A while ago, I wrote about the frustrations of writing and artistic output during the global Coronavirus pandemic. How the quarantine, while it gave many of us more free time and opportunity to write, also led to increased depression, anxiety, and other mental health distress for a lot of creative types. Creative output often went down when others assumed it would increase.
The good news is, I personally managed to push through to a point where I was getting words down on the page. Not as many as before the ‘Rona took over, but still. (Note: As a mental health professional, I am not advocating merely “pushing through” as any kind of treatment.) An older problem then reared its ugly head: I wasn’t meeting my overall writing goals even before social distancing became a thing. So, double whammy.
Well, this week, I returned to work at my actual work site. Thankfully, as an essential employee, I worked throughout the quarantine. Not only did I earn my wage, but I was able to do so from my recliner, with extra sleep. Which only reinforces how much I was affected by depression issues early on, stuck at home.
I’m happy to report that my writing is back to pre-Coronavirus levels, and have slowly, incrementally, begun to exceed them. Is getting back to my normal “work at work and write at home” routine the cause? Partly, although I was getting better before Monday. I think what helped a lot was knowing I was returning to work.
Still not nearly where I need to be as far as meeting my goals; at least I’m chipping away at those goals. I fervently wish at least the same level of progress for everyone else out there seeking to create. The more awesome we create, the better the world is.
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