I woke up this morning to find Potatoe still snuggled up next to me. I think he misses his big fluffy coat of fur at night. I found Brainy Bird already at his desk working on catching up with his school work. Needless to say, my day is off to a good start.
Looking at the news, there are positive signs and there are distressing signs.
On the positive, there have not been any new hotspots of the outbreak of the virus. The flattening of the curve concept appears to be effective. A number of states, including Texas, have begun the process of reopening. President Trump and Governor Abbott are pushing hard towards the reopening of our economy. Hair and nail salons and gyms are able to open here today at 25% capacity. Offices in Houston will be allowed to begin reopening on May 18th. Some major league sports teams through out the US have begun to hold practice.
These are all positive signs, but life is far from back to normal.
The most distressing sign is that US unemployment is at 14.7%, and it is still on the rise. One of the biggest drivers of mental health issues is poor economic situations. I have said it many times, the mental health fallout is going to be the most detrimental aspect of all of this. The mental health aspects of all of this will impact every socioeconomic group; no demographic is exempt.
It is not just the unemployed that are impacted from a mental health perspective. The fear of losing one’s job is very real, and a major driver of stress. Poor diet and a lack of exercise are also key drivers of mental health issues. Virtually everyone I have seen in recent days has notably gained weight, indicating they have not been eating well and exercising. Isolation is also a huge driver of mental health issues, and the vast majority of the world’s population is currently living in isolation.
For me, the biggest impact on how I feel emotionally is the uncertainty. I always have a plan for every aspect of my life, and right now there is so much uncertainty that planning is difficult.
For example, the plan was for Brainy Bird to take the SAT a second time in late March, which would mean he would have all of his test scores ready to apply for colleges on August 1. Now, we have no idea if and will he will be able to retake the SAT; except that it will definitely not be in August.
Little Chirp has big plans to make his seventh grade basketball team next year, and there is uncertainty as to whether or not we will even have extracurricular activities next year.
I had dreams of big summer vacation plans as it is our last summer before Brainy Bird graduates from high school. There is too much uncertainty around finances and what will be open to make any vacation plans.
I had plans to run a half marathon in under an hour and 50 minutes; we have no idea if and when we will have local running events again.
I had plans to be in Calgary every other week for work this summer; I have no idea when we will return to business travel. I deeply miss going to Calgary. I am ready to be back in the office. I am so over Zoom calls. I miss seeing people.
I miss planning social gatherings for my friends.
I am realizing that planning is one of my favorite hobbies, and I need a new hobby in today’s circumstances. That said, I do fully appreciate how fortunate my current circumstances are in all of this. I am beyond grateful for the health of my family and friends; my job and my little house with the giant backyard that I can so easily afford.
I think I will start making a solid plan on how to help those in much less fortunate situations.
Thank you for stopping by to read my thoughts.