This is not to take COVID-19 lightly in the least. My heart goes out to all the families who have been affected by this disease.
I’m just been wondering how everyone else is dealing with the emotion and mental health of being yanked out of what our lives used to be. It has now been about six or seven weeks of hunkering down, social distancing, working from home, and not going anywhere not deemed essential.
The days have been running together for some time now. I have to remind myself every morning of what day it is. During a video meeting one week, when a coworker said to have a great weekend, it took a minute to realize that meant it was Friday.
Sleep cycles are off. The morning feels like it arrives earlier even though I can sleep in a little more since I don’t have a commute. I try to go to bed at the usual time, but sometimes I look at the clock and it’s 12:30 in the morning. Or I look at the clock thinking it’s time to start dinner and dinner is still hours away.
Then there is the increase in absent-mindedness. Now age is also a factor in walking into a room and not knowing why I’m there, but it has increased a great deal over the past month. Part of it too is opening a cabinet when I was wanting something from the refrigerator, or walking into my office when I wanted something from the pantry.
Extreme daydreaming is another aspect of being cooped-up for months. I find myself just looking off into space for longer periods of time than usual. Focusing is not as easy as it was a couple of months ago.
Are any of you being affected in similar ways right now?
Personal Reflections of a Middle-Aged Man 