Top 10 Reasons to be Grateful During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Peter F. Buckley, MD

As the countdown to the new year slowly dwindles down, remember the things you can be thankful for in 2020, as hard as it may have been.

Scroll through and reminisce on all of the good things from the past year.

1. The good health of our family. As COVID-19 rates rise, the health of one's family is certainly something to be grateful for.

2. The opportunity to be at work. Layoffs and furloughs are quite common during this pandemic. The ability to come to work, especially in the health care field, is incredibly rewarding.

3. The cohesion and individual talents of our team. Teams have truly pulled together to face this pandemic, working as a cohesive unit for the benefit of patients.

4. The remarkable compassion, professionalism, and resilience of our team members. The word "hero" has been used often in reference to health care workers lately, and rightfully so.

5. Our innovations and impact as an academic health system. Health care systems have acted as community anchors. Beyond that, research is hope. Academic and medical institutions are working hard to provide hope and solutions to this pandemic.

6. Faculty and collective successes during—and in spite of—the coronavirus pandemic. Perserverence and commitment to academia in this time is applaudable. Those submitting manuscripts and research grants, those mentoring students, those serving on national organizations: excellent work.

7. Advancing the training of our students. Students' resilience and flexibility in this time is impressive, and training tomorrow's medical work force is important.

8. The remarkable support of friends, our community, and their (not so) random acts of kindness. There is an extreme outpouring of support and appreciation right now, and that makes it easier to carry on.

9. Things in life previously taken for granted that now take on a unique/special meaning. Physical touch and interaction are difficult now, but perhaps there is greater cohesion and families and a drive towards a common human experience.

10. Our personal and professional growth through these formative life experiences. The pandemic has taught everyone resilience, and there will be a greater generation of doctors for it.

For more on this topic, see Resilience and Being Thankful, on which this slideshow is based.

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