# Today is the first day of working from home and, I have to say, it feels a bit weird. Almost all of my team now are WFH (some are in actual self-isolation because relatives are showing symptoms) but all keeping in touch via Skype chat as we have this rolled out across the company.
There have been things to do, normal work as well as some project related things that I've now got more time more bit it's definitely quieter than normal. Yesterday was apparently quite busy (I was still on leave) but that was likely due to a lot of the people we support getting set up properly and now that's all done.
It's early days but I fully expect the novelty to wear off. When I tore the medial collateral ligament in my left knee a number of years back I had to work from home for a while but it wasn't organised properly and there was actually very little I could do remotely. It was one of the most soul destroying things I've ever done. At least things are a bit more organised now and we've got better technology to keep in touch.
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# The doctor confirmed that the issue with my eye is scleritis, even though an optician and a supposed specialist didn't think so before.
Why I've got it, and why it should have come back, is another matter. It can apparently be linked to rheumatoid arthritis and certain inflammatory bowel conditions. The latter would seem the more likely, considering my long term struggle with IBS and previous check for Crohn's disease, so she was asking plenty of questions in that regard.
I've been prescribed a plethora of drops and creams and got to go back in a week. If it keeps recurring then further exploration will need to be done to isolate the cause.
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# Chairs in the doctor's waiting room have been positioned 2 metres apart, each with signs saying "Do not move" and you're not allowed into the building until they've checked your details and you've used hand gel.
The pharmacy is being even more cautious: you're not even allowed in to pay for your prescription, they take your card and do contactless payment for you. Everyone has to stand outside - observing the rules on social distancing of course.
It's a good job it's not raining!
@colinwalker I understand.I really do. I exclusively worked remotely for the last three months of 2019 due to health challenges.
Wow! I knew you'd had it bad but didn't realise just how bad.
@colinwalker it seems you have some more recent challenges of your own. If I can help, let me know.
@khurtwilliams Thanks, but I think it'll be okay. Doctor is on top of it.
@colinwalker ??
It's that time again when we have to submit our annual self-assessment for the "end of year" process. What to write about in a year that's been dominated by Covid and started with what I thought was an eye infection but turned out to be a recurrent case of scleritis and macular edema. It almost doesn't seem possible that tomorrow will be seven months to the day since I started working from home. I think this year has largely been about keeping the lights on and hitting targets while I still look for other opportunities. Nothing spectacular. Lockdown and continuing restrictions have been both a blessing and a curse. In one sense it's been good not to have to worry about commuting and the risk associated with it, an attack vector for some anxiety is removed, but the timelessness caused by living within the confines of your home is not good for you and I continue to have ups and downs on the mental health front. Considering that a lot of my mental health issues stem from self-esteem problems, the ability to adequately sell myself and any accomplishments has always been difficult. End of year reviews are hard enough at the best of times without the added complication of a global pandemic and everything it brings with it. Those little voices in my head telling me I'm not good enough become almost overpowering in the isolation of lockdown and restrictions. Still, I know I'm not alone, it's been a hard year for everyone and I take comfort in the fact that the lights are still on and I'm still able to function - it hasn't beaten me even though it's been hard. At times, really hard. You just have to keep on surviving, appreciating the small wins whenever and wherever you can get them.