Chris Kresser: How to Reinvent Yourself for Life With/After COVID-19

Courtesy of Chris Kresser

COVID-19 has been with us since last November in China, and for weeks or months in other parts of the world.

And, while we can’t be certain exactly how long the more intensive phase of COVID-19 will last, what is clear is that the world has changed and we will likely never return to “business as usual” before COVID-19.

In a beautifully written article, Aisha S. Ahmad, a professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto explained:

“The answer to the question everyone is asking — ‘When will this be over?’ — is simple and obvious, yet terribly hard to accept. The answer is never.

Global catastrophes change the world, and this pandemic is very much akin to a major war. Even if we contain the Covid-19 crisis within a few months, the legacy of this pandemic will live with us for years, perhaps decades to come. It will change the way we move, build, learn, and connect. There is simply no way that our lives will resume as if this had never happened.”

How do we respond to such a profound and irreversible change?

Ahmad, who has lived under conditions of war, violent conflict, poverty, and disaster in many places around the world, has some wise council:

“Now more than ever, we must abandon the performative and embrace the authentic. Our essential mental shifts require humility and patience. Focus on real internal change. These human transformations will be honest, raw, ugly, hopeful, frustrated, beautiful, and divine. And they will be slower than keener academics are used to. Be slow. Let this distract you. Let it change how you think and how you see the world. Because the world is our work. And so, may this tragedy tear down all our faulty assumptions and give us the courage of bold new ideas.”

The world is changing, and we need to adapt and change with it. 

What will these changes look like? While we don’t know for sure yet, we can make some predictions:

  • Remote by default (vs. office by default)
  • Digital (vs. physical)
  • Eating at home (vs. eating out)
  • Home & family (vs. commuting and traffic jams)
  • Local economy (vs. globalization)
  • Functional Medicine (vs. conventional medicine)
  • Health and nutrition coaching (vs. taking pills)
  • Telehealth (vs. in person visits)
  • Wellness as necessity (vs. wellness as luxury)

It’s important to allow ourselves to feel the grief that comes with a change of this magnitude—especially if we were happy and content with our lives pre-COVID-19. 

But it’s equally important to spend time thinking about how we might reinvent ourselves to be better prepared for the new reality we’re stepping into. 

What shifts can you make in your personal life? How can you change how you eat, sleep, exercise, and take care of yourself to be in greater alignment with this new reality? (We’ll be exploring this further in the weeks to come.)

And what shifts can you make in your professional life? What new skills and capacities can you develop that will better prepare you for this new reality? (I’ll also be exploring this topic, since many of you are healthcare professionals.)

In every challenge lies the seed of opportunity.

What is the seed that you will nurture and grow?

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A note from Chris Kresser: Health coaching is one profession that is going to explode even faster than it is already growing now in the post-COVID-19 reality. It’s more clear than ever that staying healthy is our best defense, and that diet, lifestyle, and behavior change are the most important steps we can take. And health coaching can be delivered 100 percent virtually. We’re currently enrolling students for the spring cohort of our ADAPT Health Coach Training Program. If you’ve been thinking about reinventing yourself with a new career where you can change lives and be part of the solution—and work virtually with a flexible schedule—click here to download a free Info Packet about the program and learn more.