Stay in place lifted!

Minnesota stay-at-home lifted?  Is that a good idea?  Is it the right choice?  There are very aggressive opinions on both sides of the argument.  I heard a comparison to war; the rich will do anything to keep getting rich, even if it kills people.  I listened to another question: If we have an aggressor, do we have to fight back?  Who knows?  I do not. 

This pandemic has been very hard on all involved.  I have spent a great deal of time being sensitive to co-workers and their mental health, filling in the gaps to keep the mental state healthy.  Yet I am actually starting to think that maybe this locked-up time results in me being depressed.  Since the work at home, I have had an average work week of just under 70 hours a week.  Maybe it is not depressed but burning out?  My feelings are more than “I feel bad” or “I am an angry old man.”  I felt like I was behind a veil in a dark room?  I started asking myself, why don’t you pick yourself up?  The issue is I do not answer; I only ask.

I know that workplace failures or poor leadership can leave workers feeling low.  The daily grind is wearing many of us down.  I fully understand that mental illness short-term disability claims are growing by 10% annually, according to the Center for Workplace Mental Health.  The brain strain of a depressed work environment costs serious money.  Depression is a leading cause of productivity loss in the United States.  I recently read that an annual cost is between $40 and $50 billion.  

Studies estimate employers lose 27 work days per depressed worker, with two-thirds coming from “presenteeism” - when workers are present but less productive.  There are clear connections between work stress and depression.  This is due to small doses of acute stress (working toward occasional deadlines or giving a big presentation), which can cue your fight-or-flight response in an excellent way to boost performance. Chronic stress (constant deadlines or police officers in the line of fire daily) is linked to depression, heart disease, high blood pressure, and type II diabetes.

As a supervisor, I understand this to help those around me.  But what happens if your leaders have a different awareness?  Sometimes, I have no control as the issues increase and complexities grow immensely.

So, is it OK to go back to the office?  Is it safe to fill up with gas?  Is it safe to go to the Doctor (I am 5 weeks behind from my last iron count test as my anemia has improved, yet I still need occasional infusions (three last year), and I feel like my iron is low again?  Yet, am I safer not going?

Confusion and instability grow, and I am still trying to figure out the correct answer?

Carry on, my friends, carry on!