It hasn't negatively affected my mental health at all, but I do seem much happier these days.
We all better hope that's not the case, because things and people are breaking. Factories and farms all over the world are closing. Healthcare workers and teachers are burning out and quitting en masse. Shortages are becoming rampant because it's getting harder and harder to make things. People are dying from previously preventable conditions because there's no room in the hospitals.Some medical researchers and physicians are saying COVID is here to stay for a long time so get used to the new lifestyle. It ain't going back to normal anytime soon.
No teachers quitting en masse I know, and I know a lot of them. After a tough start 18 months ago, most of us are enjoying remote teaching. No traffic, no stress and no yelling at students to stop noodling during lectures. I think we'll eventually learn to live with out new reality and figure out how to make it better. Humans are resilient.
So I should quit and be part of your mainland stats? Hawaii ain't Texas or Mississippi.
I get the petri dish analogy. No mask mandates where I work, and no social distancing.Absolutely more stress, I worked my behind off this past year. I work in a human petri dish. People-kids--vaccinated-unvaccinated. Compliance--noncompliance. Creating new work each day. Tedious repetition of moving files just to get set up to do something on line. It's nice to have a paycheck but if I didn't have a kid that needs to get through college without crushing debt I might have quit. Removed from family members, healthy ways to get out, the local music scene a shambles, These things have partially returned but looks like they might be more restrictive again.
Nobody said life was supposed to be easy, I'll get by....