Forget everything you thought you knew about life. Ever since February/March of 2020, the COVID19 pandemic has brought life, as we knew it, to a complete standstill.
If you’re dealing a whole crap-ton of new feelings, emotions, and issues… you’re not alone.
Empathic and HSP men are feeling the acute realities of the pandemic like no other population. As a menpath who’s done the work of uncovering and embracing my superpowers, I can admit that it’s been difficult for me as well.
My New Realities
Decreased Fitness - I haven’t been immune to the emotional, psychological, and physical roller coasters of mood swings and muscle tension. With restrictions on going to the gym or using public park equipment for working out, my physical exertion mainly comes in the form of walking… although I’ve curtailed most outside activities since California is on fire and the air quality is horrendous.
Wearing Masks - Many of us are working from home (WFH), running only essential errands, and limiting our exposure to others. If you;re not doing this, you’re likely placing yourself and others at risk. Please wear a mask or stay inside if you object.
I saw a YouTube video recently of a young woman with severe asthma taking her blood oxygen saturation readings while wearing even the most occlusive masks and none actually provoked a saturation level under 96 percent.
Little Socialization - I work within a team that’s baased in both San Francisco and Los Angeles and we’re all on semi-permanent WFH status. One team member bought a house and moved to Lake Tahoe because she doesn’t ever see herself reporting to our San Francisco headquarter ever again. More often than not, our bi-weekly Team Zoom calls feature some of us on camera and a few refusing to connect visually. It seems even with WFH status intact, some still need to take a stand on something.
The COVID 10 / Quarantine 15 - the resulting weight gains and decreased activity is no joking matter says WebMD in this article that the authors maintain is the result of increased stress and anxiety and an increased amount of convenience/processed foods consumed (and coupled with a decrease on physical exertion).
In the last 30 days, more than half a million Facebook users have engaged with terms around quarantine weight gain, including ‘quarantine 15’ and ‘quarantine weight gain.’
Issues for Menpaths
We menpaths are used to adapting and blending in, even if it feels false. So, it’s within the margin of error to think that we, too, are experiencing some fallout from the quarantine that might feel abnormal to us and like we are in need of adjustment. A few are highlighted below.
Boredom - OMG, yes! I get bored about every 20-minutes. I’m like a walking, talking whack-a-mole game. I’ve been struggling to maintain focus and attentiveness for any longer than 15-20 minutes at a time. This is not normal for me and I definitely think it’s quarantine related.
Isolation - As an INFJ I love my solitude. Normally, I can’t get enough. But lately, I’ve missed eating in restaurants, walking into a coffee shop and actually sitting inside, the family social gatherings, even some of the office banter. Nothing is normal, not even my cherished isolation.
Social Media Burnout - Like me, you might’ve turned to calling up your social media accounts our of boredom. My dopamine receptor are most likely burning out as well because I find very little reward from this repetitive activity.
Continual Streaming - Have you ever been paralyzed by the sheer volume of possibilities for stream from Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, or any of the other options for continual entertainment? Like my timeon social media, it’s failing to satisfy my need for…. whatever it is that drives us there.
Lack of Enjoyment - this, more than any other issue has been huge for me during the period of quarantine. Books, videos, even streaming doesn’t produce the same level of enjoyment for me as it once did. I’m to the point where I’m thinking of a experiment that will redirect my feelings of purposelessness into a physical activity.
Where to we go from here?
Sorry, but I have no clue. No one does, really.
All we can do is get up each day, tell those we love how we feel about them, continue our protective behavior, and hope for the best.
And talk about it. You can that in a comment if you wish.