There are three major changes in life. There’s the home life, the work life and the relationship life. Changes in any of these are big and in the past year, all three things have been affected by the pandemic. Home life has changed. There is the uncertainty with mortgage companies due to loss of income. Some people have moved to new places which is a big adjustment. But more than this are the changes that have come with our work life.

It was reported that 4.3 million people quit their jobs in August, 2021 for varying reasons. It is true that work uncertainties affect a person’s emotional health. It is also true that work is one of the biggest changes a person can make in their life. But lastly, relationship changes are equally as big.
As we meander from the tragic losses from Covid-19, plus unrelated losses or natural causes, people are returning to work where there are empty offices and empty cubicles.

Taking a look back at what happened since the shutdown, Covid has changed everything. We closed schools. Some worked remotely. We were told to stay distant, which we did, and the usual face to face interactions became limited to virtual WebEx or Zoom meetings. There were riots in the streets and political fiascos. There was a split between Democrat and Republican that was worse than the feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys. Politics has become the new religion and it seems politicians have become the new scientists and doctors.
Wear a mask. Don’t wear one.
Get the vaccine. Don’t get it.
These are real arguments.
Next is the racial tensions and the reports of brutality, which was shown on the news—and to be clear, the moral compass which is a person’s view of right, wrong and how to act have all been injured due to the high volumes of death and violence that we’ve seen in the past year. Put simply, all three of the major changes have been impacted by Covid

All three major changes have been affected in our life. And we here we are, living in unchartered territory. The political arguments are ongoing. The arguments about vaccines are still abounding. And next, businesses are reopening. People are heading back to the office with anxiety. Schools are open and we are trying to get back to normal. But the truth is the old normal is gone. The new normal is still evolving.

The psychological shockwave from Covid and the publicized tragedies we’ve seen since the world’s shutdown have left so many of us with trauma. This means that we are basically seeing a worldwide case of PTSD in one form or another.

The reports of death became normal. This is not supposed to be. This is not the natural way of life. It is clear that death is a part of living; however, in one year’s time, I have heard about more deaths of friends and loved ones than I’ve heard in my entire life.
Each week was more news. Someone else was sick.
In fact, there was a special friend of mine who I’d buy breakfast and lunch for at work. I was essential and he was home — and then one day, I was walking through his section of the office, which was mainly empty. I saw a sign that he passed away.
He had a smile that I will never see again—and let’s be clear about something; there are people in our work life that help make the tough days more tolerable. This person was one who made my work day easier.

It would be inaccurate to assume that just because a situation has changed that situational stressors and fears will go away.
I am putting this here in my journals for a reason.
This is partly because my goal is to help develop achievable strategies and actionable plans to help people in the workplace. I do this partly to reduce the number of 85% of people who are unhappy in their work life.
I do this partly because there are three major changes in life, which are home life, work life and relationship life, and all have been affected.
I do this partly to offer a softened approach to improve our mental and emotional wellbeing. And partly, I want to see the world improve. I want to see the stressors subside and people return back to a healthy work environment. I want this for me and for you as well as for the upcoming generation, which is already challenged for reasons that I’ll discuss at another time.

These notes of mine are open and honest and taken from a personal perspective. However, I agree that perception is perception and not everyone sees the same thing. Not everyone agrees nor cares. Yet, there is this place we call the world, which is where we are now. Everything still appears to be on heightened alert. I suppose the main reason for this entry is because I’m someone who wants to see the tension break.

The truth of the matter is everyone is recovering from something. The truth is everyone has seen their fair share of traumas in their life—and some have an experience that is more intense. Some traumas are mild.
Some deal with the intrusive memories of what we saw in our life that predates Covid itself, let alone the additional stressors, which came afterwards.
Some people are dealing with the changes in their life and the loss of their loved ones. Either way, be kind. You never know what someone is going through. You never know what life looks like to someone else nor do we have the right to dictate or determine what is or is not traumatic for someone else.

I leave this short note here for you because like you or anyone else, I have to wake up each day and go to work. And I get it. Work can be a bitch sometimes. This is why I want to make work as easy as possible. Besides, we have seen enough arguing for a while. Just be nice. And if you can’t be nice, be quiet.
It’s not that hard.

Note: I suppose I offer myself in these pieces because this is the way I see the world. And who’s to say whether I’m right or wrong?
All I want to do is offer a few eye-opening ideas and some thought provoking content that might help spark a personal change.
I have my own stressors and trauma and I have my own bouts with PTSD. I suppose much of what I write is a way for me to meander around the trauma.

Either way, I just want to put this virus behind us.
Know what I mean?