Why are we so tired?

In the movie Palm Springs, Sarah and Nyles are stuck in a time loop, re-living the same day over and over again. Because they wake up in the same day anyway, whether or not they get killed the 24 hours before, they decide to have a little bit of fun. Nyles has sex with random people. Sarah makes a mess of her sister’s wedding. And the pair get into all sorts of antics, including crashing a plane, because they’ll wake up alive in the same day anyway. Think Groundhog Day with Adam Samberg, but only better.

In the pandemic world, we are stuck in some sort of time loop, kind of re-living the same day over and over again, but without any of the crazy antics that Sarah and Nyles enjoyed. If I get killed, I am dead.

At the beginning of the lockdown, most of us thought that we were going to have a whale of a time. Stuck at home, we could do all those little things we never had time to do.

I actually had a mental to-do list. I was going to fix my portfolio. I was going to finish a book. I was going to scan all of my kids’ baby photos, and make each of them a digital album. I was going to do all these things, but much to my surprise I found myself mighty busy during the lockdown.

On lockdown, the line between work and home quickly disappeared. Work hours are erratic at best, the wheels churning until tasks are done or until your boss finally nods to sleep. Weekends aren’t sacred anymore because, heck, they know you’re at home anyway. Vacations are unheard of because, heck, where will you go?

In the United States, a survey conducted by an online job platform last July revealed that over two-thirds, or 69 percent, of employees are experiencing burnout symptoms. I wouldn’t be surprised if the figures aren’t so different here.

As if burning out wasn’t exciting enough, we all have to deal with the anxiety of a public health crisis gone wild. The national government hasn’t helped any, assigning retired generals to critical positions, the result of which should have been obvious from the start: a kill-kill-kill mentality.

Parents get the triple whammy because they also have to teach their kids now, on top of caring for them, keeping up with work deadlines, and making sure the house doesn’t fall apart.

So if you’re not getting any sleep, don’t worry. You are not alone. Insomnia is a bummer.

At the start of the lockdown, we were told that we only need to survive the year, 2020 that is, and we would be fine. Well, it’s halfway through March. Now what?

After way too many crazy antics, Sarah decides she wants out of the time loop and says, “I don’t want tomorrow to be today. I want tomorrow to be tomorrow.” So she does something that most of us locked down could totally relate to: She takes online classes. She makes herself a genius in physics and figures out a way to escape the time loop.

Unfortunately, taking physics classes may not help us get out of this predicament, not unless you’re really into physics. This isn’t one of those inspirational posts either. I don’t know how to get us out of this time loop.

What I have observed is how people are doing their own take on carpe diem on lockdown. On my social media feed alone, quite a handful have published books. One worked on skipping rope a thousand times. Another makes beautiful artworks. One learned to ride a bike. Still another recorded a music video, and I didn’t even know she could sing!

Attempting to give meaning to their lives on lockdown, they have somehow figured out a way to escape the time loop and soar above lives locked in desperation.

It was that simple.

Carpe diem.

Seize the day.

Today.

P.S. Here’s the video of my friend that I was talking about! Yup, just do it!