As we greet a third calendar year of pandemic life, experts who helped us make sense of the past two years discuss lessons learned, and wisdom to carry forward

If 2020 was a year of fear and isolation, 2021 marked one of return – a road toward something like “normal”, despite so many hairpin turns. The mass distribution of Covid-19 vaccines did not restore the norms of pre-pandemic life, as many had hoped, but it did change the rules of engagement. Time and again, people adapted.

As we greet a third calendar year of pandemic life, the Guardian turned to experts across disciplines who have helped the rest of us make sense of the past two years for lessons learned, and wisdom to carry forward.

Jessica Richards is the founder of the trend forecasting firm JMR Trend + Creative.

Sydney Mintle is the founder of fashion marketing and public relations firm Gossip & Glamour.

Thomas Plante is a professor of psychology at Santa Clara University.

Kelly Hills is a bioethicist and co-founder of the bioethics consulting firm Rogue Bioethics.

Barbara J Sahakian is a professor of psychiatry at the University of Cambridge.

Saskia Popescu is an infectious disease epidemiologist and assistant professor at the George Mason University Schar School of Policy and Government.