How the Pandemic Will Transform Us - modernfamilyblog.com

The Big Picture

What stories will we share with our grandkids about the last couple of years? A medical anthropologist and mother reflects on the pandemic’s enduring impact through the lens of time.

By Clara Jennings
March 8, 2022

Me, as a Mom

I will never again tolerate standing too close to someone who talks in whispers. Decades from now, as I look back with gray hair and deeper wrinkles, I envision myself stepping back from hushed conversations, remaining quiet in crowded spaces, and diligently sanitizing my hands and face after being in close quarters.

My grandmother was always anxious. She shared countless tales of her youth in London, where she anxiously listened for bombs during World War II near Parliament Fields. Her own mother would panic if she and her twin sister were late returning home. She often expressed disdain for big government due to the strict food rationing they endured. I vividly remember her stories about saving eggs for weeks to bake her wedding cake.

What will we recount to our grandchildren? How will the pandemic years appear to us in the decades ahead? How will our experiences during this time influence our relationships in the future?

When I share with my grandkids about my own childhood, I will explain, “We went through long periods of quarantine when you were little. Fear of the virus was everywhere. Your grandpa donned his N95 mask and used rubber gloves from his woodworking projects to gather essentials like milk, eggs, and flour from empty grocery shelves at dawn. We cultivated our own bread starters and even enjoyed wine during lunch.”

Those months turned into years, and we felt stagnant.

As a professor who shifted to online teaching for a year and a half, I balanced lectures on global health with first-grade reading lessons. My four-year-old called me “Professor McGonagall,” convinced our home was an extension of Hogwarts as we navigated the first four Harry Potter books together. I may not have been the best playmate, but those moments spent on the floor with her were both magical and stressful, fleeting yet endless.

For some, the quarantine felt like imprisonment, evoking memories of vulnerability. Domestic violence surged amid economic hardship and lockdowns. Although national suicide rates stabilized, they disproportionately increased among young people of color, LGBTQ+ communities, and those in lower-income brackets. The pandemic’s impact revealed the deep inequities that characterize America’s social and economic systems.

Many will carry the stress and trauma of this period into their elder years. In his renowned book, The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel van der Kolk highlights how we carry emotional scars throughout our lives. As a medical anthropologist, I’ve heard numerous accounts detailing how traumatic experiences become embedded in our memories and manifest in our bodies. Dr. Ranit Mishori, a Family Medicine professor at Georgetown University, emphasizes the pandemic’s profound effect on mental health, stating, “The daily challenges, uncertainty, fear, anxiety, grief, stress, and isolation linked to the pandemic have overwhelmed many. We have seen unprecedented levels of diagnosed anxiety and depression, especially among adolescents and young adults, along with soaring rates of substance use disorders compared to pre-pandemic times. The mental health repercussions of this crisis are immediate and acute, but we will continue to feel them for years.”

In Disrupted Lives, anthropologist Gay Becker discusses how periods of disruption—such as the pandemic—can lead to identity shifts and a reorganization of how individuals perceive themselves. Over the last few years, some individuals realized they could escape dead-end jobs or toxic relationships. Others found their true passions as artists, mixologists, or dedicated stay-at-home parents. Those with the opportunity to transform their lives did so, often discovering personal agency for the first time. Conversely, many were compelled to take on risky jobs to safeguard their loved ones. Others had to redefine their identities after losing family members to COVID-19, partners through divorce, or jobs due to the pandemic’s economic fallout.

The pandemic will mark our lives for years to come, influencing our routines and interactions. We’ve adopted new ways of being at home, connecting with loved ones, and shaping our environments—changes that will persist long after the crisis subsides.

However, the experience of the pandemic was not uniform. States with differing political ideologies approached reopening at varying times. As one woman in Iowa shared, “I prioritize my mental health over COVID.” It was as though she believed it was a choice. Many states with conservative policies experienced these moments as just another day. This disparity poses one of the greatest challenges to fostering unity in America. What was your experience during the pandemic?

Our understanding of life and death in America has been profoundly challenged, particularly as we grappled with intersecting issues of climate, race, and health politics. We have undergone collective transformation. Not only will we discuss these divisions for decades, but I suspect the mistrust born from this time will linger for generations.

During the pandemic, I penned a poem in my journal while researching COVID denialism in my hometown. Late at night, after reading Dr. Seuss, I laid my head on my pillow and tried to comprehend our divided nation: “One state, Two States, Red States, Blue States.” It made no sense why people resisted protecting one another. “Black states, Blue States, Old States, New States.” Everyone believed they deserved to establish their own policies. “This one has a little car. This one has a little star!” It became clear that no federal guidelines were forthcoming. “Say! What a lot of COVID policies there are!”

The truth is, we had a pandemic policy playbook that was largely ignored. Public health professionals will recount how those with basic math skills considered themselves epidemiologists. The pandemic revealed the fragility of our supposedly advanced health system when confronted with a virulent virus. It also exposed the deep-rooted issues of white supremacy that dictate who can attain good health and healthcare in America.

These disparities were evident in the Pandemic Journaling Project. As quarantine enveloped American society, medical anthropologists Sarah Willen and Kate Mason created a platform for people to document their experiences. When they asked individuals how they thought this time would be remembered, responses varied widely—except on two points. “Almost everyone agrees we’ll feel the effects for generations, and there’s a consensus on the importance of documenting our stories for future understanding.”

The pandemic will undoubtedly shape the narratives we share with our grandchildren. How these tales evolve—whether as a pause, a trauma, or a national struggle for our collective identity—will change over time. We will recall the sourdough starters, the Zoom calls, the uncertainty, and the responsibilities we bore for our children, neighbors, and ourselves. Our bodies will hold onto these memories as we gradually transition to a post-pandemic normal. Yet, healing our divisions begins at home as we reflect on our identities, support one another, and envision what 2022 and beyond can become.

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Summary:

This article reflects on how the pandemic has changed our lives, relationships, and identities. It explores the long-term impacts of stress and trauma, the disparities in experiences based on geographic and political differences, and how we will recount these experiences to future generations. The stories we tell about this time will shape our understanding of community and identity going forward.

Keyphrase: pandemic impact on future generations

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