Hacker News Reader

Comment by gunfighthacksaw | Hacker News Reader

The pandemic started towards the end of my masters and beyond the initial “oh shit” moment, I actually found it way better than I expected because for the first time in my life it was not weird for me to just stay at home, enjoy my own company and reduce socializing by a factor of 5 or more.

Now when I actually have to interact with people it’s in a low enough volume that it’s enjoyable and not the crapshoot it used to be: OK or ordeal depending on the day.

View on HN

Among my peers, there's a pretty big split between people who have a social life outside of work, and people who don't. The folks who have a family, especially, see time spent commuting as a detriment to both work and family. For those highly social coworkers, the lockdown (and enduring resistance to commuting) has been a big negative.

Yeah I think for some people, the lockdowns really opened their eyes that a simple life spent mostly at home can be enjoyable, and something they want to continue. Of course for some others, who thrive on activity and a lot of social interaction, the lockdowns were miserable.

I think I would have enjoyed pandemic a lot more if I was not married or had kids. It was nice to get out of so many boring social obligations. I tried to play more video games, caught up on various shows, picked up new hobbies, creatively socialized like hiking, or meeting outdoors.

But a few weeks in my wife got really depressed, she didn't want to do anything but complain about lockdowns. I spent rest of next two years trying to cheer her up. It was exhausting. So finally I gave up on social distancing guidelines and we started to socialize like normal. But for some reason she continues to complain about lockdowns, covid, etc. I am spending all my energy cheering her.

Grass is greener. I spent the last 2 years wishing I had someone to be with.

I can relate. During my studies I often felt like I ought to make the most of having people around. So much is made of the opportunity to meet people at uni, it feels odd to waste it.

With a lockdown I think I'd be just fine at home or in a student hall, putting the most into studying.

Having just started an online masters, I've noticed that socialization can bias strongly towards "Purposeful" socialization e.g. A slack channel for discussing the class/assignments.

Compared to my undergrad there were many times I think I just sat around drinking/watching movies because there was a social group doing it. I wonder if the lack of purpose in such activities grinds on students over time.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com