Life has changed in a lot of ways in the past six months.

I thought it would be interesting to hear everyone’s thoughts on what has changed, what has stayed the same, and what we’ve learned about ourselves and others. How has your life changed, how has your outlook on life changed, what have you learned, and how have you grown as a person? How have you declined? What has remained the same? What do you wish you could go back and tell yourself six months ago? What did you do six months ago that you wish you could go back and undo? What did you do six months ago that you’re glad you did? How has your view of humanity changed?<br><br>In the beginning of 2020 there was a lot of talk about the decade ending and a new decade beginning. My perspective has completely changed on that, I believe we went into a new decade in March.<br><br>I used to identify as an introvert, but I now see myself as an ambivert. I was starting to realize I was an ambivert at the end of last year, but I’m certain now after going into total isolation from March until May.<br><br>My mental health has improved so much. I used to have a lot of social anxiety. I haven’t had any social anxiety since March. I used to hate going grocery shopping, and I still don’t like going. But lately I haven’t been so anxious about it. I live alone now. I used to live with my parents, but I moved out in the end of May. I was planning on moving out at the end of the year anyway, but everything that happened sped up the process.<br><br>In March I had to take a bus to get home, I hadn’t taken a bus since 2012 and I hated taking the bus. I had to take two buses home, and I was so scared that I was going to get sick. I started wearing a mask for my last few days of work, and I wore one for both buses. I didn’t end up getting sick, but I haven’t taken a bus since. I also hated taking Ubers, but lately I have been less anxious about it. I also used to hate eating alone, but since I live alone now I’m okay with it.<br><br>I used to view the world as a very cut throat dog eat dog place, and I viewed most people as selfish. I think the virus has proven that to be true. It’s not all people, there are many good people in the world. But it is a lot of people. I’m not surprised at how many cases and deaths there have been, I kind of expected it. I’m not surprised people aren’t wearing masks, I kind of expected that. I’m not surprised how polarized people are on the issue, I kind of expected that.<br><br>I went from being a shy, awkward introvert to being outgoing and confident. I used to think the world revolved around me, and I was selfish. Now I see how connected we all are, and that there’s so much more to life than just me.<br><br>I used to care so much about what people thought of me, and now I don’t care at all. I’m not worried about being judged or looked at differently. I used to compare myself to others, and I don’t do that anymore. I used to be a people pleaser, and I’m not that anymore. I used to be codependent in my relationships, and I’m not that anymore. I used to be inattentive and selfish in relationships, and I’ve grown a lot in being attentive and caring.<br><br>I used to be a perfectionist, and I’m not as much of a perfectionist as I used to be. I used to overwork myself, and I don’t do that anymore. I used to be so critical of myself, I was my own worst critic. I was very hard on myself, and I’m not as hard on myself as I used to be. I used to care so much about making mistakes, and now I don’t care about making mistakes. I realize mistakes are inevitable and it’s how we grow.<br><br>I used to think I could control everything, and now I realize I can’t control anything except for myself. I used to think I could control how others see me and think of me, and now I realize I can’t control that.<br><br>I used to be very impulsive, and I’m not as impulsive as I used to be. I used to let my emotions get the best of me, and now I realize that my emotions change and aren’t permanent. I used to bottle my emotions, and now I’m better at expressing them. I used to be passive aggressive, and I’m not that anymore. I used to have difficulty expressing myself, and now I can more easily articulate myself. I used to be a horrible communicator, and I’m much better at communicating.<br><br>I used to be self-centered, and I’m not as self-centered as I used to be. I used to think I was the center of the universe, and now I realize that I’m not. I used to think I was above the law, and now I have more respect for the law. I used to be so arrogant, and I’m not as arrogant as I used to be. I used to be such a narcissist, and now I’m more empathetic. I used to care so much about pretending to be perfect, and I’m not trying to pretend anymore. I used to be so focused on my achievements and accomplishments, and now I realize how empty that is. I used to care so much about the opinion of my family, and now I don’t really care what they think of me.<br><br>I used to care so much about material things, and now I don’t really care about that anymore. I used to spend money impulsively, and I don’t do that anymore. I used to be so possessive over my belongings, and I’m not as possessive anymore. I used to be a compulsive hoarder, and now I regularly clean out my belongings. I used to be a compulsive buyer, and now I’m more thoughtful about making purchases. I used to buy compulsively, and now I save compulsively.<br><br>I used to hate to be alone, and now I love being alone. I used to always want to be around people, and now I don’t like to be around people as much as I used to. I used to hate to be at home, and now I love being at home. I used to want to always be on the go, and now I prefer to take it easy. I used to love to travel, and now I don’t really like to travel anymore. I used to never want to settle in one place, and now I’m happy to settle. I used to always want change, and now I’m happy with stability.<br><br>I used to hate to read, and I’m becoming a voracious reader. I used to hate to write, and I’m not becoming a writer. I used to hate to journal, and now I journal every day. I used to love music, and now I love it even more. I used to play my guitar a lot, and now I haven’t played in a long time. I used to draw a lot, and I haven’t drawn in months. I used to never paint, and now I regularly paint. I used to never take pictures, and now I love taking pictures.<br><br>I used to hate plants, and now I love them. I used to never cook, and I’ve become a better cook. I used to order takeout every day, and I’ve cut back on that a lot. I used to never clean, and now I clean regularly. I used to be a master procrastinator, and now I procrastinate a lot less.<br><br>I used to be a bad listener, and I’ve really improved as a listener. I used to be so horrible at receiving feedback, and I’m much better at listening to it. I used to care so much about being right, and I’m not as concerned about that as much as I used to be.<br><br>I used to hate to look back on the past, and now I can look back and realize how far I’ve come. I used to hate to look to the future, and I can now look to the future with excitement and hope. I’ve learned to accept uncertainty.<br><br>I used to be very narrow-minded, and now I’m more open-minded. I used to be very judgmental, and I’ve improved a lot in that. I used to be very critical, and now I’m more compassionate.<br><br>I used to care so much what people thought when I started a relationship, and now I don’t really care about that. I used to be so concerned about the timeline of a relationship, and I’m not as concerned about it as much as I used to be. I used to be so afraid to show affection, and now I’m not as afraid to show love.<br><br>I used to only care about myself, and now I care about all people. I used to be very against community, and now I realize the importance of community. I used to be very lonely, and now I feel very connected. I used to care so much what others thought, and now I don’t care what others think of me. I used to take everything personally, and now I don’t really take anything personally.<br><br>I used to think I was the only one who suffered, and now I realize that everyone suffers. I used to think I was the only one who struggled, and now I realize everyone struggles. I used to have so little compassion and empathy, and I have a lot more of that now. I used to care so much about my own pain, and now I realize that there is so much more pain in the world than just my own pain. I used to only care about my own struggles, and now I realize that there are so many more struggles in the world than just my own struggles