The past two or three years have felt like something of a blur -- a weird dream of sorts that we can't seem to wake up from. We'd never before experienced a pandemic in our lifetimes, and neither had our parents or likely even our grandparents. Between lockdowns and social distancing/mask mandates, COVID-19 seemed the perfect recipe for isolation and all of the adverse outcomes that spring from it, including anxiety and depression.  Now, this isn't to say that we've all felt helplessly lonely during these rather unusual times. Introverts -- those like me who recharge through solitude -- have welcomed with open arms some of the changes brought on by the pandemic. Among them are wider acceptance of staying home rather than partying out, people settling for WhatsApp video conversations vs. face-to-face encounters, and, at last, companies giving employees the flexibility to work from home regularly.  Still, the more extroverted folks among us who relish in-person connection...

Remember that time last year when people were panic buying toilet paper? Yeah, so do I... I hate to tell you this, but it's happening all over again.  I recently read that Costco is placing limits on purchases of toilet paper, paper towels, and cleaning supplies. As the Delta variant continues to protract the pandemic, consumers are hitting the panic button once more.  Covid disruptions, shortages of materials, supply chain troubles, and difficulty finding drivers and shipping containers are all contributing to the problem. Manufacturers are having trouble keeping up with resurgent demand as cases and deaths remain elevated.  But there's a problem with Costco and other retailers placing a cap on how much consumers can buy. It sends the message that they're in short supply, which, ironically, prompts shoppers to panic purchase even more. This is known in psychology as the innuendo effect.  I'm sure many of you thought we would not find ourselves in this situation agai...

Can you guess what product people largely abstained from buying last year -- thanks to COVID-19 -- but are purchasing in droves now that vaccines are widely available and the pandemic appears to be receding? I'll give you a minute to "make up" your mind. (Note: That was a subtle hint...) If you guessed lipstick, you hit the nail on the head. Lips for the most part remained out of sight last year because they were being concealed by our face coverings.  But consumers (presumably vaccinated ones) must be feeling more comfortable about stepping out without a mask because lipstick sales hit a whopping 34 million in April. That's an 80% from the same period a year ago.  While that's 40% lower than pre-pandemic levels, it's still a marked improvement and suggests the economy is beginning to turn the corner.  The fact that the CDC announced last week that vaccinated folks no longer have to wear masks or practice social distancing indoors or outdoors (with a few excep...

Have you noticed how, in the pandemic era, people have been panic buying, stockpiling, and hoarding more than usual? Panic buying is when consumers buy unusually large amounts of a product in any of these scenarios: In anticipation of a disaster or perceived disaster following a disaster  in anticipation of an incredibly large price increase or shortage The irony of it all is that there tends to be no shortage to begin with; the panic buying itself precipitates the very shortage people fear. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts. That, in turn, causes prices to soar and, in the worst cases, price gouging. Talk about a terrible domino effect! Here are four things people have bought in droves at some point within the past 14 months: 1. Toilet Paper and Hand Sanitizer. We witnessed both of these fly off the shelves like hotcakes almost immediately after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. My wife and I ventured far and wide to snag toilet paper, to no avail. It says a lot that we ha...

It's safe to say many of us have gained a few pounds during quarantine and are aching to lose them as we inch closer to normalcy following the rollout of vaccines.  When the fridge is within close reach, it can be awfully difficult to resist the chips, ice cream, or whatever else we deem Covid comfort food.  But here's the good news: Losing weight is more mental than anything else. If we're in the right frame of mind, we can achieve results -- sometimes far quicker than anticipated.  And here's even better news: You don't have to starve yourself to shed those pesky pounds.  Two keys to success, both of which are easy to recall (as they begin with the same word), are: 1. Exercising moderation when it comes to one's eating habits. 2. Exercising physically.  Though I've done a pretty good job at maintaining my weight the last couple of years, it's been a mission to drop an extra 15 or so pounds I've been carrying around. I thought that as long as I ate ...

Has COVID brought the dating market to its knees?  Not quite, although, as one would suspect, people are trying to balance staying healthy and safe with keeping their love lives from going full-on rusty. But there's no question that, with many businesses ground to a halt and crowd-attracting events nixed indefinitely, it limits opportunities to meet and connect with people.  Social distancing and reduced capacity limits in restaurants, movie theaters, and other venues where you might ordinarily strike up a conversation with someone doesn't exactly lend itself to romance.  Thankfully, with the rollout of vaccines, we may finally be turning the corner, as deaths and cases have been dropping sharply in recent weeks.  Just because we are still in the middle of a pandemic doesn't mean you can't go on dates, but you should insist that whoever you meet get tested, as he or she may ask you as well. It isn't as if meeting in a quiet restaurant, mall, or park is all bad. Thin...

Surely, everyone wants this terrible virus to be eradicated. News of vaccines being deemed safe and deployed to hospitals offered a ray of hope that soon enough the staggering death toll and number of cases will begin to drop. And only by putting an end to the public health crisis can we get the economy rolling again. But that doesn't necessarily mean everybody is on board with returning back to the way things used to be. Among those who appreciate the opportunity to work from home and not have to interact face-to-face with co-workers and the general public are: Introverts who are susceptible to being worn down by heavy social interaction Those, introverts or not, who prefer written to verbal communication  People who don't miss getting stuck in rush hour traffic driving to and from work The ones who value the extra time to be able to perform household chores and make home improvements  People seizing the opportunity to spend more time with their kids Individuals who are takin...