I’m writing this from the makeshift quarantine bunker in my living room — pj’s on, hand sanitizer nearby, snacking my way through my emergency rations. We are all working remotely today—and will be for the foreseeable future—how long, we don’t know, but I suspect for some time. Normally bound by dress codes and expectations in the office, millions of office goers — are trading business trousers for comfort-first attire like sweatpants and hoodies they would normally wear to Walmart or for casually stepping outside.
Gatha Saul, a 30-yr old QA engineer says that the current work from home scenario is difficult, as well as quite different from the usual one. “What still keeps me positive is that by sitting at home I can give more time to my family, hobbies and improve my cooking skills. But the most important thing is that I might be able to save lives by stopping the spread,” Gatha wrote.
Rafael Orozco, a social media CSA wrote about doing FaceTime dinner dates with friends and doing pilates together over video calls. “As an avid reader, I’ve taken up the grand idea of acting out scenes in the backyard to my wonderful audience and adoring fans – my two dogs,” Orozco said.
There are also millions of parents who are suddenly finding themselves juggling the demands of work and child care. Lacy Richardson, a customer relations supervisor has been keeping extra busy juggling work from home and supervising her kids’ schoolwork. “This has been quite the adjustment with having not only to concentrate on office work, but balancing that with watching over my children,” Richardson said.
Well, we are all in this together and the most important thing to remember is your own well being- mental health. Working from home can be isolating for those of us who haven’t done it regularly, especially with no end date in sight.
We asked some people to share what’s keeping them positive in this pandemic.
“My family is keeping me sane during this time. Video chats with my coworkers and my friends for game nights makes sure I keep in touch with those that matter to me.” — Ale Lamas
“My faith and hope in God keeps my thoughts positive. Knowing good will come of all this allows me to plow through.” — Diane Turk Rogers
“Communication with my coworkers/video chats. Also, cooking more and being able to take care of stuff around the house that I wasn’t getting around to when in the office.”— Mercedez Burnes
“I have two grandchildren, granddaughter is 3 y/o and grandson is 7 months old. Receiving pictures and having video chats with my family are keeping me sane during this difficult time.”— Michelle Holcomb
“Exercising in my living room and receiving the daily mail, as it lets me know the world is still operating.”— Keith Leonard
“Being able to see my co-workers daily, thankful I can still get my daily dose of Starbucks, cooking, baking and games with my daughters. Facetime with my grandson.”— Ana Taylor
As for me, I’ve realized that I can be my best in pj’s, munching snacks while being available for team calls every now and then. In these tough times, our community needs to come together and lend a helping hand to one another.
Tanya Sawhney is a freelance journalist; Tanya holds a masters degree in journalism. She loves writing about current events and startups. In her free time, one can find her watching a horror movie, rustling up something great in her kitchen, or reading unfinished books. At The Clairemont Times she documents peoples’ stories in the startup section and covers current events. You can reach her at mailtanya05@gmail.com
