“Does anyone else just feel very… weird at the moment?
“I feel like I’m waiting for something to happen, or for something to change, but actually everything is kind of back to ‘normal’ and I’ve just forgotten how to live my life.”
I tweeted this back in autumn 2021. And, now, over six months later – despite the scrapping of practically all Covid rules – I feel exactly the same.
As someone who has had Covid twice, I feel as though my life should be what it was pre-pandemic. I’ve had the virus. It wasn’t pleasant, but I survived. I’m fully vaxxed. Chances are, if I get it again, I’ll be OK.
Of course, for those who are vulnerable or immunocompromised, things aren’t as simple as that. I appreciate that the ability to return to “normal” without worrying too much about the consequences of getting ill is a privilege.
Who knows how anyone will fare if they are infected, or reinfected, given recent reports that a new variant is driving a third wave of the virus?
However, I think that this huge pause in our lives has taken its toll in lots of other, less expected ways than getting sick. I don’t think I’m alone in almost forgetting what life felt like “before”. At least, surely I can’t be. Anyone?
We’re ‘back to normal’ but still spending much more time at home
I now spend most days alone, working from home rather than in the busy office I have been used to my whole adult life. I’m very grateful for it and, in my opinion, flexible or hybrid working is one of the best things to come out of the pandemic. However, there’s no getting away from the fact that it has cut my daily human interaction drastically.
I have fewer plans than I used to. Maybe it’s because, over the course of the pandemic, most of my friends turned from 33 to 35, and we got used to doing less? Or maybe it’s because I’m always at home, and it seems more of an effort to take myself out of the house after finishing work than it did to go somewhere from the office.
The weeks go by quickly and, every now again, I get a jolt of panic over how much time I spend in the house.
I’ve been rationalising how I’m feeling – my lack of socialising, my feeling of malaise – by reassuring myself that this has been a Very Weird Time, and that something will change soon. But… what? Restrictions have lifted. Nothing more is due to change.
Really, I think a lot of how I’m feeling stems from the changes to my working environment.
Hybrid working is the best of both worlds for most
I’m grateful for the opportunity to work flexibly, and at home – particularly in times of escalating travel costs. I just wish I could be a bit better at figuring out a balance between time spent inside and outside the house.
I recently turned down a job offer from a company who got rid of their office during the pandemic and are now working exclusively from home
My current life doesn’t feel quite like the life I know and love. I’m a sociable creature; an extroverted introvert. I do appreciate alone time and need to recharge – but I come alive when in the company of others.
I work as a TV producer and freelance journalist and, just the other week, I went into a TV production office for a meeting – for the first time in over two years. I felt anxious beforehand but, as soon as I went in there, I felt more myself than I had all month. It made me realise that, for me, having the option of an office to work in is important.
I recently turned down a job offer from a company who got rid of their office during the pandemic and are now working exclusively from home. While, for many, this is the dream I’ve come to realise that it’s not what I need.
For the sake of my mental health and unwelcome hermit tendencies, I think the hybrid setup is what I need – and I’m not alone.
A recent survey found that over half of British workers favoured the option to work between an office and their homes. And, a brand new study has found that Scottish organisations and employees are embracing hybrid work more than anywhere else in the UK.
For those who it suits and is feasible for, I absolutely think full-time remote working should be an option. But, for me – and, it would seem, many others – the option to go into an office when needed may just be what I need to make me feel part of the real world again. I hope it will go some way towards helping me get my “pre-pandemic” life back.
Siobhan Smith is a freelance journalist and TV development executive
Conversation