Needless to say, the past year of living life during a pandemic has been tough on many levels. The two biggest impacts I’ve felt personally were on my financial and emotional health. Working to keep my business running and bills paid while having a significant amount of projects fall through and feeling cut off and isolated from friends and family was rough. It definitely challenged me to shift the way I run my business and support myself. Throughout that process the past year, the prospect of a vaccine felt like a light at the end of the tunnel. I will admit I was initially grateful to be one of the last groups eligible to receive the vaccine, as there was a part of me that wanted to see if there were any side effects before getting it myself. I had a pretty normal level of anxiety around receiving a vaccine that was new. By the time I was able to receive it; however, I felt the exact opposite. I felt eager to receive the vaccine so I could safely resume activities I’d put on pause, and see friends and family members that I’d been cut off from. I also felt confident in the fact that the vaccine I was receiving has shown no long-term side effects and minimal short-term side effects. Yes, there are some outliers but that is to be expected. In contrast, contracting the virus has shown to result in both long and short-term negative effects, some of which are incredibly severe. It was clear to me that getting the vaccine was the right decision not only for myself but also to protect those around me. It certainly doesn’t feel like we’re in the clear yet, but I can tell you that I felt emotionally lighter when I got my first dose. Work is picking up gradually, traveling feels continuously less risky, and now that the majority of my family is fully vaccinated I’ll be able to see them in person again soon. What are you most looking forward to doing once you're vaccinated? #MyVaccineReason #VaccinateOregon Sponsored by Oregon Health Authority