The Happy Side of Social Isolation

[Dreamster]

So as I reflect on all the frustration, fear, annoyance, and such; it's frankly getting me down. The news is constantly filled with doom and gloom. You know what, that's not what this post is about. THIS is the post for you to reflect on all the good things that this current situation has given to you. I have to say I have been surprised by the little joys I keep finding; things my kids do, a fun project I completed, etc...

So let's generate some positivity and post things big or small that have made you smile during this time of trouble.

 

[KragAxe]

We normally travel a LOT as officers in some organizations. Not having done so since March has saved the family a crapload of money to spend on better things. It's freed up most weekends so I can go kayaking, hiking, critter catching or whatever else with my boys. My wife works as a math intervention teacher for grade-school. The screwed up schooling going on now has created a more regular schedule for her (unfortunately that also means more kids falling behind or struggling). I'm working 90% from the house now. My days are full of conference calls, Teams meetings, zoom meetings. I don't care for the contactless work environment, but now I can easily step into the garage and work on fun stuff between meetings.

 

[ZiggyGrimm]

Apologies for the long post... I felt this way too.

I ditched my social media which has massively helped with my positivity in general. I'm a firm believer that you are who you surround yourself with, and my feeds had been quite... hostile as of late. I'm Canadian and the American politics poison seeps into our social media and news cycles. Masked folk (superheroes) fighting with anti-mask folk (people who hate those protecting them). I was tired of seeing the negativity, so I checked out. I have to say I've been significantly happier without social media or regular news. I know that ignoring the world isn't a great long term solution, but the issues that seem to be flooding my feeds shall pass in due time, the ban-hammer will fall on those who I have found most unbearable (often both sides of every topic of discussion have their jackasses).

Onto some of the positive: I've gotten more personal projects done/ have them moving along at least. Right now I'm working on modding a Fallout T-51b Nuka Cola helmet. They were recalled due to a mold issue, so I decided to pick one up for SUPER cheap, tear it apart and build something cool. I'm going to be posting a help thread shortly on this project as I need some advice from the team on here, and like Foe Hammer and Echo 419, the community always delivers! I've landed on a colour scheme, which lead to a theme that then lead to an inside joke and now I have this monstrosity of a helmet on the go (it sidetracked me from my Halo Infinite build... but that is fine, I can circle back once I'm done).

I work in Public Relations for a University in Health Sciences, so for work I'm quite connected to the whole research side of the pandemic, progress seems to be happening towards finding vaccines and treatments which is EXCELLENT. Granted progress isn't success, but it is better than nothing! I've seen both the negative and the positives of this pandemic up close and personal. Sure there are people claiming it is a hoax, people refusing to wear masks, and people losing their loved ones and not being able to properly say goodbye (all negative, sorry about that) BUT there is also massive waves of positivity. I've seen people bonding or reconnecting via distance through video chat, I've seen people working tirelessly and thanklessly to make the world better, I've seen people bettering themselves through online learning and a general decentralization that may allow for long term changes to the way we live for the positive. Even in this group, regiments like the Canadian are banding together for an upcoming Secret Santa! There also seems to be a significant pollution decrease in my city, aspects of life are slowing down for people to enjoy the little things.

Today alone was wildly positive for me. I threw on a sweater, grabbed my laptop and worked outside surrounded by the changing leaves. I saw types of birds I've never seen before in my life in my own backyard. It was truly beautiful. I've also been doing "a scare a day" marathon, I'm basically watching horror films or TV shows... one a day every day for October. I'm looking forward to the Christmas/ Winter Holiday movie version I'll be doing in December. Oh, and I've gotten to catch up on a backlog of graphic novels and comics.

I hope each and every one of you finds small slivers of happiness and when possible create those slivers for other people. Everyone is struggling right now, and we are all in this together!

 

[PlanetAlexander]

I'm Canadian and the American politics poison seeps into our social media and news cycles

I'm Australian and American politics seems to be on our TV all day. Drives you mad - it's hard trying to not let it get in your head. I always wish I could give Canada a big hug and say "Hang in there".

ANYWAY, my lighter side comes mostly from the start of the year, and how much I managed to cram in without knowing the world would shut down. Last Christmas I went over to Disneyworld to visit my sister who was working there. Start of the year, saw Book of Mormon, Elton John, went to a con and a cosplay meetup and caught up with friends and family. Plus I went to the ultimate LAN party. Alas my friends wouldn't duct tape me to the ceiling.

Nowadays as ZiggyGrimm said, it's the smaller things. I love being able to talk to you guys and had a blast on the Flood Form build Stream. Every week I look forward to flavoured coffee (right now it's pumpkin spice) and morning music on Sunday. I'm glad Uni is back on campus (while being health conscious) as I get to hang with creatives.

Good thinking starting this thread Dreamster.

 

[tahu505]

I feel kinda bad about saying this, but I feel like I've been thriving and things have gotten a lot better for me since the quarantine started. All of my college lectures, except for one lab, got switched to being online and all of them are pre recorded. This has actually been great since I can just watch them on my own schedule. I can sleep in if I need to, watch some lectures ahead of time, just do what's most convenient. On top of that, having the ability to change the speed, pause, and rewind the lectures has been really helpful for accommodating my ADHD. Also the amount of time saved by not having to go to and from campus and classes or waiting in between lectures has been just enough to free up some more time for me to be productive. I've been able to get a part time job this semester grading homework for a class that I actually like, and I get to do it while sitting at home listening to podcasts and audio books! Plus the professor I work for gave me the opportunity to edit a chapter of a text book he's writing about 3D bioprinting and is now crediting me as a coauthor so I can put it on my resume. I've even started working out regularly for the first time by going rock climbing each week. And of course there's the whole mask controversy, but I actually really like wearing one when I go out. It feels like it helps with social anxiety and I feel like I've been a lot more confident lately, which I'm hoping carries over after this is over. One of the largest positives has been getting to more involved with and getting to better know this community. I hope everyone else too can find many little things to bring them joy.

 

[Dreamster]

Let's see...the memes and song parodies have been pretty excellent; people's endless creativity never ceases to amaze me! Lots of smiles and laughs from such things. There was one post a friend of mine made on Facebook asking people to comment on things their children and pets were doing while trying to work from home, except substituting the word "coworker" and the results have been hysterical. Examples: "My coworker is laying on my bed taking a bath;" "My coworker is standing in the middle of the living room screaming for me to come to change her diaper."

I can randomly cuddle MrBoot whenever I want since he's working from home, and I joke that he's getting paid to snuggle his wife.

He's also discovered The Joys Of Gardening, so we're gonna have SO MANY berries next year (hopefully a bit this year too, with luck). I'm gonna have to teach myself how to make jam!

More general interest in friends and family reaching out and deepening personal connections, that's been nice. Everyone checking on everyone else, making sure they're doing okay, including church members I haven't really talked to before. And actually, with the in-person church being canceled, it's given me an opportunity to reflect on the most important aspects of my faith and beliefs.

I'd like to say I've been inspired me to suddenly take up exercise or go walking outside, but...well, one thing at a time, I suppose.

I am planning to dig out my exercise tapes today, though, since my back problems are starting to creep up on me again without my regular martial arts classes keeping everything in place.

 

[marinesniper]

i am in the USA and im sick of the political crap on tv my self, im glad i dont watch but about 2 hrs of tv or so. i have been building like a mad man my son and i are redoing my work shop. we have got almost all the electrical done we found a guy who was redoing his kitchen and ask if we wanted his cabinets and granite counter tops. so we have the stuff to up grade the very few areas of storage i had to i need more stuff to fill the cabinets lol. my wife is even out in the shop helping ( playing supervisor) and making sure we are staying on track i want the shop complete before the first of the year. my grandkids even came over to help with the shop i let them paint the back wall with the water base paint. this way i will always have something to make me smile when i look at there paint job because they are 4 and 6. the rest of my time is used checking on the 405th and some special projects i have going with some of you wonderful people..

i have a small problem with sleep i only sleep about 4 or 5 hrs a day, i know its not healthy and i visit my doctor every other month so he can watch my heart and other vitals. so far he said he is amazed that my body is this healthy at 50 with the sleep pattern i have but my mind is always thinking... i made a f4 phantom plane for a friend for Christmas last year. when i help people it make me happy and i smile everytime i think about it.. on the other hand i might make maybe 3 storm trooper suit a year , but during this shut down i have made 7 and 3 went to a charity to be auctioned off for autisum and battered women shelter. sorry for the long post but im happy...

 

[Dreamster]

marinesniper Given the situation your country has now. I'm glad you decided to focus on other things than joining rallies or debates. It's much more productive doing stuff you love to do. Keep away from stress and anxiety man. It's the least we need these days.

 

[KragAxe]

i am in the USA and im sick of the political crap on tv my self, im glad i dont watch but about 2 hrs of tv or so. i have been building like a mad man my son and i are redoing my work shop. we have got almost all the electrical done we found a guy who was redoing his kitchen and ask if we wanted his cabinets and granite counter tops. so we have the stuff to up grade the very few areas of storage i had to i need more stuff to fill the cabinets lol. my wife is even out in the shop helping ( playing supervisor) and making sure we are staying on track i want the shop complete before the first of the year. my grandkids even came over to help with the shop i let them paint the back wall with the water base paint. this way i will always have something to make me smile when i look at there paint job because they are 4 and 6. the rest of my time is used checking on the 405th and some special projects i have going with some of you wonderful people..

i have a small problem with sleep i only sleep about 4 or 5 hrs a day, i know its not healthy and i visit my doctor every other month so he can watch my heart and other vitals. so far he said he is amazed that my body is this healthy at 50 with the sleep pattern i have but my mind is always thinking... i made a f4 phantom plane for a friend for Christmas last year. when i help people it make me happy and i smile everytime i think about it.. on the other hand i might make maybe 3 storm trooper suit a year , but during this shut down i have made 7 and 3 went to a charity to be auctioned off for autisum and battered women shelter. sorry for the long post but im happy...

Right there with you! 51 and I'm lucky to get 5 hrs sleep per night.....and I pay the price!

I also took advantage of ignoring TV and social media. I've been cleaning out the garage and going through boxes of stuff we packed up for moving two houses ago! I've found almost all the old specialty tooling I had lost over the years, found my missing IRS business binders, and have been getting in 10-15 hrs/week in bladesmithing getting ready for a show this weekend. Next week I'll get back on my HALO projects! Working from home kind of makes me not want to even open a computer in the evenings....but I still make time to swing by here!