It is quite obvious how fast the new norm replaced the usual normality of our lives. The abrupt alterations that took place were inevitable and directly influenced every aspect of the world. As a result, nothing could escape the impact of the pandemic. Whatever came along, it carried the baggage of new challenges for the world to face. While having great anticipations about the glorious day the world gets rid of the pandemic, we strive to be resilient to the fullest of our capacities. However, amidst the chaos, countries had to ensure that the economy, education, trade, and all other things that keep the country on track still kept turning. Giving the necessary attention, priority, and significance to health is the prime responsibility of the Government as well as every citizen. In this process, no one can ignore the importance of the role of technology which has become the backbone of every platform, industry, and sector. If not for the advancements of technology that we have achieved over the years, we wouldn’t be able to live with the convenience, sophistication, and luxury it brings to our lives with the zero social contact during the pandemic era. The digitalisation of education, corporate, and health sectors lessened the risks associated with the pandemic. As a result, it kept progress on the flow and ensured the health of the students and employees are in safe hands.
Direct impact
However, the new norm is creating a direct impact on the lifestyles of youth. Even though schools, colleges and workplaces are virtually replaced at home with the help of technology, there are many other concerns to be considered. Young people around the world seem to be going through a phase of their life full of ambiguity, stress, loneliness, pressure, frustration, and feelings of missing out. Young people in different age groups are struggling with their daily routine as most of it is spent on virtual platforms. Social gatherings, travelling, exploring the world, engaging in sports, exposure to new challenges and adventures, trying out new things seem pushed far away from their lives. Virtual education is putting more pressure on young people to perform better while forcing them to put more effort into completing the given tasks and score better to pass to the next level. On the other hand, some students find it difficult to find a career even after graduating. Since the job market is wide open to medical, commercial, and technology-based employment, the young people who pursued hotel management, tourism, cookery, beauty culture and many other fields are mostly feeling hopeless about their future. The pressure is leading them to settle down with the limited options available in the new norm. This kind of ambiguity about the future has created even more frustration in their minds as they are forced to adjust to the updates of the new norm.
Changing initiatives
Since the emerging variants of the virus add up more trouble to the current issues, the Government keeps changing its initiatives to control the pandemic. Travel bans, lockdown, and isolation of areas, warnings, alerts, and restrictions are being updated every split of a second. The young people complain that they find it difficult to keep up with the frequent updates, news, and announcements and schedule their day following that. On the other hand, monotony and repeated daily routines have negatively affected mental health. Many state that this pandemic made them relive the same day over and over.
Around the globe, many young people battle unemployment and financial insecurity. They claim that in a period of their lives where they could explore life, their lives are being controlled by the virus. Would the new norm redefine and reestablish a new system out of blue? Would it come up with better solutions for the current issues? Or would it make human lives much easier than ever before? The only way we could come out of the struggle is to do everything in our power and hope for the best. Despite being anxious about what the future will bring everyone has to wait patiently till the world recovers. Not only youth but children and adults spend lives of uncertainty while having mixed feelings about the future. This could be the peak of the hardest part of the pandemic which makes everyone feel that the new normal isn’t normal anymore. But we all have to remember that blessings come in disguise.