The world around us seems to be falling apart during COVID-19 lockdowns.

The GDP is at a massive low, people have lost their loved ones across the globe, significant projects were called off, and millions of people lost their jobs. At first glance, looking for anything positive in this situation seems borderline impossible.

When our situation is terrible, we can easily overlook the good around us—or I should say, the good, the absurd, the funny, the ironic, and the bizarre around us. But to tame our anxiety, we need to see the positive things that come out of it. It may sound obnoxious but two negatives make one positive, and two crazy keep one sane.

Here are some lighter and more humorous sides of Covid-19  to give you a glimpse into the silver linings: 

1. Earth finally got a breather

We don’t give our planet the chance to recuperate. The constant barrage of pollution, deforestation, and destruction of natural habitats has been taking a toll on the planet since the industrial revolution. Still, with Covid-19 shutting things down, carbon emissions went down exponentially. The largest Arctic ozone hole has filled up, the carbon footprint of our entire race went down drastically, and after years of mistreatment, Earth finally got a breather.

All we had to do was nothing…nothing at all.

2. The creative explosion

Remember the time when we all swore to never use TikTok because it made us cringe? Yeah, well that didn’t last long.

Out of sheer boredom, we have now resorted to every social media platform. So far, we’ve learned to bake, refined our skincare, explored different clothing aesthetics, and more. Literally, whatever you wanted to learn on social media was available at your fingertips. Everybody was on it, making 60-seconds videos to answer all of your concerns.

3. Social media skyrocketed

So apparently, we increased our social media consumption by 72 percent during the quarantine. So, if someone didn’t get back to your texts due to a digital detox, they’re probably lying.

4. The animal kingdom took a stroll in the city

Remember when the roads were suddenly empty due to the worldwide lockdown, and we thought how eery all that was? Yeah, our cohabitants, the beloved animals, might disagree, since many countries from Japan to Argentina witnessed deers, cows, monkeys, and a lot more taking casual strolls by the city like it’s nobody’s business.

Now, that is the kind of takeover we can all agree with.

5. “Me time” for everyone

Will Smith once said, “Life is not the amount of breaths you take, it’s the moment that take your breath away.” Yep, we all felt that one. In case you are wondering, that quote was from the movie “Hitch.”

We don’t get time to think, ask ourselves the bigger questions, and maybe, pull ourselves out of the existential crisis most of us are working through. With a ton of alone time to think, the pandemic finally gave us a chance to reacquaint ourselves with ourselves.

Even though we were forced to take this break, it granted us time to connect with our surroundings like we never did before. More people took up cleaning, painting, and building furniture to add their touch to their space throughout the lockdown.

One might have never taken this time if things were different, but the pandemic got us thinking. No one knows how long it will last, so in the meanwhile, why not try whatever we can do?

6. The conspiracy theories

In this world of constant information overload, it is almost impossible to have facts. Not really—Covid-19 happened, it is contagious, and that is a fact. But some fellow humans didn’t quite agree. A group of anti-maskers protested throughout the United States because Covid-19 wasn’t real. Forcing them to wear a mask would violate their human rights.

Did that sink in yet? Yeah, the world at this point is a Latin soap opera—and we’ve got to love that.

7. Better hygiene standards

I cannot emphasize this enough. Finally, the world saw the importance of keeping high hygiene standards in their daily lives and while around people.

Not that people didn’t concern themselves with personal hygiene earlier. But according to a study, 69 percent of men do not wash their hands after using public toilets. I guess the question that arose is: what is the worst that can happen? Well, we all know how to answer that now.

Every place has increased its hygiene standards. Even after the pandemic is quelled, the general population, corporations, and businesses will keep their hygiene in check, which will benefit the public’s overall health in the long run.

8. Pentagon released three UFO footages

“Unidentifiable alien phenomena,” as the United States Department of Defense labeled them, were seen floating over our planet. We all finally were in understanding that with all the ridicule they have received in Hollywood, it was high time we had an alien invasion. Times were so crazy that nothing unsettled us.

9. Poland accidentally invaded a country

You read that right. The weird part of that pointer is that accidental invasions are pretty standard. Polish military “accidentally” occupied a territory that belonged to the Czech Republic. It didn’t stop there—they even used their authority to bar locals from entering their church. But the confusion didn’t last long, and the military finally retreated off the ground.

When diplomatic relations are filled with more plot twists than reality television, you know you are in trouble.

10. The murder hornet unearthed

We encountered this insect near the border of Canada and in Washington. What is this insect, you might ask? According to Sven-Erik Spichiger, it is “an Asian giant hornet can sting you multiple times and deliver larger doses of venom just because of the size of them.” While few people can survive one or two stings, they can kill you.

What a time to be alive indeed.

11. We lost a star

How do you lose a star? I do not know the answer to that, but we did.

Luminous blue variables, aka The Blue Star, is 75 million light-years away from Earth. The observation of this star began in 2001, and now, it has disappeared. The star didn’t make a supernova, which is how stars normally disappear. It just vanished into thin air.

12. As the world fell apart, people came together

Now more than ever, we needed to see humans. What is a better excuse to meet than at weddings?

People got married during Covid-19 like there is no tomorrow (pun intended). Zoom became the go-to wedding venue. To say Zoom is now rich is an understatement. Museums started online tours; escape rooms turned digital too. There was no longer an excuse not to come to these digital parties.

What a magnificent year we’ve had. Even though all of us want to go back to the boring lives that we lived pre-pandemic, you’ve got to admit we are an exciting bunch that will find a silver lining through anything.

That has got to be a superpower.