravensbergen says that making the decision to switch career paths from being a head lifeguard to a wellness coach required some serious self reflection about their happiness and fulfillment.

“I just started realizing, like, this is not the life that I want,” they recall.

“I really care about communities and I really want to put that effort in. I want to see [my wellness business] actually be impactful.”

Their goal is to make real changes in people’s lives.

When it came to handling COVID-19 anxiety, Ravensbergen made it a point to be in nature as much as possible during the warmer months.

They swam in lakes two to three times a week, went camping regularly, and hiked.

“When you’re out in the mountains without cell service, you’re not thinking about the world back home. You’re like ‘wow, these mountains are amazing!’ So just being able to almost escape the pandemic in a way [has helped me cope].” says Ravensbergen.

Being outdoors is something that Dani Lane also says works well for soothing her pandemic anxiety. She spends time doing chores on her hobby farm, riding her horse and beekeeping.

(Every morning, Dani Lane feeds and refills the water for her six chickens and turkey. Pictured is “Fat Karen and her Fatties.” Submitted by Dani Lane.)

When B.C. first went into lock down, Lane says her concerns about food security propelled her to start, what she calls, a “panic garden.”

“I just started a huge garden plot that was just impossible to maintain when I went back to work, but I was like ‘I’m going to survive – at least – until halfway through winter if things go down the toilet,’” Lane says with a laugh.

In her worry, she planted garlic, greens, peppers, tomatoes, peas and potatoes.

“I think I went a little too crazy with the potatoes, but I was really thinking I could get myself though quite a few months if I just had so many potatoes.”

A survey done by Nerd Bear, a gaming culture site, found that 19 per cent of those surveyed also took up gardening during the beginning of quarantine.

Lane acknowledges that spending time out in her garden took her mind off the worrying news that she would scroll through on Reddit.

“It was nice to get my hands in the dirt and just, kind of, get away from thinking about everything that was going on. I know gardening is such a cliché … but it was definitely helpful.”

Back in March, Lane started off the pandemic having to self-isolate for two weeks after being exposed to COVID-19. And to top it off, her partner at the time dumped her the first day of isolating.

From there, she realized getting through this alone was going to be very challenging.

“I spent all this time [with] me, myself and I – 24 hours a day, seven days a week – and really had to face myself and [take] that time to slow down and really sit with myself. Just the pace of life was so much slower that I actually had time to address what was going on with me, I think,” says Lane.

She explains that the biggest changes she has undergone so far because of the pandemic have been mostly emotional and mental.

In a way, the pandemic was the breaking point that led her to working on and taking care of herself more than ever before. Over the course of the pandemic, she started therapy, stopped drinking for two months, and worked to live a less isolated life than before COVID-19 took over.

“Surprisingly, I’m a lot less anxious [now]. I don’t think I sweat the small things as much anymore,” says Lane. “And just the general attitude that we’re all in this together really makes minor inconveniences seem a lot smaller.”