Lock Down Stress Relievers I truly appreciate all of the thoughtful responses. One of the other things that I didn't mention in my initial post is that even things like being a part of this message board and the sense of community it provides have been a welcomed outlet throughout all of this. In terms of working, I work out of my apartment as an online counselor. As you can imagine, we've seen huge surge in people reaching out to us struggling with the various mental heath aspects associated with the current situation. From what I've witnessed, the pandemic and lockdowns haven't necessarily caused a huge number of new mental health problems but rather it seems to have greatly exacerbated ones that were simmering below the surface and are now front and center. So unfortunately I don't get out of the house for work, during normal times I'm a huge coffee shop guy and have a Starbucks that's almost like a second home where I'm friends with most of the staff, so missing out on that has been disappointing, but it is what it is. I know I'll appreciate it all the more when I am finally able to return to my usual hangout spot.
references cutting down on a lot of the live television, unfortunately I'm quite the news junkie and if the TV is on chances are it's got CNN on or news of some sort. I know full well it can be an overload and I TRY to maintain an awareness of when I need a break and listen to some music or a podcast. The ads that are running, don't get me started! You could do a great dissertation on all the different aspects and approaches companies have taken. I'll just say in general I'm pretty cynical when I see all these ads with companies patting themselves on the back for just how much they care and how much of a good actor they are.
Even though it's still a long way out I'm letting myself think ahead to the travel that I intend on doing once it's again safe to do so (i.e. vaccine). I've spent so much time in the past with the mentality of "someday I really want to visit...", well this has really made me realize that you have to take advantage of the opportunity to take these bucket list trips when you have to chance to because the future is not guaranteed to any of us. I was actually in the hospital with a health scare at the beginning of all this in March, so that served as a huge eye-opener for me as well. As hard and trying and this has been, I can honestly say I have grown from it and am a better person in spite of it. And I know that hopefully in the summer of 2021 I'll be on a plane to Paris and then onto Italy!
said it best, Carpe Diem!