The Pandemic is Taking a Toll on Work-at-Home Pros

I became a full-time freelance writer in October 2018. I also worked from home as a full-time editor for a few months back in 2016. When I was looking for a traditional office job after moving to Nebraska, I filled my time with freelance gigs. It’s safe to say that I know what it takes to work from home.

I’ve always been self-motivated. Getting work done from home has never been a problem. I have kids and pets, so staying on a schedule has never been a challenge. I had to be up to make sure the dogs were fed, and then I had to get the kids to school.

The pandemic has impacted that.

I still have to get up and feed the dogs, but once they have been taken care of, I don’t have to worry about getting the kids up and ready for school. Instead of staying awake, I head back to bed.

At first, it was really nice. I’m not a morning person, so I enjoyed being able to get a little more rest before I started my day. It helped me feel refreshed and focused.

I still go back to bed after feeding the dogs, but now it feels like getting up is a burden.

At first, I told myself that I needed to get up by 8:00 am to get started on my work. Now, I’ve pushed it back to 8:15, but even then, I wonder if it’s necessary to get up that early. Most days, I spend several minutes contemplating if I really need to get up or if I can stay in bed for a little longer. While I (thankfully) still have work to do, it has definitely slowed down.

My anxiety also isn’t exactly sure how to deal with what’s going on, so I have days where I swing back and forth between a full-body anxious buzz and the edge of a full-blown panic attack.

Every so often, I also have an existential crisis.

I find myself wondering what it all means.

Why is this going on?

Is humanity really that bad?

Why is humanity so bad?

Will things ever go back to normal?

Were things really normal in the first place?

How is this going to change life in the future?

And the questions go on.

I have to force myself to get out of bed and get to work. I can’t see the reason for staying on a schedule to get things done, especially when my tasks don’t fill up my entire day.

This, of course, leads to more laziness and lack of motivation. I do my best to stay active. I get outside when the weather is nice and hang with my boys, but some days it’s incredibly challenging.

Having the boys at home and keeping them on task is incredibly challenging as well. Not only do I have to keep track of my assignments, but I have to make sure they are getting their work done as well. It’s too easy for them to ignore or “forget” an assignment, so I literally have to loom over them to ensure they get it done.

I get it: they’re kids. They’re going to get out of as much work as possible. This is a learning moment, a way to teach them how to be responsible and self-motivated and develop a schedule.

But it’s exhausting. My schedule is falling by the wayside, and now I’m expected to keep them going?

I know I’m not the only one going through this. I know a lot of people are struggling with the changes right now. Many are asking questions that don’t have any answers. Many are losing motivation and feeling tired.

I’m a work-at-home pro, and I’ve been doing it for a long time, but this pandemic is taking a toll on me. There are so many uncertainties, and that causes a lot of stress.

Since I’ve struggled with depression for the vast majority of my life, I can’t help but wonder if a lot of these feelings are because I’m spiraling downward. Who could blame me if I was? The world has been turned upside down. Life as we know it has been forever changed. That’s tough for anyone to deal with.

There are no easy answers right now. All we can do is keep on keepin’ on. If you’re having a hard time with life, know that you’re not alone. Working from home and dealing with kids is exhausting. Remember to take some time to take care of you. Even if that means getting out for a walk or watching a show you really enjoy. You deserve it.

If you have found some ways to cope and stay motivated, share your insights. Your idea may be just what someone else needs to get through these uncertain times.

I Seriously Don’t Handle Medical Emergencies Well

In the past, I’ve talked about how super well I handle medical emergencies for my kids, but when it comes to my pets, I’m just as special. Over the weekend, I was reminded how I have a hard time dealing with medical emergencies.

I blame the vast majority of my coping issues on my anxiety. When something happens, adrenaline instantly shoots through my body (as I’m sure it does for everyone), but that is then followed by a slideshow of worst-case scenarios that play through my brain. Every horrible, life-changing and threatening idea crosses my mind, which, as you can imagine, increases my stress and worry.

Past experiences also influence how I react to current emergencies. Some of you may recall the incident that occurred with the first corgi I ever owned. Since then, I’m convinced that any little thing that happens to my dogs will have deadly consequences. The vet in Laramie was used to and incredibly patient and caring when I called numerous times to ask questions, and the vet here in Nebraska has just had their first taste of my neurosis.

On Saturday, both of the corgis (Floki and Siggy) went to the vet for their yearly vaccinations. It was our first trip there since moving, and I was incredibly impressed by the facilities and the doctor. She was incredibly kind and helpful. We left with no issues.

There will be plenty of pictures of Floki, but here’s one of Siggy hangin’ on the couch.

Later that evening, I was working on my computer while the dogs played in my office. At one point, Floki was laying on his back on the bed panting. I asked him if he was hot, and he just looked at me with his big brown eyes. A few moments later, he moved to lay near the wall, and that’s when I noticed the swelling around his eyes.

You can kind of tell from this picture that he’s puffier than normal.

My heart leaped into my throat and I immediately looked up the vet’s number on the internet (it’s saved in my phone now). I could tell that it was an allergic reaction, and the first thing that ran through my mind was that he was going to swell up and asphyxiate. I had to get him to the vet as soon as possible.

Since it was a Saturday night, the answering service picked up. It explained that it was an emergency answering service only and that they couldn’t take general questions or regular appointments. It took f-o-r-e-v-e-r to get through the message, and I was sure my dog was going to go into convulsions before I could talk to anyone. Finally, I was told that if I wanted to proceed I needed to hit #1—which I did.

I did my best to speak slowly and coherently and not forget to leave my number. I then held the phone next to my chest and waited for the doctor to call back. I realized that standing like that was only going to add to my anxiety, so I tried to busy myself with other tasks so I didn’t go insane. I started to fold laundry, mumbling under my breath the entire time that the vet needed to call me back.

She did. Probably within 10 minutes of sending the message.

I told her what was going on, and she said that it probably wasn’t the vaccinations that caused the reaction but could possibly have been a spider bite. She asked if I had Benadryl in the house, and I went on a search. Of course, I didn’t, so I rushed to the store.

Another super fun fact about me is that it makes me anxious to take and distribute medicine. Even after the vet gave me instructions—that I wrote down—on how much Benadryl to give Floki, I checked it about 100 times, then still felt uncomfortable about giving him meds—even though I knew he needed them!

I contemplated giving him a half dose or a kid’s dose, then I told myself that the vet met Floki earlier that day, she knew how much he weighed, and she was the doctor, so I gave him the amount she told me to give him.

On the plus side, aside from being puffy, Floki never acted any different than normal. He was still his sweet, curious self. He shook his head a little more often, but he didn’t yip or just lay down. Even after giving him Benadryl, he stayed the same lovable corgi.

That, as you can imagine, made me feel better, but it took a long time for the swelling to go down. That made me worry that maybe he had been bitten by a black widow or a brown recluse, so I was asking my spouse what he thought. He reassured me that if the spider that had bitten Floki was poisonous, we would know. The poor baby would be in a ton of pain or his flesh would be rotting off his face. Surprisingly, hearing that helped a bit, even though it didn’t completely eradicate my worry.

This was later in the night after some Benadryl. His muzzle is still puffy, but he was doing a lot better.

By the next day, the swelling had gone down significantly. Yes, I awoke a couple of times during the night to check on my fur baby, but he was fine. He continued to improve, and by now, the swelling is completely gone and I’m sure Floki doesn’t remember anything that happened. I, on the other hand, will continue to have anxiety issues when it comes to medical emergencies.

The fur baby just hanging out and chilling.

The Reason Things Have Been so Crazy

First of all, thanks for being patient with me while I get things together. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: it’s amazing to me how quickly life can change—and change it has.

In the past few months, it’s been a roller coaster of emotions for me. Most of the time, I was waaaaay down in the dumps, but there were a few high points. I finally felt like things were getting back to normal, then my spouse got a promotion and was moved to another dealership. Which means the boys and I will also be moving soon.

I’m excited about going to Nebraska. I’m ready for a change. This is an amazing opportunity for all of us. The boys are going to finish out the school year here, then we’ll be on our way. That decision was also based on the fact that we have to sell our house—and that is where my stress has been coming from lately. It’s a lot of work getting a house cleaned and ready to put on the market.

As you can imagine, working on my house has cut deeply into my writing and social time. I’ve been exhausted and out of sorts, so mornings have been a struggle to get up and get ready—there’s been no way I’ve had time to post to my social accounts. That’s going to change soon…

Technically, at this time, the house is done enough. There are just a few loose ends to tie up, but the house is ready to be shown. Keep your fingers crossed we get an offer!

There will still be some stress, but it won’t be as much as before (I hope!). I’ll get some time back (I hope!), so I’ll be able to get back to writing and doing posts. Once we move, there will probably be a short time when I take a break again, but it won’t last long.

Thanks for bearing with me!