Currently

Working – from home.

I was furloughed for two months and honestly? I loved it. I got much needed time to let my brain rest. Now, I’m back at work, and it’s very different. It’s the same job, but there are so many new processes to adapt to the world with COVID. New products, new shipping offerings, new limitations… it’s a lot to keep up with. I don’t miss commuting, but I really miss my coworkers. And the free food at my office. I miss that quite a bit.

Eating – poorly.

The only thing I want to eat is takeout from Nando’s, bagel chips and cream cheese, mac and cheese, and Nutella toast. Is that normal? Is that the normal diet of a 27-year-old adult woman? Or the diet of a person in quarantine? What’s normal anymore?

Exercising – never.

It’s too hot out. The gym at my apartment complex is closed, not that I ever visited it before quarantine. Pre-quarantine, I walked around a decent amount at work. I liked getting up, taking a stroll through the office, taking the long way to the bathroom just to get a few steps in. Now? My kitchen is 10 feet away from my bed. My bathroom, six. There’s not much walking happening. My cardiologist is going to yell at me when they see my orthostatics at my next appointment.

Social distancing – effectively.

I have a weekly backyard hangout with friends I’ve formed a quarantine pod with. We stay six feet away from each other the whole time and we set up a projector outside so we can watch TV outside. The weather is miserable, a little less so after the sun sets, but it’s so nice pretending the world isn’t on fire while eating take out with friends… even if I can’t go inside the house and I can’t go near them. Otherwise, I don’t see anyone. I get groceries delivered and rarely leave the house, if ever. Humanity? Don’t know her.

Sleeping – a lot.

I’m back to having strange, vivid dreams. I’m having nightmares that I’m late to work, which would be particularly embarrassing when you work from home. I’m trying to figure out the correct number of hours to sleep… because when I sleep nine hours, I’m over tired, and last night I slept seven and felt great? Can’t I just wake up, feel refreshed, and move on?

Shopping – too much.

Or, am I? My favorite activity before quarantine was going to Target and browsing through things I don’t need. I’m doing the same thing now, just online. I’m working on really settling into my apartment since I resigned my lease last April so I figured it’s time to make it a home. I bought a million Command Strips and started hanging pictures up on the wall. It’s home now. (Sponsor me, 3M!)

ReadingHow To Be an An Anti-Racist by Ibram X Kendi.

I’ve been reading it for an embarrassingly long time. It’s a brilliant book, which presents ideas that beg to be recorded, so I take extensive notes in a journal. Then they inspire me to look up ideas online further. I guess it’s a good sign that the book is inspiring me to research while reading, but it’s slowing down the whole reading part. I have a long list of new books on my shelf to read as well. I was a big reader as a kid, and now the focus is too challenging. Is it the brain fog of POTS or the struggle of ADHD? Chicken or the egg?

Annoyed by – ignorance and reckless behaviors.

People who won’t wear masks. People traveling cross country. People who are having large family reunions without regard for social distancing. People having parties. People denying science. People suggesting that you can only care about one issue at a time. People who won’t research topics, sources, organizations. The weather. The heat. The humidity. POTS. Everything.