Overcoming Pandemic Paralysis

What is happening in my day today, let’s start with Jessica Olgilvie’s article, Morning Briefing: LA’s Three Stay-At-Home Orders, from the LAist:

…L.A. residents are under three different stay-at-home orders; state, country and city. They are similar, but not exactly the same. The good news, though, is that the orders boil down to essentially the same basic guidelines:

• Stay home as much as you physically, emotionally and financially can.
• Do not interact with people you don’t live with.
• If you feel absolutely stir crazy, find an outdoor activity, not one indoors.
• When you’re not at home, always — always — wear a mask.
• Follow these rules for the next two months, or until you get vaccinated.

Is it possible that coronavirus numbers in California and L.A. might be rising at such an alarming rate because guidance from our government has been so confusing? Yes, it is!

Alone again. That’s what we are alone again. But thank you God I do not feel alone because I have a strong spiritual connection, a loving family I stay connected with through Facebook messenger, I work on Zoom, birthday parties on Zoom, writing on the computer, texting and Marco Polo’s to friends, What’s App to connect worldwide, food delivery to my door, restaurant delivery to my door, anything I need to learn on YouTube, Google and Google Scholar for my library, any department store online, events on Hopin, concerts, movies, sweets, candy, cakes, and party favors at my door in a day, exercise classes from anywhere at my fingers tips, and I still have time to wonder what the heck I’m going to do all day.

In my marketing career and my academic work in multiple certifications, masters and a doctorate, I’ve studied human behavior for over 30 years. Few things are as powerful as the want of what we don’t have, must-have, and need. Part of that is sheer selfishness, narcissism and there is also the ability to fulfill that true need. Another big part of us as humans is the interaction we require with our tribe with in-person contact.

If we didn’t crave human interaction with its newness, surprise, judgment, interests, fears, excitement, acceptance, and warmth, then we would be happy with the people we are couped up with during our stay-at-home orders.

When we say humans are a social species, about 20% of us feel just fine staying at home alone. On the other end of the spectrum, about 20 % are those people that are constantly interacting in groups where ‘everyone’ is. This is not a good time for them. The rest of us are somewhere in the middle.

Staying in gratitude for what we have and what we are gifted with is always the best way to move through this difficult time. Sometimes that is impossible because of difficult life situations we are in. Acceptance for the restriction while being innovative with the time I have using tools that are available to me, has kept me in constant motion so I have no time to think about being in lock-down.

In whatever place you are in, and however you are going through the situation, it sometimes takes work to find contentment much less happiness. Just like exercise, it is a muscle that needs to be built. I’d love to hear how you’re going through this pandemic.