Aspiring Dance Mom
Quarantine Fatigue: The 7 Things You’re Sick of Right Now
Coronavirus. We’re over it, right? Quarantine fatigue. It’s happening to you, it’s happening to me, and it’s happening to our dogs. Just kidding, the dogs LOVE quarantine!
Those of us who have been cooped up since mid-March are starting to get the appeal of the neighbors down the block who’ve refused to wear masks this entire time – it sucks. I get it now. Nearly 100 days of staying strong has brought us to the brink.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m still freaked out enough that I’m not rushing out to the closest restaurant patio and I’m not going shopping or meeting friends for coffee just yet. We’re still in a pandemic. But I’m getting really, really sick and tired of some of the things the new normal has forced upon us.
Take Zoom for example. Connecting with humans right now is, like, really hard. The progression of Zoom as a staple of daily American life, both work and personal, has moved along at lightning speed. At first, it was weird – wait, I have to show my coworkers what I look like when I work from home? A couple months later and I’ve lost all confidence in my jokes. That 1-2 seconds before other people recognize that what you said is kind of funny can be a deafening silence.
Needless to say, we, as a society, got over those Zoom hurdles (Zurdles?) and all of the sudden your friends and family were scheduling Zoom happy hours left and right (yes, I’m guilty). But as the weeks have dredged on, the topics of conversation have changed. It used to be fun to catch up with colleagues, friends and family. But we’re running out of stories about how crazy things are, and for some of us, we’re running out of positivity.
I know what I’m sick of (in-home yoga classes and my quarantine hair that’s now down to my waist, yuck!), but I was curious to know what normal people are griping about these days. Naturally, I turned to Facebook to get some input from my network and my favorite pandemic parenting group (shout out to 50k amazing moms and dads!), to see what people are really, genuinely just OVER. Some of the top responses were surprising, but the recurring theme was all about not being able to do the things we want to do, or not feeling safe doing so. No surprise there.
Here are the top 7:
1. People not taking it seriously: I was pretty surprised that this was the top response! If anything, based on my own neighborhood, I would think most people are on the opposite end of the spectrum, ready to loosen up and return to some form of normal life. But I guess that doesn’t account for all the people staying in their homes and watching the same episode of Mother Goose Club with their toddler for the gazillionth time.
2. Not being able to see loved ones: This is a toughie, and the #1 over-it item for my family for sure. From faraway parents/grandparents to friends with new babies, I definitely get it. Zoom calls just aren’t cutting it anymore.
3. Lack of social interaction: This goes for both kiddos and adults, but there were a lot of comments from parents about how tough it is to watch their kids play alone all the time. I know what that’s like – my daughter much prefers singing and dancing alongside her old daycare pals over listening to Mom try and do her best rendition of “Let it Go.” Again.
4. Masks: I know, they’re annoying. Especially now that summer is really upon us in Chicago. I LOL’d reading some of the comments that just said “Masks.” No explanation needed. I know they give you chin acne, but they’re also minimal effort with a potentially high reward. So just wear one when you’re supposed to. Or as my dad would say, where the (expletive) mask!
5. Confusion about the rules: Speaking of masks, remember when leading health organizations told us we didn’t need to wear them? The lack of cohesive guidance on so many levels has been nothing if not frustrating. Now that a lot of businesses are back open, it’s hard to keep track of the new protocols that sometimes vary shop to shop. Definitely a lot of frustration here.
6. No hugs allowed: Even when we can see our loved ones, we’re supposed to try and stay six feet apart. This is just sad! When the pandemic really started to pick up steam, I never really thought about hugs as something I’d long for. But when I saw my BFF and her newborn (from the street), it was so hard not to run up and give her a big hug and smell that baby’s head! The “hugs” emoji via text can only get you so far.
7. Monotony of it all: Normal life can already be pretty monotonous. Add restrictions (and take away hugs) and people are bound to get antsy. One commenter said she’s sick of Netflix. Is this what it’s come to? When a Netflix binge can’t solve our problems, what has the world come to?
While much of the country has opened up at least a bit, my unscientific Facebook survey tells me that a lot of people are still at home, especially those of us with kids. Breaking quarantine with a friend meet-up or a restaurant patio meal is a weird luxury that many of us are just not used to yet.
When I initially posted the question, “what are you most sick of,” my first commenter summed it up pretty perfectly: “All of it.” Yeah, we’re sick of it. All of it. And it can be therapeutic to air grievances and complain alongside your fellow humans. But don’t forget that 2020 doesn’t have to be all bad. Let’s try to stick together – whether that’s in commiseration or coming up with the bright side of things. We need to do both at a time like this.
Thank you to all the lovelies who shared comments! If you have one to share, feel free DM me on Instagram @aspiringdancemom.
Filed under:
Uncategorized
Tags:
coronavirus, covid-19, motherhood, pandemic, parenting, quarantine
-
Advertisement:
-
Advertisement:
-
Welcome to ChicagoNow.
-
Meet The Blogger
Natalie Matthews
Proud toddler/dog mom. Writer. PR pro. Dancer.
-
Subscribe by Email
Completely spam free, opt out any time.
My Twitter
Recent posts
-
Quarantine Fatigue: The 7 Things You’re Sick of Right Now »
Natalie Matthews on Aspiring Dance MomPosted Sunday at 10:00 pm -
Can 2020 still be a year we want to remember? »
Natalie Matthews on Aspiring Dance MomPosted Monday at 7:24 am -
Pandemic Parenting: What is motherhood right now? »
Natalie Matthews on Aspiring Dance MomPosted May 10, 2020 at 6:16 pm -
The not-so-bad plight of the working parent during COVID-19 »
Natalie Matthews on Aspiring Dance MomPosted April 1, 2020 at 10:12 pm -
5 Things You Need to Know About “An American in Paris” »
Natalie Matthews on Aspiring Dance MomPosted August 1, 2017 at 6:30 pm
Latest on ChicagoNow
-
Chicago book events come to you: Monday, June 15-Saturday, June 20, 2020
from Dear Chicago Bookstores … by Teme Ring
posted today at 12:54 am -
Quarantine Fatigue: The 7 Things You’re Sick of Right Now
from Aspiring Dance Mom by Natalie Matthews
posted Sunday at 10:00 pm -
If marriage is salad, Paul Farahvar will have the fries!
from Comedians Defying Gravity by Teme Ring
posted Sunday at 8:00 pm -
Miss Mona — Hyde Park Cats
from Pets in need of homes by HydeParkCats
posted Sunday at 7:06 pm -
Papas Guero and Nena — Hyde Park Cats
from Pets in need of homes by HydeParkCats
posted Sunday at 7:03 pm
Posts from related blogs
-
Dear Chicago Bookstores …
Most recent post: Chicago book events come to you: Monday, June 15-Saturday, June 20, 2020
-
Show Me Chicago
Most recent post: Chicago Riverwalk reopens: here’s what you need to know
-
Candid Candace
Most recent post: Bandleader Stanley Paul’s chic penthouse in Chicago, hosted society royalty, for sale
More from Entertainment: Art & Culture
Read these ChicagoNow blogs
-
Cubs Den
Chicago Cubs news and comprehensive blog, featuring old school baseball writing combined with the latest statistical trends -
Pets in need of homes
Pets available for adoption in the Chicago area -
The Barbershop: Dennis Byrne, Proprietor
Chicago writer, editor and author blogs about today’s political and public policy issues.
Read these ChicagoNow Bloggers
-
Carole Kuhrt Brewer
from Chicago Eats: -
BOB ANGONE
from JUST SAYIN: -
Gary Lucido
from Getting Real:
- About ChicagoNow
- •
- FAQs
- •
- Advertise
- •
- Recent posts RSS
- •
- Privacy policy (Updated)
- •
- Comment policy
- •
- Terms of service
- •
- Chicago Tribune Archives
- •
- Chicago Internet Marketing Services
©2020 CTMG – A Chicago Tribune website –
Crafted by the News Apps team