Am I sad that vaccine news makes me sad???

[Esbm2015]

I’m happy of course that we’re getting a vaccine which will hopefully prevent deaths and illness and stop us having to have restrictions on our lives. It’s just ... I’ve found I’ve actually enjoyed working from home, seeing my husband more and actually cold fear flooded through me at the thought of having to slog back into the office instead. I’ve felt so much more productive this year at home, so much more relaxed and my mental health and health in general have never been better. I find lots of people can’t wait to be back to the office and find it more productive. I find ours like a strait jacket and not inspiring or productive at all. I loathe having to pay a ton of money out for a train ticket to just go and sit in a room when this year has proved with technology my job can be done if anything much better anywhere. Sadly a lot of my team live in the city so will no doubt want to go back to the office and then I’ll feel like I have to! Office just seems so old fashioned and reigimented now. I really hope we can agree to a few days split office and home and it doesn’t creep up in days having to go in for meetings by people ignoring the fact you’re working from home. Sorry rant over!

Not sad and probably not unusual.
I am overjoyed. I have a job that requires me to mainly work 24 hour shifts (10 as a sleep)
I can’t wait to have the vaccination and hopefully start to get back to normal.
I just want to go on holiday

I can see why you're a bit sad but I'm delighted! I'm retired and rarely leave the house except for food and library books. All my friends are off limits, I don't feel safe travelling on the tube to go to my art galleries, all the interesting shops and cafes are either closed or it's not a joyous experience. I've missed 3 trips to Spain and haven't seen my son and his family for months. I can't wait for all this to end. My daughter wfh and I think a little part of her would agree with you!

I see exactly what you mean OP.... obviously on balance for humanity, people suffering, my elderly relatives, this list goes on, I'm delighted.
But I do feel like I've been on a sort of holiday from the real world, which has been nice in many ways.
If I nail it down, I think it's the removal of the weight of expectation.
In the world pre-pandemic, there were lots of things we were all expected to do - go into the office, travel to xyz for work, go to xyz social occasion, meet up with xyz at a certain frequency, Christmas of course comes with its own set of expectations, and so on.
Covid has relieved at lot of these, the all-encompassing excuse with zero guilt.
On the plus side, a big chunk of this is within our own control. We (I) just need to be a bit better at saying no in the post-pandemic world! Easier said than done!

But the under 50s will be at the back of the queue...I feel glad the older and vulnerable people can have the vaccine of course- must be horrible for them waiting for this. Kind of gets the rest into perspective really.

I understand your feelings, but personally I can't wait. I've been working in a school the whole time, it's been tougher than any other time I can recall (20 years+ teaching). I can't wait to get back as close to normal as we can, as soon as we can.

Can you ask to WFH more once things start returning to normal? The office i am in has said that this has highlighted that people can WFH effectively so we'll continue to allow the individuals to decide where works best for them, with agreement they occasionally come in for certain things.

I do think there will be a lot of people needing support to get “back to normal”

Can you request flexible working? I know my company have made us aware that we can request a change in "hours or location" after they've received feedback from staff that some of us prefer working from home

I'm looking forward to things getting back to normal and to not have to keep track of the changing guidelines because they confuse my dd who wants to go on play dates.
I've loved the social distancing though!!

This isn't really about the vaccine, it's about the realisation that you have found a different view on life and one which will not withstand the transition back to how you lived before.

There probably won't be significant relaxations to restrictions until about Easter (the time it will take to immunise enough of the people who are at higher risk). Can you use that time to start planning a way you can make the changes that you have enjoyed part of your new post-pandemic life? A new job would be high on the list - though that may be easier said than done

Why not make the case for flexible working? Me personally, I am looking forward to getting back to the office more. I also live outside of London and have a long expensive commute by train in. I don't plan on doing it as often. I worked part of the week at home anyway, but I only plan to go back about half as much (every other week, rather than every week). If you can justify it with productivity and outputs, I can't see how they would say no to your request.

To be honest OP that opinion really doesn't come across well and I would only advise you not to express it like that in public.
It makes it sound like you're really selfish, only concerned with your first world problems and have been happier than ever at the expense of many many other people. I'm sure you're not really like that.

I understand OP. Obviously it's good news and we need to get back to normal, but I'm not looking forward to going back to a 3hr commute, spending £160 a month on a train ticket, having to send DC back to wraparound rather than taking them to school myself and not being to go to the gym anymore because of my long commute. I think we'll be implementing a couple of days WFH permanently and I am looking forward to seeing my colleagues again so that's a benefit.

It's change that's unsettling. I'm not great with change and found settling into WFH difficult, but now I'm used to it, the office return will be more change, but I was perfectly happy before so I'm sure I'll settle back into the routine just fine.

Totally get it op and I feel the same to an extent. Really happy that this will prevent further deaths but I’ve loved the slower pace of life for my family, which may cease when life returns to normal

I know my firm was and will still be happy for flexible working but previously when a colleague had two days set working at home, people still put meetings in that then required him to come in for a third day, a fourth day... and so on. I also don't want to have to pay out for a season ticket but then end up paying more in travel because my two days becomes three days etc... Also it's the old concern isn't it that you're less 'seen' working from home. I just worry despite this year, it'll soon be forgotten and we'll fall into old habits and old fashioned expectations... especially from those as i say that don't have long commutes who can't wait to get back into the office and feel we all need to be face to face to get stuff done!
I think @Cavagirl and @AuntieStella have both hit on something, especially the weight of expectation and the different view on life and what's important.
I'm also over the moon at normal life - being able to travel again and freely, museums, go to the pub without need for a substantial meal or pork pie or whatever. I think this is more about work life and work/life balance that this year has highlighed for me.

I find lots of people can’t wait to be back to the office and find it more productive. I find ours like a strait jacket and not inspiring or productive at all.
I completely agree. I feel exactly the same. I'm very lucky because my company has agreed to allow some of us to have a more permanent home-based or flexible working arrangement. I'm a bit suspicious that it will turn me into a second-class citizen at work, but got to give it a go and try to make it work. It's not just the women taking up this option, which I find encouraging. Less of a gendered/working-mum issue. More of a recognition that office-based working simply isn't working for lots of people

@Lounging

To be honest OP that opinion really doesn't come across well and I would only advise you not to express it like that in public. It makes it sound like you're really selfish, only concerned with your first world problems and have been happier than ever at the expense of many many other people. I'm sure you're not really like that.

This is nonsense! The OP is allowed to feel how she feels. That isn't an opinion.

Lots of people have found that they prefer working from home. And lots of people have found that they can't wait to get back to the office.

We're all different.

@Esbm2015 I'd definitely be asking your employer what kind of flexible working arrangements they'd consider, once this is all over. I'm sure you won't be the only one who would prefer to work from home some/all of the time.

I think it's ok to have found a silver lining and to feel sad about that silver lining being lost.

I’m not looking forward to commuting again, hopefully It will Just be a once a week thing after WFH for so long.

Other than that, there are no downsides. They can come shoot me up right now.

Don't be sad about the vaccines. The vaccines are to be celebrated.

However, take what we've all learnt from this year to change things we need to going forward. Press on with achieving a better home life balance and push for some working at home. You've been able to show that you're productive and it works for you. Hopefully this will be something that changes for the better.

@Lounging, I can't see why you feel it doesn't come across well - OP opens by stating I’m happy of course that we’re getting a vaccine which will hopefully prevent deaths and illness and stop us having to have restrictions on our lives. before going on to say what has been better personally, for her, during this time. There are all sorts of ways to realise that your life isn't working well for you, this just happens to be one of them. It's quite possible to have a feeling about your own life at the same time as holding a feeling about the greater good. I don't think she sounds selfish, just that she's come to a position of greater self-awareness due to this. I don't think she's alone in that, I've heard similar sentiments expressed a lot by people lately, in the media, social media and amongst friends. It feels like a spotlight has been shone, for many people, on the systems and habits that are outdated or flawed and that we have accepted just because 'that's the way things are'. Flexible and home-based working is definitely one of the big issues that have been raised in this regard. Work-life balance, childcare, family life, commuting, the expense to companies of renting huge office buildings, usage of space in our towns and cities - OP is talking about her own feelings, but it's also a really big issue in a wider sense. Whether anything will actually change in a meaningful way, who knows. But it feels like a conversation worth having.

nicely put @ItCouldBeBunnies

I think all feelings on this valid. It's been very peculiar year indeed.

I feel pretty numb tbh. We've seen our child miss out on 2 blocks of face to face speech and language sessions and also the toddler group that was helping him develop his speech. We've coped but will never know what could have been if that support had been there for our 3 year old.

I hope we all a have a happier , healthier 2021.

Look, I'm ecv and I'm over the bloody moon about this vaccine because it will change how I have been living for the better but your sadness has absolutely no bearing on the outcome, it makes no difference to me.

The same that I will allow myself to wish for snow guilt free, even knowing there will be an influx of broken bones and sprains in a&e, because I'm not an actual weather God.

So, you've adapted and found life better, go ahead and feel sad.