The way 2020 has gone, one of the best things that anyone can do is to keep a close eye on their own mental health and wellbeing.
That鈥檚 not even meant to be a glib or snarky way of expressing 鈥淲eird year, huh?鈥� sentiments. Pre-pandemic, we were starting to make progress reducing the stigma of caring for one鈥檚 mental health, and it鈥檚 especially important at a time when experts are expressing concern that social isolation, financial instability and any number of other offshoots of COVID-19 can wreak particular havoc on those who hadn鈥檛 before dealt with mental health issues and may not have a toolkit in place to do so.
Complicating matters, though, is constantly grappling with what鈥檚 safe or responsible. My wife and I are erring on the side of caution, placing online grocery orders or ordering takeout from restaurants to minimize our time away from home, and wearing masks when we are indoors in public.
To be clear, we鈥檙e not cowering in fear, terrified to set a single toe out the door. We鈥檙e generally homebodies anyway, so there hasn鈥檛 been a drastic change in quality of life, and it鈥檚 been our privilege that we鈥檙e in a good, bright space. We鈥檙e going about our lives, doing our work, spoiling our cats, and keeping ourselves entertained.
Writing this isn鈥檛 meant to strike fear into the hearts of readers in any way, but it鈥檚 admittedly difficult to navigate a situation where everyone has a different level of risk, though it鈥檚 not even necessarily possible to discern exactly what it is. For example, I have sleep apnea, and while there鈥檚 been no evidence that it鈥檚 a risk factor for severe COVID-19 in and of itself, it鈥檚 hard to know how much it鈥檚 specifically been studied and it鈥檚 probably better to play it safe with a respiratory condition.
At any rate, I鈥檝e been made to feel weird about the level of precaution I鈥檓 taking. When I was out getting a coffee a couple of weeks ago, I was in line when I realized that my online order was ready. I politely asked the lady crowding the pickup area to allow me to get our drinks out of the way, and while she backed off, she sneered, 鈥淵ou have a mask. You鈥檒l be OK.鈥� (Never mind that masks do more to protect others in public than the actual wearer.)
I鈥檓 not out in public much these days, but even in indoor spaces, mask usage is startlingly low. That, combined with the well-documented hostility directed at those wearing one, can鈥檛 help but make you second-guess yourself.
I mean, COVID-19 is still very much a thing, right? It didn鈥檛 just vamoose overnight, did it? There are a few activities that are very clearly irresponsible, a few that are very certainly A-OK, and a heaping horde where the devil is absolutely in the details.
That said, though, when there are (by definition) masses of people being very clearly irresponsible, you can鈥檛 help but question your own perception of reality. When pro sports are coming back (and in the case of Major League Baseball, with significant intercity travel) at a time when case counts in the U.S. are spiralling out of control, it doesn鈥檛 seem like their governments have generally done enough to justify pulling their shiny toys out of the toy box.
You want to give people the benefit of the doubt, trusting that they鈥檙e making informed and wise decisions.
You don鈥檛 want to judge folks for how they live their lives, especially when they鈥檙e trying to grasp some joy in a dark time. But it鈥檚 a situation in which people can put others at risk, not just themselves.
As provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry is hammering home here, just because something is allowed doesn鈥檛 mean it鈥檚 advised.
Dan Falloon is the sports editor for Pique Newsmagazine and is writing about various topics for The Chief during the pandemic.
