A digression from an educated but likely ignorant millennial on the Coronavirus.
This is indeed a surreal time in the world’s history. There are few incidences in one’s lifetime to see and even be moved by a global-event, especially one that can be considered a pandemic. In my short lifetime, I have seen many events happen within individual communities, cities, countries, continents, etc. In relatively-recent years, due to the nature of our media-driven communication, these events (i.e. mass-shootings, terrorist attacks, major country riots or rifting, famine, poverty, disease) reach all over the world, and some individuals may be moved or saddened, but all-to-often, these events are quickly forgotten.
I for one, am one of these individuals. In school I was never one to enjoy the subject of history (except for those two years with dreamy Mr. Bihler… but those may have been for reasons other than intended). In my latter years, I tend to become more interested in history, merely due to the fact of experiencing events which have been influenced or otherwise mirror historical events. With that said, I still rarely watch the news, which is primarily due to the constant reel and bombardment of tragic events. These events often lead me to ask the philosophical questions of life, which without a solid foundation of religious or other belief systems, can lead to major identity-crisis, paranoia, depression, and so-on and so-forth. However, when I do hear news of some tragic event happening down the street, across the country, or across the world, I may think or say aloud, “Oh, that’s terrible.” Pathetically, however, driven either by large-crowd mentality, the feeling of powerlessness, or selfishness, I do nothing and move on with my day. I am sure many can agree with it to some degree, that these events quite rarely move one in a way which would alter the path of their normal day-to-day activities or even their thought-processes, other than being a point of conversation.
Now, however, we find ourselves in a world-wide pandemic, which I’m sure in some way or another has affected every single person. This could be as small as not being able to go to their favorite restaurant or park or ability to get their favorite toilet paper brand or even getting their Amazon shipment on time. It could also be as large as a loss of a job, or worse, a loss of a life – a family member, a coworker, a friend, a loved-one. Like I said, I am no history buff, but, I cannot recall a time which has, to this degree, connected us as human-beings on such a global scale – a disease crossing and neutralizing all ages, race, gender, socio-economical status, sexual/gender preferences, etc. There have been numerous large-scale pandemics in the world; however, the majority of these were before the time of modern-day technology and travel.
It may be surmised in this case that our modern-day conveniences are considered a double edged sword, both a blessing and a curse, if you will. The ease of travel spread the disease quite quickly world-wide. In this same line, our technology and intelligence may be the key to unlock the cure as scientists race to find the vaccine to cure this terrible disease. Unlike our modern unsung hero, Amazon, there is no prime membership for finding the cure to this disease. It will take time. For us, this means it will take time, patience, money, and putting into practice our own ways to keep our sanity.
Therein lies the point of this digression – how I have attempted to keep my sanity during these trying times. Prior to the state-wide shut-downs, I was already staying home, applying to jobs daily, interviewing, updating my CV, blog, website, etc, and attempting to create and maintain my ‘personal branding’. Although the shut-downs have unwittingly hindered my opportunities to obtain employment, I have not lost hope. I maintain my practice in seeking a position; however, I have also incorporated more of my previous stress-relieving activities I employed during my graduate studies (see previous blog post about renovations).
Since the end of March and through April 2020, I have: fixed/updated/replaced our mailbox, fixed a bed-frame which was being held up by textbooks, fixed a leaky shower-head, fixed a faulty kitchen-sink-sprayer, and my biggest project thus far was completely making over our garage which doubles as (kayak & fishing equipment) storage and as a home gym (as we all know those have been closed for a while). I may make a separate blog post about my renovation process, costs, time, and mini-projects within the garage makeover. However, my main point is, it was something that I LOVED doing and helped assist in keeping my sanity. A sense of purpose. A sense of accomplishment.
Working from home is not something everyone is comfortable with, or more precisely, not everyone has the ability to work efficiently and effectively. Something I have found works best for me is setting daily, achievable goals. I do this by making lists, every day. When I was home writing my dissertation and very stressed, I had multiple lists (I mean… like 10 new lists a day… I admit, it probably got a little out of hand, but it helped in my own chaotic way). Finding structure where there is none was important for me, and may be important to many others as well. This could be as simple as setting a to-bed and wake-time, showering and getting ready, making breakfast, making appointments/meetings throughout the day to keep yourself accountable, taking brief walks for fresh air.
The most important thing, is to find ways to help you in your journey, as everyone has different motives and needs. Just remember, we are all in this together.
-Haley Overby, PhD – 4/15/2020
HALEY OVERBY, PHD 