Zoom Nightmares

This blog is written by Lee Gale Gruen to help baby boomers, seniors, retirees, and those soon to retire find joy, excitement, and purpose in life after retirement. Her public lecture on this subject is titled: “Reinventing Yourself in Your Retirement.” Her memoir, Adventures with Dad: A Father and Daughter’s Journey Through a Senior Acting Class, is available by clicking here Amazon.com. Click here for her website: LeeGaleGruen.com

Now, on to my blog:

I’ve been having Zoom nightmares.  They’re not the waking up screaming kind.  They’re the waking up wrung out kind.  I’m right back to the type of anxiety dreams I had in college. A recurring one was having to take a final exam only to find I couldn’t locate the place where it was being held.  Running between rows of buildings, up and down staircases, and in and out of rooms with time ticking away, I’d wake up agitated and distraught.  Of course, I was unable to fall back to sleep

Today, during our Covid 19, shelter-in-place way of life, many of us have discovered online conferencing sites such as Zoom.  We’re using them as a way to connect socially while we are sequestered in our homes.  I wrote about it recently (see my blog dated May 13, 2020, “Lockdown Fatigue,” https://leegalegruen.wordpress.com/2020/05/.)  At that time, I was thick into Zoom, attending some meetings by invitation and hosting others after studying tutorials on how to do so.  Some attendees to my meetings gave me labels:  Zoom Czar, Zoom Zombie, or Boomer Zoomer.

It got to the point where I had to keep a detailed calendar of my Zoom meetings along with notes pertaining to each one.  Every morning, I perused the appropriate page, preparing myself for my upcoming Zoom day.

Then it happened: I forgot to attend a meeting I was hosting.  It just slipped my mind.  I apologized to the other group members when I finally realized it and logged on a half hour late.  Everyone was very forgiving, but I still beat myself up.

So, I started leaving notes around the house in the morning to remind me of the Zoom meetings I had scheduled for that day.  There were post-its stuck to my computer screen, a scratch paper note on the table where I eat meals, and missives in other places I might stroll by during the intervening time.

One day, I logged into a Zoom meeting I had set up, and no one else joined me.  I started getting emails and phone calls from members who couldn’t access the meeting with the information I had sent them. As the clock was running down on our allotted time and I was getting more and more stressed out, I deleted the scheduled meeting, created a new one, and emailed the invitation to the participants.  Twenty minutes into the session, we all finally appeared in Zoom’s little screen boxes ready to boogie. Again I was contrite and again was forgiven.

It seems I’m not the only one who is struggling with Zoom commitments and responsibilities.  I heard about another stumbler who was supposed to teach a class on Zoom, for pay, and forgot to show up.  My lapses paled in comparison.

The sad truth is that Zoom is failing me.  Its attendant anxiety is affecting my sleep quality.  I can’t seem to handle the emotional pressure this virtual taskmaster is putting on me.  I need a vacation from Zoom!  I’ll have to seek another go-to activity to occupy my hours and hours of quarantine time–sigh.

***

Please forward my blog to anyone who might be interested and post it on your Facebook, Twitter and other social media. To reprint any material, contact me for permission at:  gowergulch@yahoo.com. If you want to be automatically notified when I post a new blog, click on the “Follow” button in the upper right corner of this page and fill in the information. To read my other blog posts, scroll down on this page or click on “Recent Posts” or “Archives” under the Follow button. To opt out of receiving this blog, contact me at the aforementioned email address, let me know, and I’ll remove you from the list.

Photo credit: markus119 on Visual Hunt / CC BY

Under the Covers

This blog is written by Lee Gale Gruen to help baby boomers, seniors, retirees, and those soon to retire find joy, excitement, and purpose in life after retirement. Her public lecture on this subject is titled: “Reinventing Yourself in Your Retirement.” Her memoir, Adventures with Dad: A Father and Daughter’s Journey Through a Senior Acting Class, is available by clicking here Amazon.com. Click here for her website: LeeGaleGruen.com

Now, on to my blog:

In this time of Covid 19, shelter in place, rising unemployment, and social unrest, it’s easy to get into the habit of staying indoors for long periods of time. However, such behavior becomes isolating. We humans are symbiotic creatures and need the stimulation of others. Real time connectivity with folks is gratifying.

Yes, we can chat and see one another via technology using websites such as Zoom, Skype, and more. However, they can’t replace close, personal contact. There is just something about being together in actual proximity which nourishes and nurtures.

Some devolve into escaping under the covers. A variation of that is delaying or even forgoing personal hygiene and opting to pad around the house all day in pajamas, nightgown, underwear, or whatever you wear or don’t wear to sleep in. Maybe you begin to let the dirty dishes and laundry pile up and generally start to neglect basic household chores.

That is not the best course of action for optimum, mental well-being. It can lead to depression. Maintaining our usual routine as much as possible such as getting dressed in street clothing alters our mindset. It enables us to segue seamlessly from rest mode to action mode.

I remember the adjustment I had to make decades ago when I began a special telecommuting program of working at home with a computer just at the threshold of what is now a way of life on a part-time or full time basis for almost half of American workers. Those first few weeks before I got my groove, I would open my computer prior to changing into daytime clothing only to find myself hours later with eyes glued to the screen still wearing a robe and pj’s. One telecommuting co-worker actually used to get dressed and walk out of the front door as though on his way to the office. He would stroll around the block and return to his home to commence his job, but his perspective had changed.

During this time of multiple crises with their resultant additional hours of within-four-walls, solitary time, we must try to maintain some semblance of normalcy. So, get up at a reasonable hour, make your bed, bathe/shave/brush, get dressed as though you are going out and about, and actually do so for exercise and a change of focus.  It will perk up your spirits and help you to weather this strange time we’re currently living in.

***

Please forward my blog to anyone who might be interested and post it on your Facebook, Twitter and other social media. To reprint any material, contact me for permission at:  gowergulch@yahoo.com. If you want to be automatically notified when I post a new blog, click on the “Follow” button in the upper right corner of this page and fill in the information. To read my other blog posts, scroll down on this page or click on “Recent Posts” or “Archives” under the Follow button. To opt out of receiving this blog, contact me at the aforementioned email address, let me know, and I’ll remove you from the list.

Photo credit: Janet Maker