Starting on Mar 17 2020, I isolated myself with my family in an attempt to keep everyone safe.  That was incredibly necessary (and still is to an extent) and I’m SUPER fortunate to have had the ability and resources to stay at home for a couple of months at the beginning, and then figure out a hybrid system of WFH + in clinic days since June of 2020.

Negative Effects

To say that these last 18 months has had a negative impact on everyone is a MASSIVE understatement. There has been an incredible human toll AND a huge negative impact on economies around the world.

Not mentioning all of the front line workers would be appalling.  Giving them endless respect and gratitude is just a start.

I don’t even know what I can say to describe my deepest and sincerest thanks to all of those working in healthcare on the front lines.  I have so many family, friends and colleagues who are all putting their heart and efforts on the line to save those who are in need.  I’m eternally grateful.

However, I’ve noticed how much of a toll these last 18 months have taken on my patients, family and friends on a daily basis.  I’m a BIG introvert and when everything starting rolling in Mar 2020, I was relieved to be cocooned in my home with my closet family members. I even remember mentioning to my husband how lucky we were to have this time together AND have the technology to stay in contact with the “outside world” (yay wifi!)

But as the days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months, and the months turned into 1.5 years (and still counting!), I started realising how much I missed contact with the “outside world”.  We started out this pandemic with an almost 1 year old and he’s now 2.5 years old.  I never introduced him to other kids his age or got to hang out with my mom friends or neighbourhood moms because we were all wary of seeing each other at the park, let alone have a playdate!

I know that I’m incredibly fortunate because I still had the love and support of my closest family members.  We were all “bubbled together” as a closed off network of 8 people. But as time went on, I longed for meeting up with a friend/colleague for a coffee & a chat, wandering aimlessly through a mall, people watching (one of my FAVOURITE things to do!), getting some work done at a coffee shop and having a meal with someone other than my husband and toddler!

Loneliness and isolation is a funny thing.  I didn’t even notice it creeping into all aspects of my life until it was too late.

Having a quick chat with a colleague in the hallway in between patients became a thing of the past. I didn’t even see any of my colleagues because we all managed our schedules to the point where we had the absolute minimal number of people in clinic that was necessary.  Grabbing a lunch with a colleague was a completely foreign concept by now!

Positive Take-Aways

On the flip side, I was determined to see things in a “positive” light.

I realised how much of a great network and community I had cultivated for myself over the years with my family, friends, schoolmates and colleagues.  It was clearly evident when I would randomly reach out to them and it would start a great dialogue back and forth.

I realised how much I appreciated going out for brunch/dinner with loved ones and the luxury of just ordering whatever I wanted!  I’m determined to savour every moment of it when things get back to “normal” again.

And hearing all of the struggles from my patients throughout the last 18 months has pushed me to figure out a way to offer my patients a sense of community that’s similar to what I’ve built for myself in my own circle of friends.  One where we can all chat freely about our health from a wellness standpoint, discuss our opinions in a respectful manner and know that we have each other’s back no matter what.

Exciting News

I’ve jumped in and become a The Wild Collective facilitator. This means that I have an amazing opportunity to bring together a small group of women to talk about all of the things I WISH I had the time to chat about in my patient appointments when it comes to women’s health and how to take the first steps towards putting yourself and your health FIRST.

If any of this has piqued your interest, sign up below to be added to the Waitlist so that you can get the Insider’s scoop on what it’s all about, when it’s launching and how to take advantage of the bonuses that are ONLY being offered to those on the waitlist!

I can’t wait to tell you all about it and I hope to see you there!