This year has been one for the books. Roughly 20% of people in the United States have lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Many people struggled to make money, and it affected their lives hugely. Although it may seem like quarantining has no benefits, there is a bright side to the situation.

In the early months of the pandemic, it wasn’t easy to adjust for 26 year old, Jenny Eastwood. Everyday it felt like new bad news was arriving. “By the middle of the pandemic, I was feeling really flat,” says Jenny. “I felt like humanity sucked in general, but I wasn’t able to concentrate on anything, because I’d be constantly thinking about checking the latest updates.”

Similar to most people, Eastwood was constantly stressing over the danger that the world was constantly in. Her brain, as well as many others, was under constant alert. Fast heart rate, and our minds set on the main problem all the time. Our brains are built to be prepared, so we feel a draw towards constantly checking the updates on the pandemic, as well as the police brutality, protests, politics, and several other events that happened in the dragging year.

But what have people learned from being stuck inside? Many people feel that quarantine has helped them develop as a person, and find ways to enjoy spending time alone. New hobbies were able to be explored, and maybe you even found that you had an unknown love for puzzling! Another plus is that Anti-racist books are emptying the shelves! Americans have even bought or adopted from thousands of pet shelters.

All in all, while this year has been quite the chaos, there are definitely some good things that came out of it. Each individual learned something new this year whether it be about themselves or about the world around them. And most importantly, there is a new fresh start to look forward to.