> Now would be a great time to try a new morning exercise routine. Getting out of the house for even a 10-minute morning walk can make all the difference in the trajectory of your day. You can build up to a 30-minute run over time, but it's easier to engrain the habit if you start with a very low bar. Just get dressed, prepare a to-go coffee if you like, and go for a walk around your block. You might be surprised at how this sets a different tone for your day.
It sounds like I'm about to quibble with you; that is not my intention, but: I have tried. I know how incredibly effective exercise can be to kick me out of a ditch in normal situations, but it's having next to no effect currently. It still makes me feel better, but it doesn't turn my brain on. I strongly suspect I need the human interaction :-/
> It still makes me feel better, but it doesn't turn my brain on. I strongly suspect I need the human interaction :-/
Which is OK. Have you tried having "virtual coffees" with your colleagues? Let's say every one or two days at a fixed time? Or even 1-1 calls with a colleague that feels the same about it? It doesn't have to be about work. Believe me when I say that this is much more common than you think. In the very beginning of the "lockdown", some colleagues still tried to go to the office for that exact reason. Then it became mandatory in my company to work from home, so they couldn't go anymore. The truth is that some people DO need human contact more than others. The only way you have right now is to "fake it until you make it" with virtual coffees, etc. Plus, whenever you can, go out, even for short walks (check your local regulations and in general stay safe).
> Have you tried having "virtual coffees" with your colleagues?
Yep. Virtual coffees during work hours. Virtual beers after. It just doesn't cut it for me. I've narrowed it down to me being fine small-talk with friends in person, but feeling extremely awkward small-talking on a screen. It's probably the same mechanism that has made me hate "general chit chat" phone calls for as long as I can remember, while being comfortable with general chit chat in person.
> The truth is that some people DO need human contacts more than others.
I always knew this was the case for me, but I somehow thought that as long as I had a good set of friends and loved ones in my life, I would be fine with not seeing people on a regular basis. Turns out that's not the case.
> The only way you have right now is to "fake it until you make it" with virtual coffees, etc.
Yep. All in all, I can't complain. Everyone I know is healthy and employed. It could be a lot worse. I feel like a whiner now, but this was the umpeenth news story exhalting WFH and I couldn't refrain from commenting any longer.
> Plus, whenever you can, go out, even for short walks (check your local regulations and in general stay safe).
Yes, thankfully this is fine where I am now (the curve is thoroughly flattened, hospitalizations on a good decline for more than a week, and society will slowly start reopening next week). Stay safe, and best of luck to you!
It sounds like I'm about to quibble with you; that is not my intention, but: I have tried. I know how incredibly effective exercise can be to kick me out of a ditch in normal situations, but it's having next to no effect currently. It still makes me feel better, but it doesn't turn my brain on. I strongly suspect I need the human interaction :-/