It’s been a year since this pandemic starts/, I have been through more in

these past year. The COVID-19 outbreak has a huge impact/ on both
physical and social well-being of a lot of Filipino/, including me. Stress has
been governing the lives of so many civilians/, in particular students and
workers. In addition/ to causing a lack of motivation in our life,
quarantine has also brought a wave of anxiety. Our life changed the
moment the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention/ and the
government announced social distancing. And suddenly, We are all
suffering of having some money to buy food.

But This made me realize  that quarantine/ had created some positive
impacts on my social interactions as well. This period of time has created
an opportunity/ to check up on and connect with family/ and peers more
often than we were able to. Even though we might be connecting solely
through a screen/, we are not missing out on being socially connected.
Quarantine has taught me to value and prioritize social connection/, and
to recognize that we can find this type of connection/ not only through in-
person gatherings/, but also through deep heart to heart connections.

In fact, I have taken advantage of the opportunity to reconnect with many

of my old friends/ and have actually had more meaningful conversations
with them than before the isolation.
This situation is far from ideal/. From my perspective/, touch and in-
person interaction is essential/; however, we must overcome all
difficulties/ that life throws at us with the best we are provided with./
Therefore, perhaps we should take this time to re-align our motives/ by
engaging in things that are of importance to us./ I learned how to dig
deep/ and find appreciation for all the small talks/, gatherings,/ and face-
to-face interactions/. I have also realized that friendships/ are not only
built on the foundation of physical presence/ but rather on meaningful
conversations you get to have/, even if they are through a cold computer
monitor. My realization came from having more time on my hands and
noticing the shift in conversations I was having with those around me.
After all, maybe this isolation isn’t “social distancing”, but rather “physical
distancing” until we meet again.