You are a very dear friend Nathan. Tell me how are things progressing in Australia? I hope you are doing well.
As of mid- to late July, roughly the 20th if I remember correctly, metropolitan Melbourne reimposed a stricter variant of stage 4 epidemiological public health measures—including an 8pm - 5am curfew & mandatory mask wearing in public—in response to a second wave of infection. A state of disaster was announced on August 2nd. A summary of Victoria's stage 4 restrictions, which ranked among the toughest & longest in the world, can be found here. Metropolitan Melbourne remained in stage 4 until the 26th - 27th of October. It was during this time in late October that Melbourne recorded 0 new cases & 0 deaths statewide for the first time since early June. Ultimately, & thus far, Australia has seen a total case number of 27,784 (Victoria 20,345), total deaths 907 (Victoria 819), & as of yesterday 94 active cases (Victoria 3) Stepping back so to obtain perspective, Australia has a population of 25 million, & Victoria 6.4 million. From a societal point of view tensions remain high, many households are divided, & public opinion remains polarised, though ebbs & flows ever so slightly from one day to another when concerning the arguments for & against the duration & the degree of implemented public health measures. The opposing pro-lockdown & anti-lockdown sides (which more often than not map onto political affiliation) resent one another, & have had their hands wrapped tightly around the other's throat for almost 6 months, & they continue to slowly squeeze.
Some of the ICUs in Alabama are already at 100% capacity, but they’ve loosened restrictions. Hard to believe, but true. Red, Sending you a bear hug. We’ll get through this. Afterall, we ARE getting through this.
I’m not adjusting to the seasons changing. Well,that’s what I’m blaming my insomnia on. If I sleep to 3:00am it’s a win.
In the 17th century "shagamuffin", pronounced shag-uh-muhf-in, was considered a term of contempt *is laughing
I'm so tired of everything and sick of being stuck at home because of this horrible pandemic. I can't live my normal life or go anywhere or do the the things I normally do. I feel like I've already lost a year of my life. I go out for essential things like buying food, but that's it. The very few options I have for doing anything away from the house are all things I don't like so why bother.
That must be horrible, California Sun. Are you able (& wanting) to exercise outdoors for a given amount of time once a day? Breathe some fresh air, circulate some blood, & allow the sun to prompt serotonin production? Here in Victoria, Australia, during the hight of our lockdown, we were given a hour to exercise outdoors each day, though we weren't allowed to travel more than 5km (3 miles) from our homes while doing so. As someone who has failed on multiple occasions to convince others of the benefits of being outdoors, & of the benefits of exercise, it was interesting to observe large numbers of otherwise lethargic Victorians transmogrify into the functional equivalent of deaf Jack Russells during their hour of daily exercise. For instance, many seemed to not so much open their front door casually so to begin exercising hesitantly outside, as much as they began bursting out as soon as their own door was ajar enough to squeeze through. Subsequently, in a blurred & boisterous whirlwind of speed & excitement, they would instantly disappear. On multiple occasions even the Australian Military struggled to retrieve them, so to put them back inside.
I have to agree with Nathan. Exercise does more for my mood then anything I have ever tried. I know how hard it is to get the body in motion when one is depressed. But if you can start by committing to 10 minutes or even 5 minutes a day I think it will do you a world of good. Perhaps you are already exercising? Maybe you need a change? Whatever it may be just get your heart pumping and clear your head of all that is going on in the world. Peace!
I've been a regular exerciser since my 20s. It has never done anything for my mood one way or the other. Like anything else, it works for some, but not everyone. Things aren't horrible and they could be much worse, so I'm grateful for that. I have plenty to do but none of it is anything I enjoy or want to do, and that's really wearing on me. And there is simply nothing that can make up for what I'm missing. It isn't just me--it's everyone I talk to. One good thing is that I live in a mild climate so being able to comfortably be outside isn't a problem most days, even now in winter. Thanks for the support.
Just because things aren’t horrible and they could be worse doesn’t mean they don’t currently suck. It’s okay to admit the whole situation is one big FUBAR. Admitting the truth doesn’t mean you[we]aren’t getting through it. You sound to me as if you’ve got cabin fever that’s lasted for a year. There’s only so much to do in the cabin, and you’ve done it for a year now. I can see why you’re ready for the snowplows to come through. Time is precious, it’s limited, and Covid is driving that point home in multiple ways. Just a little longer now. We’re in the home stretch.
Thank you for your kinds words. You are absolutely right, and I agree. I have tried and tried and tried to explain that to people, but most of the time it just doesn't register. There isn't an answer for everything, and this is one of those things, yet people try to "fix" it and it never works. At this point, just trying to get through one day at a time. That's the best I can do. Time lost is lost forever. It's the one thing that once lost, you can never get it back.
Fun. On a sort of flip side, care instructions recommend I wash in the anomalous setting, while upside down, inside out, & seperate from others, in a hazy band of milky light. That I should tumble dry on a rotating rock orbiting a G-type main-sequence star.