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The lockdowns are genuinely driving me crazy. I've stopped and realized how much my thinking has been affected since they started and it's dramatic. The absolute destruction of our ordinary routines in favor of these isolated, work-from-home routines has been unbelievably cruel
The simple act of seeing other people around throughout the day, even those you aren't super close to, has a profound impact on your mental health that you don't grasp until it's gone. And the difference between driving to work and rolling out of bed and starting up Zoom is huge
Not to mention it's actually harder to make positive changes. Normally you set aside time within your schedule if you need to clean your car or rearrange your things. But when you have all the time in the world available, it actually becomes even harder to alot that time
Working out has also been harder than ever for this same reason. I used to have a two hour block every morning for my drive to the gym, workout, and shower. But what if you can do that at any time that doesn't interfere with a Zoom meeting? "Later...later...eh I'm tired."
And I'm sure most of you haven't gone full beard just because the lockdown, but how often are you just letting 4 or 5 days go by? I'm doing that all the time now and only shave right before I'm gonna see someone important on Zoom or in person
I'm doing something that, in theory, should be more than possible from home. But there is nothing to keep you accountable unless you have deadlines. Knowing someone near you was doing their work would always give you that push whenever you faltered. And it kept your breaks short
This is one that would be true with or without lockdowns, but my family is high risk and my best friend lives with people who are high risk, and so visits have had to be socially distanced and all that and it's just awful. The fact journos have vaccine priority is an abomination
Going on regular walks is something that helped a lot. Just go places you haven't walked through, it's a virtual guarantee there are neighborhoods nearby you've barely walked in. Technically walks are illegal in CA, but they're just gonna have to arrest me
I was extremely fortunate to be able to afford a one bedroom in Los Angeles that was a reasonable drive (in the mornings at least), but lmao @ those fortunes now
And here's something you might not know: you can probably vent all of this stuff to other people because they're feeling the same. I vented to a girl at work for like an hour after a work call and it was clear it was the first time any of us had truly talked about this
Don't vent about the politics obviously. But even the most mask-selfie lib is feeling this deep down. They might blame anti-maskers instead of their governor, but they're in the same place that you are on everything else. It feels incredible to get off your chest.
And again, you are correct to feel everything you've felt. All your feelings about these lockdowns are valid. @michaelmalice has pointed out that this is basically solitary confinement, a punishment reserved for the worst in our society, and which we know causes people to break
And the way that all these restrictions have impacted day-to-day interactions is also perverse. When I see someone on a walk, I mask up and walk around them. Not because I'm worried about transmission but because I don't know how they will react. Antisocial behavior is normal
I'm not the most outgoing guy, but I'm also not antisocial. Having to be antisocial to strangers really does mess with your head. You can't just mutually go about your business. You're consciously avoiding certain interactions with strangers. That's not healthy
One thing that stands out is grocery stores. Sure there are the people on video that screech when you don't follow every rule. But then there are the people silently terrified when anyone gets within 6 ft of them for a split second. I feel awful that they're living like this
The average kid in Zoom school is probably struggling. But think of the kids who aren't average. The kids who are a bit weird. I know that from like age 11-15, this would have absolutely broken me
Imagine being a hyper kid stuck at home. Imagine being quiet. A competent teacher would talk to you one-on-one to get you out of your shell. None of that. Imagine being a teenager trying to talk to the cute girl in class. Yeah you'd strike out, but now you don't even get a chance
As I said earlier, the libs feel the same things you do, and they can't even express it. There are all the corporate "we're in this together" ads and celebrity messages, plus $600. But there really is no discussion of this stuff. It's constant coverage of cases and Trump
There is probably some degree of burnout in discussing this stuff but that's not why we're not seeing it. There is something to the lib idea that people don't discuss their true feelings openly enough. But I think it's more that putting this out there puts a dent in the lockdowns
Another thing that I think has made an impact is that it's winter now. During the summer you can make more of the limited options available. But I'm not as inclined to go to the beach when it's like 60 degrees. And so that just makes it even worse that there are so few options
This is absolutely true. There's just this sense of melancholy and exasperation hanging over every conversation I have with a friend. The fact that there's a vaccine but they're preparing us for continued lockdowns has really dealt a blow to everyone's optimism https://twitter.com/pardesseleh/status/1346298371393290240
An added thing I dealt with this past week: my internet started crapping out a week ago. I got brand new equipment. The new password wasn't even listed anywhere on anything and I had to call the company to figure that out. Internet problems at home are now a crippling setback
There have been two other instances where my building had to work on the internet for everyone and it caused me to lose an entire day of productivity each time. Before all of this that would be a mild setback. Instead every single internet problem has been a crisis
My building requires masks for everything. So I have to mask up just to throw things out, and yeah it would be enforced. Guess who lets Amazon boxes pile up now?
I also forget to mask up when I answer my door every single time
I also forget to mask up when I answer my door every single time
I only see lockdown glee from people associated with public schools, journos, and academics. Anyone else I think that you can get them to vent. Maybe they'll blame anti-maskers, but they're not happy about it even if they're not putting up a fight. They know what they're missing https://twitter.com/taborihk/status/1346319061093928960
It's amazing just how important the supporting characters and extras in your life are to your mental well being. I have been able to communicate with and sometimes see some of the people I'm closest to, but you really do notice the absence of everyone else
