If you’re feeling really bad, and have been for the past several months, it’s okay.
Personally, I was a frantic mess for the first few months of the pandemic, and disappeared from view. And I’ve seen good friends doing the same. We’re all looking for a soothing outlet.
And… that’s okay.
Even the digital talks with friends seem exhausting now. It doesn’t mean I love them any less. It just takes longer to recover, because they’re like parties, and it takes a lot out of me now that my introverted side has taken over, trying to maintain some sanity in the face of the unknown.
My brain shifts into modes when needed. Work mode, socializing mode, and pandemic mode. It’s like I can rewire at a moment’s notice. I guess that’s good for working.
Here are my recommendations:
If you have a corner of one room in your space (let’s be honest, some of these Covid recommendations are kind of unreasonable – how many of us under the age of 50 have an “extra bedroom and bathroom”?), I’m serious, hang up a bedsheet or something. Get yourself a little space. I used some thumbtacks and a couple old bedsheets to make my own space. I’m not going to say I am really happy with it, but, it’s a space. It works. Living in a 750-sq-ft apartment over here, I have limited resources. (And this is a mansion compared to most of Montrose Houston.)
If you feel really alone, barely able to get out of bed some days, that’s okay too. It doesn’t mean you’re less of a person. But getting up and doing what you need to do means you’re still moving forward, probably trying to reassess and reinvent what you’re doing, so you can put your best work out there. That’s where I am.
Before the pandemic, I co-owned a marketing consulting business. Lifelong dream. It was going pretty well. Until the clients all went out of business early in 2020. (At least my old friend contracting finally came to the rescue.)
On another note, if you have children, I’m not sure how to help there. I never got married or had children, but I know it’s a huge challenge in a new world.
Please make yourself a space, both physically and mentally, one that nobody is allowed to enter without permission. And guard that as much as you can. We’ll all get through this, tired as we may be, and we’ll all be okay.
Xo,
-A.