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From home (COVID-19 update)
Mar. 22nd, 2020 02:31 pmAs of Monday I am officially working from home. I could already do this, but I took steps over the past two weeks to make sure I have frictionless remote access to my work computer and network, and will be visiting the office briefly on Monday to pick up my physical diary/to do list and another monitor.
This change in routine and the process of isolation won't actually impact my day-to-day life much at all,
- almost all my social contact outside the office is already digital.
- I have computer games, board games and someone to play them with, someone to watch media with, a massive backlog of personal projects and reading, and of course the never-ending house cleaning and gardening to keep me occupied.
- We live in an open suburb, literally right next to a park with plenty of open space and streets to wander if we need to get away from the house for a while.
It may even result in me working more regular hours and fewer late nights.
My job is also pretty secure; even if new work slows right down my company has enough ongoing clients requiring support and should be able to access the government subsidy, which is not a lot less than my usually part time take-home, to keep me on.
But I can not forget that (emphasis mine)
I do have friends with immune disorders, currently in or recovering from chemotherapy, or serious respiratory issues who are totally isolating themselves. D. is immuno-compromised, so I will have to get into the habit of taking due precautions over cleaning and clothing when I come back from the grocery shopping or other necessary errands.
I have friends who are worried about their jobs, and worse trying to deal with WINZ who by all accounts have not yet updated their procedures and requirements to allow for the current situation of government-encouraged/proscribed stay-at-home and the pending wave/s of job losses / lack of re-employment opportunities, especially among the most vulnerable and in need of assistance/accommodation. [end rant]
~~~
On the mental front it's a bit harder to say. As I've seen commented in several places, there is a world of psychological difference between choosing to stay at home and being told you have to stay at home. I'm personally able to keep busy (see above), feel that I have the ability/choice to run an errand if it is needed, and am not facing any major upsets, but the underlying society-wide low-level stress is making itself felt especially during quiet times. I'm also here to support D., who in addition to concerns for her personal well-being is having to cope with the fact that the children's planned school holiday visit has had to be cancelled and she does not know when she will get to see her kids in person again.
It has all gotten a bit too much for me at times, and I have felt that big dark hole opening up inside. It's hard to explain what is "in" there; exhaustion, grief, worry, frustration and void simultaneously. An hour or so of quiet time away from any demands by the world and with a brain-resetting distraction is usually enough to bring me out of it, but I do worry what will happen if I don't have that opportunity for a period (ironically, such opportunities are far more likely under the current circumstances).
This change in routine and the process of isolation won't actually impact my day-to-day life much at all,
- almost all my social contact outside the office is already digital.
- I have computer games, board games and someone to play them with, someone to watch media with, a massive backlog of personal projects and reading, and of course the never-ending house cleaning and gardening to keep me occupied.
- We live in an open suburb, literally right next to a park with plenty of open space and streets to wander if we need to get away from the house for a while.
It may even result in me working more regular hours and fewer late nights.
My job is also pretty secure; even if new work slows right down my company has enough ongoing clients requiring support and should be able to access the government subsidy, which is not a lot less than my usually part time take-home, to keep me on.
But I can not forget that (emphasis mine)
While this feels like it’s hitting us all hard, it’s also accentuating the disparities in our society. It’s a top-slice luxury to work from home, to avoid crowded subways, to have an internet connection and a pantry. A patient came to my diabetes clinic to get a prescription today (she’s terrified her insulin supplies might be exhausted, and I don’t blame her). The bus services are stripped back, so she’d been up since 4am making the cross-town commute. By the time she arrived her blood sugar was dangerously low. We gave her jellybeans and a cheese sandwich and she left, alone, to find a pharmacy that wasn’t out of stock.
The urgent and the invisible: Thoughts from state-of-emergency Melbourne
I do have friends with immune disorders, currently in or recovering from chemotherapy, or serious respiratory issues who are totally isolating themselves. D. is immuno-compromised, so I will have to get into the habit of taking due precautions over cleaning and clothing when I come back from the grocery shopping or other necessary errands.
I have friends who are worried about their jobs, and worse trying to deal with WINZ who by all accounts have not yet updated their procedures and requirements to allow for the current situation of government-encouraged/proscribed stay-at-home and the pending wave/s of job losses / lack of re-employment opportunities, especially among the most vulnerable and in need of assistance/accommodation. [end rant]
~~~
On the mental front it's a bit harder to say. As I've seen commented in several places, there is a world of psychological difference between choosing to stay at home and being told you have to stay at home. I'm personally able to keep busy (see above), feel that I have the ability/choice to run an errand if it is needed, and am not facing any major upsets, but the underlying society-wide low-level stress is making itself felt especially during quiet times. I'm also here to support D., who in addition to concerns for her personal well-being is having to cope with the fact that the children's planned school holiday visit has had to be cancelled and she does not know when she will get to see her kids in person again.
It has all gotten a bit too much for me at times, and I have felt that big dark hole opening up inside. It's hard to explain what is "in" there; exhaustion, grief, worry, frustration and void simultaneously. An hour or so of quiet time away from any demands by the world and with a brain-resetting distraction is usually enough to bring me out of it, but I do worry what will happen if I don't have that opportunity for a period (ironically, such opportunities are far more likely under the current circumstances).
