Anonymous wrote:Yes!!! Same here, OP. You said it well. I am loving this time. And trying to do for those who might be struggling.

+2

I don't think you are alone in this OP. I think everyone is somewhere on a spectrum. And don't pay attention to all these a$$holes saying you had a bad life before. They are small, bitter, jealous people.

I don't think I'm where you are - I miss my friends, my kids miss school and their friends and activities, and I do have anxiety about our incomes at some point and the economy in general. I also worry about the resurgence of the virus throwing us back into another quarantine situation later this year. I feel horrible for all the people who are sick, have lost someone, or who have lost their jobs.

Having said all that, there are many things I am enjoying about how life has slowed down and the falling away of so many of the BS pressures we have in the DMV - everything from traffic, to the competitive parenting, to the overscheduling of everyone.

We are fortunate I freely acknowledge, but there are definitely things about this new "way of life" during quarantine that I am loving and embracing. There is definitely a piece of me that isn't in any hurry to go back to the "real" world

Anonymous wrote:Introverts need to just be more vocal about our needs. The rushing around, overscheduling, and work being thought of as a location and not an action, are all too stressful. So many days I would wake up with a feeling of dread of whatever I had to do that day. When this started, the next day I woke up and was happy for the first time in a long time that I had nothing I HAD to do.

+1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your life seriously sucked before if you are enjoying this current situation. Anyone who had a good life before does not enjoy this period.

NP here. I feel like OP. Have a very good life before this period, but also really happy to spend more time with my family now.

I think it is a function of having financial security, education, good health and a great family life.

The fact that you fee you did not have enough time to spend with family before means your regular life is not good. Really sad that it took lockdown for you to realize that.

.

I feel the way OP feels, and I have shared it with a close friend who also feels the same way.

At the same time, I'm upset that people are suffering. And here's where I think some of the "How Dare You" posters are a little off base. NONE OF US ARE IMMUNE from this. We can all lose friends, family, spouses, and our own lives. Many of us will--even those of us who aren't struggling financially now. So I don't see the harm in being grateful and happy today. If I end up dying from coronavirus, all alone, in one of the most most horrifically sad and isolating ways possible, at least we had this lovely family time together. I'll be damned if I'm going to self-punish myself now.

And I'd argue that all the people bitching about how annoying their kids are and how depressed they are that they can't go out are being pretty lame in this time of great suffering. I mean, really? You're alive. You have food and shelter. Just be quiet.

I am loving that my FIL no longer drops by unexpectedly and into my house unannounced

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like being home too; I love not rushing around and being a slave to the clock. But I hate that other people are suffering right now. So my enjoyment of this quiet time is tempered by the fact that so many others are experiencing the worst time in their lives.

+10000

Yes. So much.

Introverts need to just be more vocal about our needs. The rushing around, overscheduling, and work being thought of as a location and not an action, are all too stressful. So many days I would wake up with a feeling of dread of whatever I had to do that day. When this started, the next day I woke up and was happy for the first time in a long time that I had nothing I HAD to do.

I'm an extreme introvert with a very limited social circle but I've been surprised how many people have called me out of the blue for long chats, including some I hadn't seen or heard from in months. And normally I loathe the phone but it's been very enjoyable. I guess I have more friends than I thought.

Anonymous wrote:I think all the people who are miserable now have shitty lives. You can't be happy in your primary home with your immediate family members (spouse and children)? Something is seriously wrong there.

This.

If your life was good before - financial security, health, close knit/happy family - it just got better. If you had cracks in your life - financial insecurity, bad marriage, bad health, bad habits, lack of adulting skills - your life just got worse.

For those who are blessed, I hope you recognize it and nurture your many blessings. For those who are unhappy, try to fix the situation or get away from it.

Life is not going to get back to normal ever again. This is our new reality.

Anonymous wrote:You were doing life wrong if a pandemic quarantine has made your life better.

That’s mean. OP was just saying the slower pace has been nice.

I’m totally enjoying it. No traffic when I need to go out. Watching lots of shows. Fewer deadlines for my now telework job. Hard for me to find a downside. My dog loves me being around more. It’s good.

Anonymous wrote:I like being home too; I love not rushing around and being a slave to the clock. But I hate that other people are suffering right now. So my enjoyment of this quiet time is tempered by the fact that so many others are experiencing the worst time in their lives.

+10000

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there's a difference between appreciating the slow pace and saying that your mental health is so much better etc. As said upthread, if a global pandemic doesn't make your life much worse, you were doing something wrong to begin with.

If you're not feeling at least mildly anxious right now, that's basically pathological.

Ok, well I guess I can say I’m feeling good enough that it’s not bothering me anymore that strangers on the Internet call me pathological. I am normally a very anxious person but the existential threat of this whole period has shifted my thinking so I can focus on what is really important, which is my family. Somehow it’s just easier than it used to be to not care at all what others think, whether I have the right job, the right house, or the most accomplished kids. We still have an income, and if we didn’t then I’m positive I would feel worse. But in general I am just feeling all the unimportant stuff fall away. And I am getting more sleep.

You’re proving the point you’re responding to. You were doing something wrong to begin with. You’re a slave to others.

I like being home too; I love not rushing around and being a slave to the clock. But I hate that other people are suffering right now. So my enjoyment of this quiet time is tempered by the fact that so many others are experiencing the worst time in their lives.