How Much Work Are You Getting Done Right Now?

or the first few days of home quarantine, I was actually pretty productive. I wrote articles, sent pitches, and did research on potential clients. But yesterday, things changed. I have allergies and asthma, so it’s not unusual for me to have a sore throat or some mild congestion. But now when it happens, I have to wonder if it’s a sign I’m going to die. And that’s made it extremely hard to concentrate.

I’m still getting work done (hello, current clients!) and making my deadlines—it’s just requiring a much greater effort. I appreciate the distraction of writing, as it’s not healthy for me to be reading Twitter all day. I already understand the severity and threat of this virus—I just don’t need to frighten myself into nonstop panic attacks.

I’m remembering how I felt during a particularly emotionally traumatic time in my life—I would get lost on my way home during my commute and was convinced I had Alzheimer’s, when in fact my brain just couldn’t handle the overload. That’s why they tell people who have recently suffered a loss not to drive. And then a couple of years ago I took a kayaking class in the lake, during which we had to purposefully capsize our kayaks to practice escaping from them. Even though the instructor was right there, the idea of being upside down in that dark water was terrifying. I had trouble paying attention to what he was saying for the entire duration of the class because I was so afraid I’d have to do it again.

The good news is that as of today, my congestion has gone away for now, and I still don’t have a temperature. But our brains are weird and play tricks on us. I’m meditating and doing yoga, but it’s still challenging. These next few weeks are not going to be fun. Let’s all be kind to ourselves and our bodies, huh? They’re going through a lot even if we end up being lucky enough to avoid the virus.