Forced to be at Home
You are a homebody.
You prefer to be at home with your family most of the time.
You are, however, also a rebel. No one tells you what to do.
So, knowing that you are supposed to stay home is so very difficult.
You have never in your life had to fight feelings of sadness or a lack of motivation so many days in a row, and it is utterly exhausting.
You always wake up feeling great, ready to tackle the day. You start with your workout and plan your to do list, but by three or four in the afternoon you are out of steam. You may start the morning with all of the energy to polish and disinfect all of the thin metal strips that can trap crumbs and germs in the kitchen, but by afternoon you are far less productive.
You are hoping that recognizing the pattern is the first step. Your goal now is to implement strategies to overcome afternoon slump. Because you have too much to accomplish to let this pandemic ruin your progress towards happiness and wellness, you have come up with a list of things that you can do in the afternoons to help you feel better:
- A short workout because physical activity gives you positive endorphins to help get you through the rest of the day.
- Listen to music, especially a good upbeat tune and incorporate some kitchen dancing which you know can work miracles.
- Daily journaling and getting in the process of writing out your feelings and allowing yourself to process helps you find solutions, as well as relax.
You realize not everyone will benefit from your list, but you have also offered advice to friends that they should also accept the challenge to come up with their own lists. The process of writing these items on a piece of paper so you can read it when you are feeling down can be the solution that many people need. Give yourself some options. Tell a friend so they can help remind you. No one should be in this battle alone, and even after all of this craziness is over, you am still going to have bad days. You are hopeful, however, that because of this experience you will be stronger and that you will be better able to help yourself, as well as your friends and family members.
A Different Approach for Everyone
For his part, your husband appears to find the energy to remain productive all day long. Working at a manufacturing plant that is considered essential, he remains on a schedule that is close to normal. Producing significant amounts of 302 stainless steel, brass and copper, and other combined metals, the different divisions at the company where he works is as busy as ever. In a time when 302 stainless steel products are some of the easiest to keep clean and virus free, in fact, there are some companies coming back for products that they have not used in the last decade.
Several evening discussions at your home, in fact, keep returning to the fact that disposable products are making a comeback. Even in your home where you prided yourself on limiting the amount of trash and recyclables that you put out at the curb each week, you find yourself going through the paper and plastic products in your home more quickly in an effort to things germ free and to account for the fact that now nearly all of your meals are eaten at home.
From the 302 stainless steel that your husband continues to supervise the production of at work to the plastic cups and paper plates that you are going through at the home, you have never been more aware of the surfaces that can breed germs. You know, for instance, that currently, about 40% of steel production across the globe is made with recycled metal, so that means that your husbands 302 stainless steel production is often from used materials. At home, however, it is difficult to wrap your head around the fact that you are putting more garbage at the curb every week. There were 138,900 sheet metal workers in the U.S. in 2016, and you are more than thankful that your husband entered this field that remains vibrant today.
