Introduction
The life course perspective, or the life course theory, is a framework to help individuals understand how significant events affect people. For example, the onset of COVID-19 significantly impacted how people undertook their day-to-day activities. The theory has different concepts that help determine a person’s response to a significant life event. It is imperative to note that each perspective has an outlined procedure to be followed as a person responds to the changes.
The theory has seven concepts, and the one selected for capturing experience is the adaptive strategies. The concept uses a four-pronged strategy to capture a person’s experience due to a life event. The key stages are analyzing the stressors, identifying the adaptive strategies, identifying the outcomes, and analyzing the results. This reflection paper uses the adaptive strategies concept to capture my personal experience of how the COVID-19 pandemic affected my eating habits and physical activity.
Identification of Stressors
The onset of COVID-19 brought significant changes in people and hindered them from conducting their daily activities as usual. The changes were experienced in both the social life domain, as friends were separated, and the economic realm, as people were forced to work from home. When it was declared a global pandemic on 20th March 2020 by the World Health Organization, nations were given the responsibility of ensuring that infections in their respective countries (Bulut & Kato, 2020).
Consequently, containment measures were set in place to control the spread. All domestic and international flights were suspended in my region, and people in corporate organizations had to start working from home. The changes caused by the pandemic made life challenging, as my eating behaviours were positively and negatively affected.
The closure of businesses made fresh supplies and groceries unavailable, and therefore, they had to survive on other types of supplies. The limited access to fresh foods and farm produce led to comfort foods filled with preservatives and rich in sugars. When it was normal, I would take plenty of vegetables and fruits, which improved my blood circulation and maintained my cardiovascular health. However, I could not access the foods during the pandemic and depended on unhealthy foods. Nevertheless, the food choices during the pandemic positively impacted my life because there was an increase in home cooking, and eating junk food stopped.
According to research by Devine (2005), avoiding junk food is the first step to better health. During regular working days, I would take snacks for lunch, which were higher in calories, but since the junk food stores were closed down, I could eat cooked food with the entire family. Snacking behaviour was reduced, and the experience improved healthy eating, which supported improved health outcomes. Changing my eating behaviour brought me closer to my family, as we could eat together.
Physical activity is an essential factor in a person’s health. I was physically fit during standard times as I preferred walking to work in the morning and used the stairs instead of the lifts to maintain fitness. However, the pandemic led to lockdowns and curfews, making people stay home. Further, I used to enjoy outdoor activities with friends after work. However, the pandemic changed the lifestyle, and the ability to exercise was reduced.
Sedentary behaviour is any habit that reduces energy use and lowers calorie breakdown in the body. The pandemic led me to engage in more than resting activities, and I always sat down, which affected my weight. As a result of the excessive sitting, lying down, watching television, and spending more time in bed, my physical activity was reduced, negatively impacting my health outcome.
The pandemic further changed the way I undertook daily physical exercise. I had a routine of visiting the gym regularly in the evenings before the pandemic. The exercise routine was negatively affected due to the containment measures and the strategies to remain safe. I had to shun my cycling habit because of the lockdown. Generally, my physical activity and eating habits were changed as I had to ensure that I maintained the rules set aside to prevent the further spread of the disease.
Identification of Adaptive Behaviors
Whenever people face a challenge, nature forces them to find a solution to help them cope with the situation. As the pandemic changed my physical activity and eating behaviour, I had to develop alternative options to ensure that I maintained healthy eating habits and physical activity programs to maintain a fit body through alternative physical exercises. The initial adaptation strategy was to ensure that I started cooking from home and took control of the dietary contents of the ingredients.
I started a cooking habit since fresh vegetables and fruits were hardly available because of the lockdown. I conducted thorough research on the nutritional value of all the ingredients that were used for cooking. During the cooking, I tried new recipes, which not only made me get healthier dishes but also helped me to overcome stress.
The changes in eating and physical exercise worried me as I thought I would contract obesity since the primary causes were present. Poor eating habits and lack of physical exercise led to obesity, and I was sure I was the next one to be diagnosed with obesity (Wethington, 2005). I had to devise strategies to overcome the stress by practising mindfulness. Mindfulness is a new strategy that allows people to practice yoga and ensure that they reduce emotional eating. The mindfulness practice not only helped to reduce stress but also played a significant part in lowering stress levels.
Social support and virtual work out were essential strategies that helped me cope and remain happy during the period. Social distancing prohibited people from meeting, and all gatherings were banned. Consequently, attending social functions was prohibited; my family was the only people I could see.
However, using social media platforms helped me get involved in online meetings, allowing people to share ideas and light moments. The online meetings allowed me to meet different people who assisted me in overcoming stress. The social support group reduced stress levels as we could meet regularly, share experiences, and improve our social life.
Virtual physical exercises were helpful as they ensured that a person maintained physical exercise to avoid obesity, and the invention of conducting physical exercise with trainers over the internet to maintain the proper routine. I had a routine of exercising with the help of the online trainers, who made it possible for the training sessions to be helpful in the discourse. Creating a routine was practical because it enabled me to maintain a healthy life without moving out of the house.
In the routine, I had specific times for every action to ensure I spent only some of the time cited. I made a routine that ensured that my life maintained normalcy as though I were going to work every morning. I could wake up at five, conduct physical exercises, and cook breakfast before entering my home office for the morning session. After the morning session, I had time to interact with my family.
Outcome Identification
The adaptive strategies had positive impacts that changed my life for good. The things I previously took for granted proved necessary, and a person could not live without them. The most evident outcome of the strategy is that I learned new skills I never had before. Cooking is a particular skill I learnt, and I became ingredient-conscious while preparing meals.
It was a period of desperation, but it taught me new skills, such as cooking and practising mindfulness. Other than the cooking skills, I became a good manager of my time and made absolute use of all the hours in a day. Unlike in the previous days before COVID-19, I would spend some time lazing around after work; the pandemic helped me to be accountable for every minute, which improved my efficiency.
I developed new networks of friends we could meet online and started new projects with online meetings. All stress was managed through the online counselling conducted during the lockdown. Consequently, I learned stress management skills I never had before the pandemic was declared. Stress management skills, therefore, helped me be a better person by changing my negative ideas. The pandemic was, therefore, an opportunity to learn self-sufficiency and work independently.
Work-life balance is essential for everyone, as spending time with family is crucial. The COVID-19 pandemic brought me together with my family, and I took time to be with them. Working from home not only allowed me to spend time with my family but also gave me a chance to learn about them. Motivation and the online physical training made me flexible, and I realized hidden talents that I possessed, such as critical thinking and effective communication.
Interpretation of Results
After the pandemic ended, I realized I had developed better eating habits, such as avoiding junk food and cooking at home. Learning new techniques helped me overcome different challenges in the healthcare domain. Generally, adapting strategies opened a new world of opportunities as I learned soft and hard skills for success. Today, I have different experiences and new skills courtesy of the lessons I learned during the pandemic. The friends I made and the physical exercise trainers became lifelong friends.
Conclusion
The outcome of the adaptive strategies showed that I overcame the challenges and made them into opportunities. The experience changed my perspective on life; I saw everything as an opportunity to perform better. It was a lesson learned that if one is faced with a challenge, one should never despair but rather use it as a challenge to overcome the problems in the discourse.
Using the concept of adaptive strategies made me convert my experience during the pandemic into essential lessons that could assist a person in improving their lives. The COVID-19 pandemic had negative impacts on many people’s lives. However, those who took the challenge positively and learnt from it improved their lives.
References
Bulut, C., & Kato, Y. (2020). Epidemiology of COVID-19. Turkish journal of medical sciences, 50(9), 563-570. Web.
Devine, C. M. (2005). A life course perspective: understanding food choices in time, social location, and history. Journal of nutrition education and Behavior, 37(3), 121-128. Web.
Wethington, E. (2005). An overview of the life course perspective: implications for health and nutrition. Journal of nutrition education and Behavior, 37(3), 115-120. Web.