I had a conversation recently with a new member of my team. She was explaining to me why her dog (I'd name the breed, but don't want to put anyone on the spot - suffice to say it's a little yippy dog) was very "anxious". My immediate thought was of two items. The first was the breed is of a nature that has a naturally anxious demeanor. I had several friends who owned these, and they are definitely "anxious" dogs. The second was that she was anxious and transferred her anxiety to the dog. It's probable both points are applicable.
However, as I discussed this conversation with Mrs. Bulldog, she stated "anxious times make anxious people" and we discussed how for the last 2 1/2 years we were basically bombarded with frightening scenarios of Covid and, more or less, given 'permission' to be anxious. As a result, she stated, many people who were naturally anxious got it ramped up a degree or ten, while others on the borderline of being anxious were probably pushed over the edge. "No doubt," was my response.
This, of course, is the tip of the iceberg in terms of what the long term damage of the Covid policies are, and will be. If all we were faced with is a bunch of people with increased anxiety, that's pretty bad. But it's manageable. Reality is, it's many times worse and we just haven't seen all the aftereffects occur. At a bare minimum, I know people who put off much needed medical treatments because they were afraid to go out or go to hospitals. How will that affect them? My own father has seen a reduced ability to speak, and I believe it is due to the long period of isolation he'd gone through. His thinking and ability to reason are fine. Getting the words out seem to be very difficult, and his decline (he is 86) has been significant.
But the original person on my team is of particular interest to me because she told me, very early after joining our team, how she'd basically avoided leaving her apartment during Covid. That's why, when she mentioned her dog being anxious, my primary reaction was that the dog was merely reacting to what it knew and saw, as most dogs do. Anxious owners make anxious dogs and she was clearly anxious.
I can't say I spent even a moment of Covid being particularly anxious. The whole thing never really registered with me as a major problem, even after I'd contracted it early on. I found the mandates and requirements more hassle than benefit. I happen to believe that if you are a naturally anxious person, there's plenty to find in life to be anxious about. It doesn't take much. My step-sister has a long list of things which set her off. I've never understood this. Sometimes just getting in the car to travel can trigger it. Seems to me Mrs. Bulldog had it right, though.
We basically were given permission to let our feelings run amok for the last two and a half years, and were told not only was it OK to be anxious, but had that anxiety promoted daily on every news and entertainment program. In fact, we were told if we weren't anxious, we were 'part of the problem'. Frankly, I think my lack of interest in Covid and low levels of anxiety made life better for those around me.
I can think about a million other things which I'm concerned about, other than Covid, and none of them make me particularly anxious. I don't remember being anxious about anything since 1972, when I was ten, and I'd heard about the mining of Haiphong Harbor and the potential for severe Soviet response. Nothing came of that, and I guess I learned at a young age that spending time being anxious over things I have no control over just isn't very useful.
I'm not sure we live in particularly anxious times. Maybe we do. There is a lot going on in the world, but there always is. Most of the time we just don't pay too much attention to it.
