Has anyone's life not changed?

[StrangerDays]

Since lockdown, my life is pretty much the same.

I suffer from agoraphobia but thought I was doing quite well recovering the past year or two, but lockdown has made me realise my life is still very isolated and insular.

I don't have friends/family so there's no one I can miss, I don't have a job (DH has an income, luckily unaffected) and my hobbies are running which I can still do once a day, baking, reading and writing which are indoor things anyway.

I just wondered if anyone else was in a similar position, and how they felt?

It's made me feel lucky in one way for knowing I can cope fine with lockdown, but also reflecting sadly that I don't have much of a life. :(

[Lumene]

Nuns or monks must have fewer changes than most.

Your life sounds alright to me! Nothing wrong with that if it makes you happy.

[Poppygirl96]

I’m kind of the same, I don’t have many friends and my family live far. I am a SAHM to my son so I am pretty much in the same boat as before the virus. I go for regular runs and have hobbies like reading and knitting which I do at home.

Only thing is, I now have to drive round various shops just to get my regular shopping, and I am constantly washing mine and DS hands.

Although I do occasionally wish I still had the option to do something spontaneous like join a gym or perhaps go the cinema (not that I’d usually ever bother doing that stuff anyways) lol.

[StrangerDays]

Nothing wrong with that if it makes you happy.

I suppose it's just what I feel capable of!

Although I do occasionally wish I still had the option to do something spontaneous

I know what you mean - I only go to the cinema a few times a year but I'd definitely love to go now! I hope I'll appreciate when shopping is back to normal and feel less anxious, and not take things for granted.

[Didntwanttochangemyname]

Mine is pretty much the same, one of my kids is home more now the schools are shut, and my DH is here rather than working away, so it's not too different and what is different is mostly positive.
I rarely go to the shops as they are 40 miles away, at most once a week, that hasn't changed.

[Bargebill19]

My work has definitely changed. But my personal life hasn’t - if anything it’s better as I see no one on my commute to work, it’s bliss to see nature coming to life in a quiet matter of fact way.

[whyamistillhere]

Same here, finding social distancing very easy with no friends or family to distance myself from. I'm agoraphobic so rarely leave the house only for essential things like collecting meds from the pharmacy. Life hasn't changed much except now I'm also anxious about germs when I do go out.

[beachcomber70]

I'm retired now so everyday life is pretty similar to what is normal for me. I am a homebody, I don't socialise much due to social anxiety and keeping stress levels level, love gardening, reading, DIY, using the PC, cooking each day and walking most days.

I've noticed and appreciated the quieter roads, the birdsong, the spring, and the sunshine has been great. But I do miss spontaneously nipping to the local beach, garden centre or cinema or seeing a friend/family members.

[OhNoNoNoNotThatOne]

My life has pretty much back tracked by 3 weeks with the addition of dh being home too.
I finished maternity leave at the end of February and returned to work part time at the start of March, was in the office 3 weeks then told work from home. I was furloughed this week as I don't have anything to do and the rest of the team are starting to dry up with work so one or two others will be too if this continues much longer.

I have to say it's nice being home, ds started crawling last week and pulling himself up on furniture this week, so as a couple dh and I are witnessing loads of firsts, just missing our family's and the gym.

I have a couple of friends but we've not really seen much of eachother so video calls have been our communication method for a while, so it's no different there either.

[Helenj1977]

Not massively. I'm walking more!

I'm a SAHM who likes my own company. Dp is working in the study so don't see him much.

No driving has hit me. School run drives broke my days up.

[EmpressMcSchnozzle]

Mine hasn't changed all that much, either. I always hated going out at weekends (WAY too many people in small spaces), I've always hated shopping, and the other members of the household have been trying to persuade me to take more exercise for, well, forever. Plus I've been working from home for about 18 months now, after a bout of illness.

If anything, I actually exercise slightly more now as I know there'll be fewer people about, also going out for a walk is one of the "allowable" daily options, and we're lucky enough to live in a lovely location. I even discovered the other end of our very local nature reserve yesterday - I didn't even know it was there before!

[tootyfruitypickle]

Mine is similar except that I’m not popping to shops so often and have more company as dc home! I wfh and begrudge the days I get dragged into office. I’ll still be feeling like that in the future! Was so confused by the problems my colleagues seemed to experience with the idea of wfh !! But I do miss having the freedom to just drive to beach for a day .

[mynameiscalypso]

I'm on maternity leave. The only real change is that DH is here all the time otherwise things are pretty much the same albeit the classes we used to do in person are now being done online (which I prefer).

[chickedeee]

Mine is similar

Family not really interested in me and my children although they are self-isolating we hear no more or less from them! I offered help in the beginning and they phoned every couple of days now they have gone silent! They decided to get milk from man opposite🤷‍♀️

Friends have 'hunkered down' so no contact there either despite me texting/using Whatsapp

I work from home
Husband works remotely
Kids cracking on with work (both teenagers)

We have settled in to a lovely routine
Has shown me how strong we are as a unit and I guess alone

[Helenj1977]

I don't know how I'll adjust to 'normal' again. I like not going to people's houses now. I don't have to find excuses.

Dp has finally stopped asking how I do this all the time. Twat. It's my life and I like it thanks.

[LesFleursDuMal]

I don't think there's a 'right' or 'wrong' way to live your life, if it makes you happy. So you're more of a homebody, have indoor hobbies, introverted, don't go out that much. And that's perfectly fine. It doesn't mean that you're somehow inferior, 'boring' or something like that.

My work life changed, but my personal life - not that much. I'm not agoraphobic, but antisocial, introverted. I never go to pubs or clubs in the evenings to party, I just don't like it. It's loud and not for me. I'm not 'outdoorsy' - don't like cycling, hiking, nature. That's not to say I ALWAYS sit at home, I like to travel, but prefer to see new cities, architecture, art - that type of thing, not nature.

I have a few friends, meet them once a year during holidays (different country). My family also live there, so I wouldn't be meeting them now anyway, covid or no covid.

So I don't feel it difficult now to social distance or be at home, as that's what I normally do (pretty much). I know it sounds boring, but I am who I am, and I don't feel sad about it. If anything, I'm starting to feel more and more 'in my skin' and more comfortable with myself and my life as I get older. I'm past the wondering/re-inventing myself stage: should I be more like other people? Should I go out more? Should I make more friends? Previously I used to force myself to do it. But now I understand it's just not for me, not who I am, I feel much much better alone.

[StrangerDays]

But now I understand it's just not for me, not who I am, I feel much much better alone.

Your post is really inspiring, thank you. I wish I could be as comfortable being such a homebody but I'm hard on myself. I feel as though not working, socialising, being 'out there' is somehow utterly failing.

And that's perfectly fine. It doesn't mean that you're somehow inferior, 'boring' or something like that.

I need to write this on a post-it note and stick it somewhere visible :)

[viccat]

Yep, another anxious introvert here - always spend a lot of time at home and much prefer it to going out. I work from home so I’m continuing to work. The only difference is that I worry more about how to get shopping and what would happen if I needed help with something like the boiler.

This has made me feel more alienated from others though, I didn’t actually realise before it’s apparently impossible for most people to even spend one weekend at home.

[MirrorGold]

Mines the same. My partner and I are both key workers. I never really went out much anyway as trying to save.
My commute is shorter though.

[GooodMythicalMorning]

Agoraphobic here too and it's made me realise how far I'd come, and now I can feel it push my progress back, I'm now actively afraid to go to shops again and wide open spaces.

[FatMatress]

There’s a difference, surely between being a contented introvert homebody and someone whose life is appallingly limited by a crippling phobia or anxiety?b

[Backyard72]

@StrangerDays I hope this is isn't intrusive, do you just accept that you can't beat your agoraphobia? I've suffered bad agoraphobia in the past sometimes having periods of several weeks being unable to even walk a couple of hundred metres from my house without my body going into meltdown. I've seen various psychologists, councilors, done several CBT courses, etc but the thing that I found really worked best is ACT Therapy, with emphasis on the Acceptance part of it. Maybe worth looking into.

[Wewearpinkonwednesdays]

I wfh anyway, I'm not working at the moment and I'm really thankful for. The onky differece is the kids are here and dp is here too. We're not struggling for money atm but we will because we are both self employed.
Apart from being quite bored it's been not bad. I've been getting more exercise done than usual so hopefully lose a bit of weight.
My business could be in tatters by the end of this, if I can't start working again within the next few weeks, same for dp, but trying not to think about that too much because we are in a very fortunate position for now.

[PumpkinP]

Not changed for me. I’m a lone parent I don’t have any friends and hardly any family. I normally go weeks without speaking to another adult. I don’t see friends and family daily like some seem to on here.

[Buttybach]

I had major surgery at the start of Feb so my life was allready a cycle of sleeping and hospital. The first week of being home really hit me as I was now ready to start being a little more active and doing things. It feels like an extension of being really ill

[OntheWaves40]

Mines quite similar. I don’t go out much. But I am missing my parents terribly, as a single parent they have always been there for me and DCs, I usually see them about twice a week. The thought of it going on for months is hard.