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Nothing & Everything => Open Discussion => Topic started by: Jake on March 18, 2020, 11:28:01 AM

Title: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Jake on March 18, 2020, 11:28:01 AM
I want to separate this topic from the main virus thread. I don't know about you guys, but I am feeling pretty anxious, and I bet I'm not alone. How is everyone holding up? What is your thought process about it all?

I'm not afraid of the virus itself, but I am afraid of the aftermath, as far as the economy is concerned. We have savings, but eventually that will run out...I think I'm getting ahead of myself quite a bit, and hopefully sometime in the summer we'll be back to something resembling normalcy, but what if we're not. Do I stop paying off monthly credit card balances to conserve cash? If so, when should I start. Give it a month or so?

While walking the dog this morning I thought about starting a journal for the duration of this thing. Maybe that will help a bit with coping.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Mike on March 18, 2020, 11:57:40 AM
I'm certainly nervous and feeling a bit insecure.  I'm not worried too much about the money aspect as I don't see my job going away.  Our school with adapt and going even more online requires even more technology.  And I don't see businesses not accepting cards anymore.

For more it is typical uncertainty anxiety.  I can plan/work through most issues if I know what they are.  But this, this is just a ton of uncertainty where I can't plan anything.

Edit:
One thing that helps is that I have this view working from home
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: jkim on March 18, 2020, 01:42:57 PM
I'm anxious.

I'm still commuting into work because I have a ton of in-hospital work over the six weeks. A server migration and application upgrade 3/29, intracycle auditing "due" 3/31 (actual date is in April, but it needs to be reviewed as a whole prior to final submission), and a large upgrade involving a big UI change to another major application happening 5/3. I'm in the middle of coordinating testing for these projects while getting bombarded with requests and changes for Coronavirus testing that we're building.

I would be alternating on/off WFH but my single analyst, which I share a 10'x8' office with, is out sick until he's received an all clear from the CoV testing he had done (why am I still working?) which could be another week.

Daycare is still open for the time being. I don't like sending C to daycare right now, even if there are only 3 other kids in his class. But I have no idea how any work would get done with both of us trying to work from home with a toddler who only wants to sit on our laps and watch YouTube if we're on our computers.

We'll figure out money. We'll figure out care. We'll figure out food and logistics and all that shit. I'm just tired and tired of being on edge. These empty streets are so fucking weird.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: ober on March 18, 2020, 03:40:08 PM
I'm honestly not that anxious about this.  Sure I don't want to get sick or whatever but my family is currently safe, we have what we need, and we have the space to spread out and we're all involved in work/school but in a different format.

I know my work situation is better than a lot of people so maybe that gives me a better feeling of security?  The only thing that has really changed is that I'm working from home, the kids don't leave the house, and we don't go to any of our normal activities.  The rest of day to day life is generally similar. 

We'll get through this.  Yes there will be fallout in a number of ways but things could be worse.  A lot worse.  I've seen a lot of positive things happening and I think this will honestly open some people's eyes to some stuff that has been swept under the rug for a while.  I don't want to say that we 'needed' this but it is a good wakeup call.  This won't be the last big virus to sweep the world.  Scientists have been saying stuff like this is a matter of if, not when, for years.  We're lucky this virus isn't more brutal.  We could have 200k+ dead, not just sick.

Count your blessings, keep your chin up.  That's all I'm saying.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: micah on March 19, 2020, 11:47:11 AM
I'm not super stressed, more annoyed with all the shut downs and anxious about the aftermath in the coming months (and years?)
My girlfriend, who already has anxiety about a ton of stuff, is really worried that I'm going to get sick and die because of my diabetes.  Like the other night she was awake like half the night worrying.
That said, I actually called my dr's office this morning and scheduled a phone visit with him for this afternoon because I've been having some (probably not coronavirus) symptoms the past few days that are a little worrisome even to me.
So now my anxiety is up quite a bit too.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Jake on March 19, 2020, 11:59:54 AM
Hey Jen, I feel for you - I'm thankful my kids are not toddlers any more at this time - it would be much harder...as I imagine it is for you.

Ben, good to hear that you're in a high spirits and generally optimistic - you can help the rest of us cope :p

Mike, a good view helps - my new work area and view below - those pictures are from a few days ago, because we have snow on the ground again today.

Micah, keep us posted. I hope that it is nothing serious.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Jake on March 19, 2020, 12:05:01 PM
My anxiety is still relatively high - there is a feeling in the pit of my stomach that this situation will get much worse before it gets better. I actually made a run to Chicago yesterday to grab the rest of our supplies. My brain is telling me that I am over reacting, but my gut says other wise. So far my gut has been pretty spot on from the beginning of this thing - but there is conflict within me.

I hope that the news coming out of China is true. And I hope our run on this is similar and that within 4-6 weeks we will be back to normal.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Jake on March 19, 2020, 12:10:23 PM
one other thing that is not helping is that I keep thinking about my folks and grand parents in Poland - my parents are in their 60's and my grandfather is almost 100 - and the pessimist in me thinks that if something would happen, I would not be able to be there for them because of the travel ban.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Mike on March 19, 2020, 03:59:12 PM
Yesterday and today have been hard to focus on the really heavy thinking tasks.  My new work space has more distractions (some awesome like squirrels, cats, and birds and others not so much like leaf blowers) but really I just can't seem to focus.

Yesterday we decided to delay the release of our new site for a bunch of reasons.  It is 100% the right call and the rational part of my brain is totally on board.  The other part is a kid throwing a tantrum because he doesn't get to show off his new toy.  And, with the shift I need to quickly spin up new work for the programmers which requires a lot of thought.  And I just can't.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: micah on March 19, 2020, 07:32:29 PM
I hear you on the productivity/focus issues of working from home.
I've been fairly good at doing it in the past (pre the anxiety-of-early-2019 debacle) but with this job, I'm kinda forced to use my laptop and not my home computer...and at the office I have 2 big and 1 giant monitor... I need to set up my home workspace better because its hard to work from a 14" laptop with its lame keyboard and crappy trackpad.  Plus, it's easier to get distracted... obviously with kids...but even when they're not being annoying, the temptation to procrastinate is really hard to fight
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Mike on March 19, 2020, 10:02:04 PM
I hear ya.  I only took one monitor home for the laptop.  Today I went into the office and got a rolling whiteboard and also grabbed a mouse.  Don't want to get a second monitor and ruin my view :D

But, it was also nice that I was able to just take a 30 minute nap after lunch and I felt a lot better.  Plus I got some directions on priorities and was able to put some easier tasks ahead of the deep thought tasks.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: KnuckleBuckett on March 20, 2020, 06:10:40 AM
From what I understand the vast majority of us have to get it for herd immunity to do it's thing.  So be ready.  That said, you want to get it soon or in a few months, so that if you get hammered and need hospital care it is available. Ugh.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: jkim on March 20, 2020, 08:36:01 AM
From what I understand the vast majority of us have to get it for herd immunity to do it's thing.  So be ready.  That said, you want to get it soon or in a few months, so that if you get hammered and need hospital care it is available. Ugh.

I think that's really the opposite rationale that most physicians are trying to convey. Hospitals do not need a sudden surge of people "wanting" to get over the next few months for herd immunity purposes. Everyone possible should stay the fuck at home and limit transmission so that hospital care is needed for everyone and anyone that needs it. This is going to be a long-term response until a vaccine is developed.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Perspective on March 20, 2020, 08:55:44 AM
Working from home has been almost impossible for me. I'm managing to make meetings but not much else. My wife also works full time and has 0 flexibility in her schedule... so trying to juggle who works and entertains the kids has been crazy.

My mother-in-law is living with us, she was originally going to be watching the kids but has been sick and hasn't had the energy to keep up with my kids. She's starting to feel better now so hopefully things get better in the coming weeks.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Jake on March 20, 2020, 10:06:23 AM
few days makes a difference
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: ober on March 20, 2020, 10:23:58 AM
I haven't had much issue getting into work from home.  I used to do it a lot and it's sort of about your company culture.  We've made it a point to be on video chat as much as possible.  A lot of the teams are just leaving video chat open throughout the day just to stay in touch while they work.  Our CEO and COO have been holding company wide meetings a few times a week to keep everyone updated and answer questions.  And we're doing a lot of stuff to keep people motivated.  We're even doing a virtual happy hour tonight and are planning to do some online games in the future.

It's all about your reaction to it.  This doesn't have to suck!
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Jake on March 20, 2020, 11:06:56 AM
I agree, Ben, but if someone has never WFH it might be tough to adjust. In the beginning, I would schedule everything - including procrastination breaks! I got over it pretty quick and can do my work without losing focus on most days.

But speaking of added stress of this whole thing - my company is asking the sales team to step up and do whatever it takes to close deals. We are a small company and we cannot afford to pay people without taking money in for a very long time. About half of all our business is in hospitality - and we know that this will take a huge hit - so now grocery, the vertical I am in, needs to shoulder the load. I have a lot on my plate, but need to start looking for more business - doing this 100% remotely will be a new challenge.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Perspective on March 20, 2020, 11:21:12 AM
I have no problem working from home, it's working from home while taking care of two young kids that's tough.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Jake on March 20, 2020, 11:25:27 AM
I have no problem working from home, it's working from home while taking care of two young kids that's tough.

how old are yours now?
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Jake on March 20, 2020, 11:52:32 AM
I think I'm also listening to news way too much - something about the virus is always on...
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Mike on March 20, 2020, 12:09:31 PM
I think I'm also listening to news way too much - something about the virus is always on...

Yeah, I think there is a balance here about staying up to date and being inundated.  Things are changing fairly rapidly but it seems like the day to day is reaching a new normal pretty quickly.  I am checking about 3 times a day just to keep up-to-date without it letting it take over.

I haven't had much issue getting into work from home.  I used to do it a lot and it's sort of about your company culture.  We've made it a point to be on video chat as much as possible.  A lot of the teams are just leaving video chat open throughout the day just to stay in touch while they work.  Our CEO and COO have been holding company wide meetings a few times a week to keep everyone updated and answer questions.  And we're doing a lot of stuff to keep people motivated.  We're even doing a virtual happy hour tonight and are planning to do some online games in the future.

It's all about your reaction to it.  This doesn't have to suck!
I used to work 3 days a week at home.  But at the time I was single, in a smaller house, and not the lead.  Recently I had been working one day a week at home.  Now, it is everyday, while working with management on dealing with the shifts and adjustments, and worrying about so much more.

I'm not having a negative reaction to it, it is just different and it is taking me longer to adjust than I expected.

All that said, I'm really glad I don't have an young children in this mix as well.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: jkim on March 20, 2020, 01:10:11 PM
Well now I'm crying. A friend's grandfather passed away from it. He wrote a beautiful tribute. The hardest part is having to be isolated away from them in their last days.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: micah on March 20, 2020, 02:41:35 PM
Well now I'm crying. A friend's grandfather passed away from it. He wrote a beautiful tribute. The hardest part is having to be isolated away from them in their last days.

so sorry :(

its only a matter of time before this starts to hit home for so many of us.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Jake on March 20, 2020, 04:20:11 PM
more things to add to the stress level - many of our friends are asking if they can come stay with us at the cabin. We anticipated this somewhat, and invited my best friend and his family and one other friend with his family. Now others are asking for help. It feels shitty telling people we cannot take on more people, but that is what we must do...
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Mike on March 20, 2020, 05:02:41 PM
Healthcare Triage did a view where they talked about that.  Apparently, you should try and social distance even within the house.  But he also recognized the difficulty of that depend on ages of kids and family size.  He did say that if you need to expand the circle you basically all need to agree to only socialize with that group.  You then effectively become a socially distant group.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Perspective on March 20, 2020, 06:04:22 PM
I have no problem working from home, it's working from home while taking care of two young kids that's tough.

how old are yours now?

My daughter just turned 7 and my son is almost 4. They're great kids but very high energy and need to have an activity to keep them occupied or they go nuts.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Jake on March 21, 2020, 12:35:29 AM
OMG - now the conspiracy theories are in my head: 5G, mind control vaccine, sterilization vaccine. WTF

Tomorrow I am spending half the day splitting wood to get the poison out.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Mike on March 21, 2020, 10:06:44 AM
The conspiracy is really big lumber
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: charlie on March 22, 2020, 04:50:17 PM
Well now I'm crying. A friend's grandfather passed away from it. He wrote a beautiful tribute. The hardest part is having to be isolated away from them in their last days.

Out of everything this is really the only thing I'm worried about. One story like this is too many but I expect it will be commonplace and even if some of us don't have a friend or family member who is affected we'll know people who do.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Jake on March 23, 2020, 11:27:47 AM
Checking in - how is everyone doing? how was the weekend?

I think that personally I have come down a bit; I was seeing doom and gloom and an incoming apocalypse. We're definitely not out of the woods, but whatever happens, we will get through it - I'm hoping we'll be back to somewhat of a regular routine by end of April. And I will cherish the time we have right now and catch up on certain things that were challenging to do "before".

I think this slow down of pace will be pretty good for us.

Later today the kids and I are tapping our single sugar maple :)

I probably got more exercise this past week then I had all of last month in the city. and so has my dog.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Mike on March 23, 2020, 11:53:47 AM
I finished setting up the hydroponics.  It is just tomatoes and ton of herbs.  We have to wait a little longer before getting the summer squash (which does mean another trip to the nursery).  I might have killed the dill during washing and transplant but we'll see.

Also, mowed both yards.  It goes a lot faster when you stop trying to catch it and just let it mulch.

Overall, I'm doing a bit better.  Friday I spent some time lining my work up so I have more direction on what to work on.

But you know the thing that really kind of sucks, I REALLY want some fast food.  I totally know it is better in all regards if I stay home and eat at home.  But man, some Taco Bell sounds good right about now.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: ober on March 23, 2020, 12:08:52 PM
Mulching is so much better (and healthier).

I organized my work space so I feel a little better setup at home now.  Ready to kick some ass.  The weekend was meh.  A little bit of cabin fever but we made a bunch of stuff so we have some food.  Prior to this we typically ate out at least 3-4 times in a week and we haven't ordered anything in about 2 weeks.  And we got a bunch of random frozen stuff from the grocery store and most of it is turning out good.

Overall we're doing ok here.  Just sort of figuring it all out and everyone finding their space.  It was pretty huge to get my son setup with a computer in the basement with my daughter so they can both work on their homework and stufff.  I think we'd be stabbing each other if he was still using my machine.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Jake on March 23, 2020, 12:32:34 PM
I finished setting up the hydroponics.  It is just tomatoes and ton of herbs.  We have to wait a little longer before getting the summer squash (which does mean another trip to the nursery).  I might have killed the dill during washing and transplant but we'll see.

we started seeds on Saturday - did A LOT of stuff - everything except root veggies. it was an awesome family activity. We just don't get a lot of sunlight in the inside of the cabin. so we keep chasing it. I might invest in a grow light.

Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Jake on March 23, 2020, 12:36:34 PM
But you know the thing that really kind of sucks, I REALLY want some fast food.  I totally know it is better in all regards if I stay home and eat at home.  But man, some Taco Bell sounds good right about now.

I'm surprised that I am not yearning it - like at all. I hope this helps build a new [healthy] habit. Speaking of tacos, we did have them the past two night for dinner. They were out of ground venison.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Mike on March 23, 2020, 01:41:06 PM
Mulching is so much better (and healthier).
I've got a bunch of weeds in my yards that I need to get out.  So, I'm a little concerned about spreading them around.  But, that might be an issue for a future year.

I finished setting up the hydroponics.  It is just tomatoes and ton of herbs.  We have to wait a little longer before getting the summer squash (which does mean another trip to the nursery).  I might have killed the dill during washing and transplant but we'll see.

we started seeds on Saturday - did A LOT of stuff - everything except root veggies. it was an awesome family activity. We just don't get a lot of sunlight in the inside of the cabin. so we keep chasing it. I might invest in a grow light.
I cheated and got seedlings from the nursery and just rinsed the dirt off of the roots.  One year I'll do it from seeds.

We're gonna go back and get some squash and carrots and do them in dirt.  We also need to find a flower we got last year that did really well and is a pollinator attracter.

I built a hydroponics box for the tomatoes but man my skills aren't that great.  That said, I want to look for a root vegetable set up.  And focus on learning the chemicals/food used so I can have different sources for it.

But you know the thing that really kind of sucks, I REALLY want some fast food.  I totally know it is better in all regards if I stay home and eat at home.  But man, some Taco Bell sounds good right about now.

I'm surprised that I am not yearning it - like at all. I hope this helps build a new [healthy] habit. Speaking of tacos, we did have them the past two night for dinner. They were out of ground venison.
Honestly, I think it is mostly just habit.  Mondays was work from home day and I'd go get us TB for lunch.  And lunch was never a strong meal practice to begin with.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Jake on March 23, 2020, 03:32:25 PM
the sap is really flowing - already have a little over 2L
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Mike on March 23, 2020, 03:49:21 PM
Wait, it is clear?
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: jkim on March 23, 2020, 04:56:35 PM
Wait, it is clear?
I'm pretty sure you have to boil the crap out of sap to get syrup.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Jake on March 23, 2020, 05:57:36 PM
Wait, it is clear?
Wait, it is clear?
I'm pretty sure you have to boil the crap out of sap to get syrup.

yes, its basically sugar water. Like Jen said, you have to boil the crap out of it to get rid of the water and be left with syrup. And since "crap" is not too well defined, 10 gallons of sap make a quart of syrup.

There were years where we didn't collect too much sap so we just drank it - it is really quite delicious and good for your digestive system. Birch sap is also delicious and good for you. I tapped a couple birches today, but they are not flowing yet.

At this time we have two 2L jars and half a bottle of sap.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: micah on March 23, 2020, 09:35:50 PM
So if its 40:1 sap to syrup ratio, on average, how much sap does a single tree yield in a given season?

Also, dumb question i feel like I should know since i've seen tapped trees around new england my whole life but... what is the viscosity of the sap? My general perception of sap is that it is a thick gell-like substance that near-instantly hardens (usually on my car) once it leaves the tree.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Jake on March 24, 2020, 12:14:56 AM
So if its 40:1 sap to syrup ratio, on average, how much sap does a single tree yield in a given season?

Also, dumb question i feel like I should know since i've seen tapped trees around new england my whole life but... what is the viscosity of the sap? My general perception of sap is that it is a thick gell-like substance that near-instantly hardens (usually on my car) once it leaves the tree.

I suppose the yield depends on the size of the tree. Today we got around 2 gallons worth of sap from our tree. I bet if I had a second tap on it, I could get twice as much. Sap runs from mid February to early April as long as day time temps are above zero. I Am looking to produce a quart to 2 quarts of syrup this year so will stop the tap one I get about 20 gallons

Viscosity of sap is just like water, it is not thick at all
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: KnuckleBuckett on March 24, 2020, 06:02:44 AM
Most folks think of pine resin as the only sap they know because it is the only one commonly seen.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Jake on March 26, 2020, 09:44:27 PM
how is everyone doing? I'm feeling much better; much less anxious. I think the thing that did it was to limit listening to the news. I read a few things in the morning and then just look at news snippets on youtube in the afternoon. Also, I have a ton of work all of a sudden. I've been busier these past 3 or 4 days than I have been in a while. this is a good thing though.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: KnuckleBuckett on March 27, 2020, 09:22:16 AM
Fine here so far.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Perspective on March 27, 2020, 10:02:40 AM
I'm really struggling... my wife and I are both trying to work and take care of the kids which is causing a lot of conflict. Between work, homeschooling, and all the regular house stuff... there's just not enough hours in the day. My job is our primary income, and she has reduced direct hours, but she still has a lot of report writing to do from previous clients. So on one hand we both realize I need to work, but it doesn't happen without a big fight. She's also made a detailed home schooling schedule that she's very serious about, I think it's a bit overkill and am much more relaxed about it. That just causes more conflict..

We're trying to make a schedule to stick to, but really there's just not enough hours in the day to make everything work. :suicide:
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: ober on March 27, 2020, 10:37:01 AM
My wife has her own business so she CAN work whenever and she sets her own deadlines.  I am our primary as well and I am on a lot of conference calls so I'm stuck in my office most of the day.  I do try to help with lunches and stuff and the kids are mostly self sufficient with school and whatnot but my wife still ends up working a lot in the evenings because she's doing a lot of other stuff and helping them during the day.  It has caused some strain but we are trying to figure it out.  Honestly we all just need to get out of the house.  I think we might go for a drive or something later.  But I've been saying that for days.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Jake on March 27, 2020, 10:42:14 AM
I'm really struggling... my wife and I are both trying to work and take care of the kids which is causing a lot of conflict. Between work, homeschooling, and all the regular house stuff... there's just not enough hours in the day. My job is our primary income, and she has reduced direct hours, but she still has a lot of report writing to do from previous clients. So on one hand we both realize I need to work, but it doesn't happen without a big fight. She's also made a detailed home schooling schedule that she's very serious about, I think it's a bit overkill and am much more relaxed about it. That just causes more conflict..

We're trying to make a schedule to stick to, but really there's just not enough hours in the day to make everything work. :suicide:

Feel for you, bud. Would it be possible to stagger your work time? maybe you work from 9 to 4 while she takes care of the kids/house stuff, and then you switch in the afternoons?
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: KnuckleBuckett on March 28, 2020, 08:21:51 AM
Sounds difficult.  I am so glad this is not the dead of winter.  At least the backyard is an option.  And your kids are old enough to deal.  The two young kids thing I see with my brew buddy can really wear.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Perspective on March 28, 2020, 04:37:27 PM
I'm working 8am to 12 or 1pm. Then she works afternoons. Then I work in the evening and we are both putting in hours on the weekends. Fortunately working for a german company means most of my meetings are in the morning.

I do love the extra time with the kids though. We spend a lot of time outside. In the backyard, bikes, roller blades, etc...
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Perspective on March 28, 2020, 04:38:46 PM
I bought a used weight bench with bench press rack and my buddy just leant me a couple of barbells a bunch of plates. I can wait to get out to the garage for a real workout. I've been dying without a gym.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: micah on March 29, 2020, 12:15:22 PM
Viscosity of sap is just like water, it is not thick at all

don't know why I thought of you when I saw this on facebook just now  :D :lol:
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Jake on March 29, 2020, 12:34:50 PM
Viscosity of sap is just like water, it is not thick at all

don't know why I thought of you when I saw this on facebook just now  :D :lol:

Haha, two days ago I was trimming that same maple tree and my kids were doing pretty much what the picture shows :D BTW looks like we tapped the tree in the very last days of any significant flow. After boiling down what we got, we ended up with about 16oz of syrup.. which is already about half way consumed anyway :)
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Mike on March 30, 2020, 11:33:41 AM
Since I'm working from the sunroom with view of the backyard I've been keeping my camera on my desk and snapping photos.  Here is an album thus far: https://photos.app.goo.gl/myTevXJCyng3ipd26
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Jake on March 30, 2020, 12:22:18 PM
Since I'm working from the sunroom with view of the backyard I've been keeping my camera on my desk and snapping photos.  Here is an album thus far: https://photos.app.goo.gl/myTevXJCyng3ipd26

very cool - are all those cats yours?
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Mike on March 30, 2020, 12:47:54 PM
Only the one on the chair is ours.  The rest are community cats.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Jake on April 01, 2020, 10:32:13 AM
Checking in with you lot - I hope that no communication on this thread means you guys are feeling/doing well. Jen, how are you doing at home? how is your co-worker?

Micah, how are you holding up with everything?
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: micah on April 01, 2020, 11:23:48 AM
meh, not great.
Work is getting stressful and I'm finding it hard to work from home.
Today I'm working from my girlfriends so she could go to the office and I'm watcher her son who, today at least, it making it hard for me to concentrate.  Plus, I've only been here since last night but I miss my girls.  Especially Harper who was so super sad when I left last night and waved to me out the window while I was leaving, like a puppy.
I'm super annoyed that my ex seems to think we're a family whenever she's there and her anxiety is through the roof, which, in the olden days I'd try to comfort but instead it just annoys the shit out of me. Not to mention, when I'm at my house and she's there too, I still have to do all the parenting and deal with the kids all day while I'm trying to work.
I don't normally worry about my health (obviously) but, like, i'm kinda scared to get this stupid virus.  My seasonal allergies are kicking in and i've had a sore throat for several days now (from post nasal drip) but no other symptoms of anything... but its like kinda freaking me out.

This whole thing makes everything that sucked before just suck more.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: ober on April 01, 2020, 11:30:46 AM
Good here.  We got stocked up on food so feeling good about that.  Kids are getting a little (more) stir crazy but not bad yet.  Our schools are also closed through end of April at a minimum.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: jkim on April 01, 2020, 12:49:27 PM
This whole thing makes everything that sucked before just suck more.
TRUTH

My coworker was cleared for work Monday. He's working from home this week and I'm in the office. The Plan* is that we will alternate beginning next week. Whether it's weekly or an alternating 3/2 basis (or other combo) is kind of up in the air. The hospital is going to start taking COVID positive patients today. Everyone is very anxious. Small amount of pride mixed in to see even a surgical hospital step up in this capacity.

Home life with Casey is difficult. He doesn't want to nap quite simply because we're both working and don't have the time to give him the kind of attention and activities he normally gets at daycare. When Casey doesn't nap he gets cranky or cuddly or both and it's exhausting.

*The plan always appears to change with however the COVID response wind blows
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Mike on April 01, 2020, 03:23:10 PM
Good luck and stay safe Jen.


For me, I just got stressed/depressed because I have to take vacation in the new few months to avoid capping out.  But, what's the point?  I can't go anywhere and work keeps me busy.  I was also planning on taking some time off around my birthday in July but there is a good chance we'll still be dealing with this at that time.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: charlie on April 02, 2020, 01:34:02 AM
For me, I just got stressed/depressed because I have to take vacation in the new few months to avoid capping out.  But, what's the point?  I can't go anywhere and work keeps me busy.  I was also planning on taking some time off around my birthday in July but there is a good chance we'll still be dealing with this at that time.

I would so take a vacation if it made sense right now. The weekends are great for me, I get to dawdle around not doing anything for two whole days before I have actual responsibilities again. Two days isn't enough though. I'd love a full week.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Jake on April 03, 2020, 09:29:47 PM
Good here.  We got stocked up on food so feeling good about that.  Kids are getting a little (more) stir crazy but not bad yet.  Our schools are also closed through end of April at a minimum.

So we are limiting our store trips to once a week. The local grocery store is well stocked - surprisingly well. Our shopping consists mostly of fruits and veggies and dairy stuff.

Going back to the store and how well it is stocked - they still had TP on my last trip, and pretty much the only things they were out that I noticed were: any sort of antibacterial stuff, torillas, flour and yeast!
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Mike on April 04, 2020, 12:19:58 AM
Our local store is still out of paper products, canned soups, flour, and yeast.  But bread and tortillas are back.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: ober on April 04, 2020, 11:32:56 AM
We've been trying to do delivery for groceries. Limiting actual time in the stores seems important plus I know a lot of people are trying to make money working for Instacart.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Jake on April 04, 2020, 12:40:34 PM
We've been trying to do delivery for groceries. Limiting actual time in the stores seems important plus I know a lot of people are trying to make money working for Instacart.

we're quite remote and I don't think anyone delivers groceries here...I checked instacart at least and they do not
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: kermi3 on April 04, 2020, 12:40:45 PM
I’m exhausted....I don’t know how I’m going to go back to work on Monday and be emotionally available to teenagers...
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Perspective on April 07, 2020, 09:49:18 AM
I'm really struggling... my wife and I are both trying to work and take care of the kids which is causing a lot of conflict. Between work, homeschooling, and all the regular house stuff... there's just not enough hours in the day. My job is our primary income, and she has reduced direct hours, but she still has a lot of report writing to do from previous clients. So on one hand we both realize I need to work, but it doesn't happen without a big fight. She's also made a detailed home schooling schedule that she's very serious about, I think it's a bit overkill and am much more relaxed about it. That just causes more conflict..

We're trying to make a schedule to stick to, but really there's just not enough hours in the day to make everything work. :suicide:

We're finally settling into a schedule. I work in the mornings, 7 or 8am to 12 or 1. Then my wife works in the afternoon. I end up working in the evening and a bit on the weekends. Work people seem to understand and have been avoiding scheduling afternoon meetings with me. It works out pretty well since we work a lot with people in Europe and India, meetings tend to be mostly in the mornings.

My wife is also relaxing a bit more about the situation. We still get all the academic stuff done with the kids everyday, but not necessarily following a rigid schedule. I'm definitely enjoying the time with the kids.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: ober on April 07, 2020, 11:39:00 AM
Glad to hear you guys have worked it out.  You seemed like you were at the end of your rope before!
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Jake on April 07, 2020, 12:23:25 PM
awesome news Perspective!
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: kermi3 on April 08, 2020, 08:51:35 AM
That's wonderful Perspective!

I'm finding that I'm really waxing and waning based on my sleep - even more than usual.  My normal 6.5 may not be enough to get me through a day anymore.  Others?
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Perspective on April 08, 2020, 09:41:01 AM
I used to sleep around 11:00pm to 6:00am. Now I sleep 11:00am to 7:00am, but lay in bed until 7:45am. I literally roll out of bed just in time for my daily 8am meeting. I guess that's one of the benefits of working from home :D
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: ober on April 08, 2020, 09:53:33 AM
I am definitely getting more sleep with all of this.  Not sure if it helps or hurts.  Sometimes if I get too much sleep I feel worse.  I usually go to bed between 12 and 12:30 and I've been rolling out of bed around 7:30/8 lately despite my alarm going off at 7:15.  My first meeting typically isn't until 9:30 but I have plenty of activity before that usually.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Jake on April 08, 2020, 09:54:16 AM
Now I sleep 11:00pm to 7:00am, but lay in bed until 7:45am. I literally roll out of bed just in time for my daily 8am meeting. I guess that's one of the benefits of working from home :D

That's pretty much my routine as well - I'm usually asleep before midnight and get up around 7:30 to make breakfast.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Mike on April 08, 2020, 10:31:09 AM
I'm maintaining my normal sleep routine of going to bed at 10pm and getting up at 5:30am.

That said, the sun room where I'm working has a nice comfy couch that I have used to nap on during my breaks.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Jake on April 08, 2020, 10:54:32 AM
I went home a couple days ago to grab the mail and go into the office (when no one was there) to pickup a couple of checks - and let me tell you, the city is depressing. Seeing the empty parking lots, stores, restaurants - pretty gloomy outlook. I'm happy to be in the middle of the woods - out of sight out of mind as they say. Scenery like this helps. Slowing life down helps too. I'm grateful we are both still working and can work remotely. So grateful for that. I really have a different outlook and perspective on many things, but especially my job.

Picture is from Buckhorn bridge, where the Yellow River flows into Castle Rock Lake (which is a Wisconsin River Flowage/Lake). My son and I were slaying walleye there yesterday evening. Great time.

Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: jkim on April 08, 2020, 12:13:15 PM
I am definitely getting less sleep because Casey is getting less sleep. It's pretty terrible.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: micah on April 08, 2020, 04:14:36 PM
gorgeous pic Jake.  I'm glad you and your family are able to hold up in the woods during all of this. Honestly, I'm a bit envious. I wish my GF, kids, and I had that option.  I've been jokingly hinting in other threads that we should re-vist our summer meet-up idea at your cabin...but it really would be great.  So many of us have been trapped in this suburban hellscape of self-quarantined weirdness - where, on the one hand, with all the cars and people out and about it looks normal at first glance, until, on the other hand, you realize that most stores are closed and the people who ARE out, are wearing masks and gloves and anxious about every person who gets too close. ..  I would love to escape to the middle of no where for a couple days and just hang out with a few close friends and forget the world. 
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: charlie on April 08, 2020, 04:42:21 PM
My clan is turning into night owls... My wife and I tend to be more productive later so we go to bed later. Recently as late as 1 or 2am. Meanwhile the kids don't give a shit and stay up all night binge watching shows. We're lucky if the younger one goes to sleep before 11:30 and the older one apparently stays up until 3am in her room.

Which honestly I wouldn't care about any of that if it wasn't for the fact that I still have meetings that start as early as 7am. I prefer 7.5-8 hours of sleep and lately it's closer to 5.5-6. This is not ideal. So if you're asking about sleep, it's not great. Everything else is fine in comparison.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: ober on April 09, 2020, 11:54:14 AM
Yeah we've been more lax with our kids as well.  They're up until at least 10 or 10:30 most nights and I think they are both up until probably closer to midnight in their rooms.  We had been going to bed before midnight but for whatever reason it's been closer to 1 the past few nights.  Mostly bad storms in the area.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Mike on May 08, 2020, 04:35:07 PM
So, almost a month later, how is everyone doing?

The temperature is getting pretty warm here which makes working in the sunroom a lot harder.  Luckily it is suppose to go back down but doesn't bode well if I have to continue this to the summer.

We are nearing the release date of the rewrite we've been working on.  So anxiety is high for that but is getting better.

Our neighbor's tree broke a major branch, is slowly tearing, and is threatening our fence.  And of course we can't get an arborist out here for the estimate for a couple of weeks.  But, that gave me an excuse to buy a chainsaw!  Got the Ryobi 40V that uses the same batteries as our trimmer and blower.  Lots of fun.

No news about how the state's potential move to stage 2 will affect things.  I'm gonna guess we are going to keep on with the current process for awhile.

And I need a haircut.  At least to trim up around the ears and cut the bangs.  I'm able/needing to do the emo hair flip and I don't like it.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: micah on May 08, 2020, 09:48:29 PM
I think i mentioned before, I'm finding it very hard to be productive working full-time at home.  Between the kids and easy of being easily distracted when i'm already a notorious procrastinator... it's not great.

Speaking of the kids - they are sucking at doing their school work.  This past week we started "online" assignments which require a lot more time-dedication than the paper 'distance learning packets' we had before - which were mostly busy work.  My kids want to do exactly ZERO work.  My ex has gotten my youngest to at least do the basic assignments (not on each day their due of course, but she's mostly caught up). My oldest has been staying up all night and sleeping all day and refuses to do any school work.

On top of that, we're all just a bit stir-crazy. I generally get out of the house at least once a day - usually to drive to a convient store, grocery store, or the fast food drive thru for the kids.  But in general, i'm done with this.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: KnuckleBuckett on May 09, 2020, 08:32:00 AM
Doing fine.  No evidence of overwhelming our area medical facilities.  Both of us still working. PA is starting to open certain areas.  Hope we can continue.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: ober on May 10, 2020, 06:41:25 PM
Doing ok here.  Pretty much assuming I will be WFH for at least another 2 months.  My company already said the earliest we would go back is June 1 based on the current stay at home order in Ohio and they also said that they wanted to let other companies go back first and learn from them.  Most of my teams have all said that if they have to go back in shifts or wear masks all day they'd rather work from home anyways.  And some people can't go back until daycare opens again.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Perspective on May 11, 2020, 09:37:36 AM
My work is similar. Even after the office is allowed to open, anyone that goes will have to wear a mask. My company is sending 2 masks to every employee world wide (100,000 people). Anyone in the office has to be 6 feet apart, and you should only go if it's essential to your work or you are unable to work productively from home.

I suspect I'll be working from home all summer.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Jake on May 11, 2020, 11:27:59 AM
we've had soooo much going on that I hardly have time to think about what is going on locally and in the world. Between the cabin being sold and everything related with that, remote schooling, work being as busy as ever and other things, there is not much room for anything else. But busy is good. This month will be challenging. We decided to keep our vacation date for the first full week of June - we're going to Florida. Can't wait.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: jkim on May 11, 2020, 12:42:02 PM
We decided to keep our vacation date for the first full week of June - we're going to Florida. Can't wait.

Are you flying?
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Jake on May 11, 2020, 01:01:30 PM
We decided to keep our vacation date for the first full week of June - we're going to Florida. Can't wait.

Are you flying?

nope, driving. Pan Handle - town is called seaside.

We are renting a house and we're going with my best friend's family...there was a significant down payment which we committed before the covid outbreak. They are giving us an option to reschedule for next year, but they will not give us our money back. After weighing it all out, we think risk is not any higher than staying in Chicago. All we'll be doing is lounging on the beach anyway.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: micah on May 11, 2020, 01:05:58 PM
Brenda and I were going to celebrate our 1 years anniversary at the end of the month by renting a cottage near the beach in Rhode Island... paid a deposit and everything back in February... but RI won't be reopening before then.  So, I think the rental owner would prefer we just take a weekend later in the summer... but I kinda just want the money back.  We'll see how that plays out.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Mike on May 11, 2020, 01:36:30 PM
We decided to keep our vacation date for the first full week of June - we're going to Florida. Can't wait.

Florida is definitely an area I would be avoiding at this time.  There is crazy, Florida Crazy, COVID Crazy, and then Florida COVID Crazy.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Jake on May 11, 2020, 01:59:22 PM
We decided to keep our vacation date for the first full week of June - we're going to Florida. Can't wait.

Florida is definitely an area I would be avoiding at this time.  There is crazy, Florida Crazy, COVID Crazy, and then Florida COVID Crazy.

Yeah, I know - the county we're going to seems to be doing OK so far. I mean listen, it wont be any worse than our risks of living in Chicago.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: ober on May 11, 2020, 02:39:40 PM
I think travel right now is still sketchy.  If you were just going to another place and taking all your food with you and not eating out and staying to yourself in a cabin/beach it would be one thing, but most families will go out to eat, pick up food, go get souvenirs, etc. etc.  Plus stopping along the way at various places.  So now your point of contact is through the roof and you might pick up a strain god knows where.  It just seems too risky to me.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: ober on May 12, 2020, 11:30:59 AM
Well... now my mental health is down a bit.  Not that I can say it was unexpected.  My company just laid off 33 people (mostly in customer support and sales).  None of the engineering staff were impacted by the layoffs.  But then they chose to do pay cuts too.  Sliding scale from the top getting 10% cuts down to 2.5%.  Not sure what mine is yet but probably somewhere in the middle.  This sucks.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Perspective on May 12, 2020, 12:42:25 PM
Ugh, man that sucks. Hopefully it doesn't last long.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Mike on May 12, 2020, 02:28:44 PM
Oh man, really sorry to hear that.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: ober on May 12, 2020, 04:21:17 PM
7.5% pay cut for me.  Ugh.  They claim the pay cut ensures we keep 15 more people for the duration of this.  We'll see.  And the pay cuts get reinstated once our sales pick back up.  Still a downer.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Jake on May 13, 2020, 10:28:44 AM
sorry Ben. that sucks balls
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: KnuckleBuckett on May 14, 2020, 06:08:36 AM
Agreed.  It is 10% here for salary folk.  4 Day work week tho. 
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: micah on May 14, 2020, 09:51:37 AM
As a provider of compounded pharmaceuticals for hospital systems, we've had a few record breaking months of sales and simultaneous efficiency growth resulting in surplus product available for immediate sale on top of the uptick in orders.  Apparently, its a great time to be in a medical-related industry.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: ober on May 14, 2020, 10:00:12 AM
That's the thing... I am in the medical industry.  We make scheduling and related software for long term care facilities and now even some hospitals and government agencies.  I thought our company would be safe in all of this.  Our problem is that our clients and future clients are so busy dealing with all of this that they don't have time to talk so our sales are waaaay down.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: jkim on May 14, 2020, 07:44:36 PM
meanwhile at my hospital, people asked not to work were still receiving 80% of their pay, had their benefits covered, could apply to the Employee Assistance Fund (up to 5k/employee), and some people STILLLLL had the gall to ask if they could apply for unemployment because of their cut pay.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: jkim on May 14, 2020, 07:46:25 PM
Agreed.  It is 10% here for salary folk.  4 Day work week tho. 
I would 100% take a 10% cut for a 4 day work week if it was a true 4 day work week.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Mike on May 14, 2020, 09:32:26 PM
Hmmm, I wonder how a 4-10s proposal would go right now.  Eh, the voting part might be hard (workers have to vote to approve alternate work schedules like 4-10s)
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: charlie on May 15, 2020, 01:29:10 PM
We decided to keep our vacation date for the first full week of June - we're going to Florida. Can't wait.

Are you flying?

nope, driving. Pan Handle - town is called seaside.

We are renting a house and we're going with my best friend's family...there was a significant down payment which we committed before the covid outbreak. They are giving us an option to reschedule for next year, but they will not give us our money back. After weighing it all out, we think risk is not any higher than staying in Chicago. All we'll be doing is lounging on the beach anyway.

I'd tend to agree with this... unless there's an outbreak near where you're going, I think a trip by car is fine. Just don't eat in restaurants, always get take out. This doesn't seem any riskier than all the stuff you were already doing at the cabin.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: jkim on May 15, 2020, 09:37:30 PM
I was woken up at 1 AM this morning because a primary analyzer went down basically because a field engineer messed up a setting after upgrading the computer the afternoon before. I had to travel into work and couldn't figure it out until 4:30 AM. Got a swift 1-1.5 hrs of sleep and then started work (from home) because we were supposed to go live with another analyzer "first thing" in the morning, something that I worked on 7-7 yesterday for as the owning manager. I finally signed off around 11 AM so I could work on a video. Stopped to take a "nap" but I don't think I actually fell asleep for longer than 5 minutes. Now I'm here at 9:30 PM somehow running on less than 3 hours of sleep. What happens next?

By the way, as far as I'm concerned the go-live was a success. It was another 4 day turnaround. And the next feedback that I got was "Well what about this other test?" Yes, that test that was would have been ready to go live Wednesday had this instrument not been promised to the CEO with this insane turnaround time is now going to be extended by almost a week. Even more fun, both of these projects are actually duplicates of existing instrumentation. It's not like we couldn't run these before, they just want to be able to run more of it.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Mike on May 17, 2020, 05:00:03 PM
That sounds really rough Jen.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Mike on May 17, 2020, 05:10:25 PM
Work sent some updates that they would normally present at the end-of-year all-staff meeting and one of them was budget/fiscal.

So our COO/CFO has been banging the recession drum for a few years and made sure we were prepared for it.  We have about a 6-month fund balance that should help cushion most of it.  The real big question is how much is the state going to cut the per student funding.  But, based on their estimates and plans to increase the number of students we serve we are looking at a 0.5% decrease in revenue.

Our superintendent and the COO both reiterated that lay-offs and furloughs were the last resort.  We're gonna follow the same basic game plan as the 2008/9 recession where they didn't need to do that.

So, looking at a stable job next year and hopefully the year after.  Year 3 is where things get fuzzy depending on the state's budget.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: ober on May 18, 2020, 10:55:43 AM
Jen, your job sounds like constant pressure.  I hope there is light at the end of the tunnel or you consider looking elsewhere at some point in the future if that's not the case.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: jkim on May 18, 2020, 11:19:43 AM
Jen, your job sounds like constant pressure.  I hope there is light at the end of the tunnel or you consider looking elsewhere at some point in the future if that's not the case.
The current state of healthcare, I'm afraid. All my friends in our current field are working very long hours and are under a lot of stress being the bleeding edge of COVID response. There's a silent understanding that while the amount of work and availability might not be permanent change, the level of response in relation to COVID is going to be around for a very very long time.

And I did look elsewhere and used that as a counter in the beginning of the year. (Ultimately, I had little hope that that position would have been lower stress though)
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: ober on May 18, 2020, 11:33:28 AM
Well I'm sorry to hear that.  I hope it does improve in some way.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: jkim on May 20, 2020, 09:48:23 AM
Guys, I really thought I had a stressful Friday.

But I had an even more stressful Tuesday. Two bombshell issues arose related to CoV-2 testing. Both things could have theoretically been avoided and tangentially my own fault but required an extra level of checking that I just simply couldn't accomplish going live with these projects all right after each other. Everything is fixed now but this really just piled on a lot of stress.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Mike on May 20, 2020, 10:03:41 AM
Sorry to hear that Jen.  I hope you can get a chance to destress soon.  Just remember that mistakes while moving fast and stress are perfectly normal and should be expected.  IMO, it doesn't reflect on you or your professionalism.

And if it makes you feel better, we weren't stressed and we totally overlooked an issue during the entire 18 months of development and several months of cutover planning.  So, please give yourself some grace.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: ober on May 20, 2020, 02:32:54 PM
Yup.  Mistakes happen unless you have a massive team around you that is able to bring different perspectives and ask ALL the right questions.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Jake on June 15, 2020, 03:33:01 PM
We decided to keep our vacation date for the first full week of June - we're going to Florida. Can't wait.

Are you flying?

nope, driving. Pan Handle - town is called seaside.

We are renting a house and we're going with my best friend's family...there was a significant down payment which we committed before the covid outbreak. They are giving us an option to reschedule for next year, but they will not give us our money back. After weighing it all out, we think risk is not any higher than staying in Chicago. All we'll be doing is lounging on the beach anyway.

I'd tend to agree with this... unless there's an outbreak near where you're going, I think a trip by car is fine. Just don't eat in restaurants, always get take out. This doesn't seem any riskier than all the stuff you were already doing at the cabin.

vacation was fine. Florida, and actually everywhere else we stopped along the way, seems like business as usual. There was one town is Florida (seaside) which required masks in the "downtown" area - everywhere else was a free for all. We'll see what happens in the next couple of weeks :o

vacation was good - even though we couldn't swim in the ocean for the majority of it because of Cristobal.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: charlie on June 16, 2020, 08:59:19 PM
Florida, and actually everywhere else we stopped along the way, seems like business as usual.

Yeah, this does not seem good. Lots of places starting to see big rises.

Do you wear masks when you go inside to stores and places like that? You probably always should but especially now that you just got back from all that extra potential exposure.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Jake on June 16, 2020, 11:08:05 PM
Florida, and actually everywhere else we stopped along the way, seems like business as usual.

Yeah, this does not seem good. Lots of places starting to see big rises.

Do you wear masks when you go inside to stores and places like that? You probably always should but especially now that you just got back from all that extra potential exposure.

yes, Illinois still has mandatory face masks in stores.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: hans on July 24, 2020, 01:03:25 PM
Nearly 6mo into this thing and it's finally dragging on me. I'm generally an introvert and like to stay at home most of the time but even this is getting a bit much for me. I had a one-on-one with our CEO who just wanted to check in on everyone and mentioned that and he made a good comment. Introverts recharge their batteries alone but now the battery is fully charged and there's nothing to do with it which is kind of on point. My wife and I have been seeing people finally but we're doing a two week rotation where we socialize but then stay home for two weeks before visiting somebody else. I finally went out and played pinball too and it's a bit odd.

I'm tired of this and I know lots of other people are too. The depression level has definitely increased as I find myself lacking motivation for a lot of things and find myself just wanting to take a nap since there's "nothing to do" even with a house full of stuff to do. While definitely a situational depression due to the pandemic, it doesn't help that I'm pretty sure it's still going to be months before we get back to any sort of real normal.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Mike on July 24, 2020, 01:27:36 PM
I feel ya.  I'm a major introvert but I miss actually seeing people.  I'm also completely Zoomed out.  Video chats for everything fucking sucks.  The work people aren't too bad but the church people are just terrible at using it.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: jkim on July 24, 2020, 04:31:13 PM
I feel ya.  I'm a major introvert but I miss actually seeing people.  I'm also completely Zoomed out.  Video chats for everything fucking sucks.  The work people aren't too bad but the church people are just terrible at using it.
Please do not get me started on how terrible our livestream services were when we first started. We eventually convinced them to move to a pre-produced service with a monthly Zoom which generally seems to be working better. When we go back to "in-person" with livestream we'll hopefully have a more robust solution.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Mike on July 24, 2020, 05:22:36 PM
I've had to abandon the zoom service for the FB live stream as I kept getting major stuttering with Zoom.  It isn't the same as in person by any means but what I was actually referring to was committee meetings.  People just don't know how to have meetings in that space.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: micah on July 26, 2020, 12:49:06 PM
Got back from Ocean City, MD on Friday night; while we there there, Connecticut added Maryland to the list of "mandatory quarantine" states for traveling into CT from.  So... yeah, I was good about not doing much before, other than getting take out and the grocery store... but now its like a big deal and I shouldn't even do that.  Not to mention my kids can't meet up for play dates or anything for a couple weeks.  Super lame.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Mike on July 31, 2020, 10:51:51 AM
On Monday the wife and I met up with my brother and his family at a local park for some socially distant birthday dinner.  It was a much needed time even if it was awkwardly distant.
Title: Re: Covid-19 mental health check-in
Post by: Perspective on August 04, 2020, 09:27:22 AM
Things here are opening up. But many people are just acting like the whole thing is over which could cause major setbacks.

We just spent a week at a small cottage on lake huron, it was a well needed escape from being stuck at home. Definitely helped lift everybody's mood.