Grumpy, Ticked-Off, and Numb—COVID is Still Kicking Us in the Bum!

Is COVID Still Kicking You in the Uh, Bum?

Even if we’re no longer consciously aware of the pandemic every waking minute, COVID is still on a tear.

We have learned to live with it if only a little. Some of us are just plain numb and try not to think about it. While others cope by ignoring the pandemic altogether. Whatever the case may be for you personally (and don’t take that word ‘case’ too literally) …

Realize it or not, rest assured COVID still has you off your game.

The list seems endless. Even when you do your best to embrace them all, they all add up and take their toll…

rules, restrictions, masks, sanitizer, distancing, handwashing, avoiding crowds, empty shelves, higher prices, ticked-off people, homeschooling, tests you can’t get, winter blues, canceled flights, zoom this, zoom that, bosses from afar, attitudes, fear, uncertainty, doubt, you know I could go on for a very long time…

Before I untucked what’s been going on, I blamed people’s behavior on the Wolf Moon. The locals were restless and not a single car on the road was operating within the lines of normality. Yes, including mine, I’m sure.

I thought, what the Sam Hill is going on out there?

Have you seen people doing weird stuff? Behaving abnormally? I mean more than before the pandemic. What is it? What’s going on?

Remember back in 2020 we had “COVID Days” and we joked about March being two-hundred and fifty-some days long. Now, most of the joking has waned.

I think most of us are just plain exhausted and completely numb. All the while COVID is still out there, and Omicron is raging.

Many, many day-to-day occurrences affect or influence us at any given moment. Some for good, and some… not so good.

Numb or not, we need to be aware of how COVID is still affecting us.

The situation begs for lots of self-care and even more empathy for others.

Probably the best advice I’ve ever heard for getting along with other humans is this… Recognize that everyone is dealing with something, that something is kicking their butt, and they could use a little understanding.

In other words, before reacting to some perceived offense— take a breath, extend a little empathy, and cut them a little slack.

It’s the kind of perspective that will serve both you and the recipient.

Sure, I know, it might be hard at the moment. I struggle with it too. We just don’t know how hard the thing is they are dealing with that we simply don’t know about.

For many people, the burdens they carry are bigger these days. 

The thing is, disruptions don’t have to be all that big to cause us some angst. They could be something as simple as hearing another depressing news report or dropping by the store with five items on your list and only being able to buy three.

And when you were counting on getting your favorite coffee, of course, there was none…

Maybe it’s simply pandemic exhaustion that has us in a frenzy?

Remind yourself it’s affecting us all in one way or another… from a big, long list of ways we haven’t had to deal with before.

And remember to cut yourself and everybody else some slack. You know we all need a little grace, so we can find our way through this mess.

Hang in there, my friend. And don’t let COVID keep kicking you in the bum!

Be untucked.

p.s. If you found this post helpful, be sure to share it with a friend. You can use the Share-Buttons at the top or the bottom or just do your own thing. Thanks, I owe you one.

Copyright © 2022 Jeff Meister – All Rights Reserved