Blog:More Thoughts on Coronavirus

Ok, I have just been informed by my manager that I've been laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He told me that business has dramatically slowed down and keeping the hours of operation the same would've been unsustainable, so they've drastically shortened and that meant anyone who was working during those lost hours, including me, would have to be laid off. He also said I'm now officially eligible to register for unemployment and that in spite of all this, he enjoys working with me quite a bit and will contact me to see if I'd like to come back when all this is over.

I thought I would be enjoying the fact I have far more time for myself now, but in all honesty I'm absolutely hating it. Without any real schedule to follow or p[laces to go, my life has never felt more aimless and alien than now. It's only gotten worse now that I'm out of a job and can't go to the gym, but neither of those compare to not being able to go outside, talk to or even see others. For lack of better terms, I've been feeling so lonely and anxious during this last week, and I don't think this'll be the end of it. While we do have cell phones, emails, internet access, text messages, social media, and video communications services in modern times, none of them will ever be a sufficient replacement for speaking to others in person. I know it's unsafe to be interacting with others in person right now, and social distancing isn't something I find particularly difficult to do, but it doesn't change how I feel right now. I've never thought much of connecting with others, yet now I actively crave something that would give me that feeling, even if it were nothing more than listening to a monologue.

Have you heard of the phrase "humans are social creatures?" I usually gave it only passing thoughts in the past, but with all this going on, I firmly believe it to be true now. I find it funny how events like this, even if they turn out to be short-lived, can change us so drastically. Don't get me wrong, if we follow standard procedures for proper hygiene like covering our mouths with our elbows when coughing and washing our hands in warm water for at least 20 seconds, we'll make it through this. It's just that I never realized this could end up being a period of self-reflection, which it is for me. I'm comfortable with that, but I never thought it would happen during a global pandemic, and how sudden and unexpected it felt.

So how have you been doing? Have you bee having self-reflection, too? Stay safe and have a nice day.

