Is it just me, or is everything just massively shitty right now?

[AngelicaElizaAndPeggy]

I'm so confused - we are days away from unlocking day, yet everyone either has covid or is shit scared of getting covid. Schools are closing and parents are terrified of being pinged to self isolate. Our horrible government has cut the foreign aid budget and cancelled the England football teams reception at 10 downing Street. There is a real feeling that people are going to take masks off and actively endanger people in public spaces. English hooliganism has raised its ugly head in front of the whole world. Awful racist knuckledraggers have been mouthing off on twitter. POC are afraid for their safety.

It all feels so...broken and hopeless.

Feels a bit like the country is at a tipping point, I read, watch & hear how wonderful mostly everything is in the except it isn’t. Gaps in the shelves worsening in my weekly shop, friends struggling to find staff for their businesses, so many local employers pleading for staff in numerous industries, husband having difficulty sourcing materials (ongoing since last year, now worsening), school bubbles going, businesses going, high street looking worse than ever, and I know only of 2 people with confirmed Covid since last year (one caught it in hospital, the other a school teacher).

I'm feeling the strain massively here too. DC's school shut yesterday for the rest of term as they don't have enough teachers for ratios (bubbles bursting in other schools meaning parents have to stay home) and I find it frightening how Covid has had this knock on effect when no bubbles at her actual school have gone under. I was made redundant in April, can't find another job - work in my kind of career seem to have inexplicably changed to asking for evening/weekend work which I can't do. These jobs have always been 9-5. I'm not trained for anything else and competition is fierce for even supermarket jobs. My redundancy money runs out next month. My abusive ex husband is taking me back to court for the second time in 3 years (Covid last year was a welcome reprieve from his usual threats) and I can't get any emotional or practical support from our GP or the DV charities as they're all over stretched, and as we're not in immediate physical harm we're not considered in danger 'enough'. Not to mention the cost of court again. I can barely keep my head above water.

Thats before you even look at the shit going on beyond our doorstep.

It's so shit.

Everyone seems to have covid here atm

I'm scared for friends and family in SA

The weather is shit

People are crap, as usual. Spouting racist hate and being generally unpleasant.

Climate change

The bees are still dying, and everyone seems to be laying fake lawn (and fake flowers!!!)

Ffs

It’s the revolting behaviour of the football fans that’s done it for me. Not just on social media but at the Wembley final and the semi-final too.

It was only when I spoke to friends who were there it dawned on me how utterly vile the behaviour was, how lax the security was and how no one in authority really gave a toss.

Yes they might be a minority of fans but they are sizeable, violent and seemingly beyond the control of our government.
It’s not a handful, it’s quite a lot of bigoted, violent, thick as a plank racists who were left to run riot in a ‘oh boys will be boys’ sort of way.

We are absolutely not in it together.

It may be crap, but it’s all we’ve got.
I’m up for trying to fix it!

I agree OP. TBH I'm more worried about politics & world events/ the environment than covid at present. Not that I'm not worried about covid - I am.
China is potentially facing a major population crash within the next couple of decades, that will be horrendous. Lots of their infrastructure just isn't built to accommodate larger families, they've had decades of the government doing everything it can to make it impossible & it's worked.
Also, growing unease in China due to the "Tofu Dregs" building issue.
The environment & biodiversity are in serious trouble. There seem to have been a lot of extreme weather events over the last few years.
Major riots going on in multiple countries due to the political situation.

@Notdeadbiped

It may be crap, but it’s all we’ve got. I’m up for trying to fix it!

We are in a new build & the site still isn't finished, we have diggers etc going past every 15 minutes & they're using the land directly opposite as a dumping ground but it's going to be a playground (eventually). When they've finished digging up all the weeds & scattering the seeds I'm going to sort out my front garden & plant a load of wildflower seeds to encourage the bees etc. Also, pretty, & low maintenance.

@Murraytheskull I’m sorry that all sounds so difficult.
@Notdeadbiped suggestions welcome here! In the past I’ve been proactive in organising community events (litter picking/charity events etc) when I get the urge to do “something.” But I’ve let my self get jaded recently. I know I want to do something positive. I’m just not sure what?

Yup. The lack of good, clear leadership is not helping matters.

'No mask required, or maybe they should be, but use your own discretion.'

Confusing people and initiating more conflict.

Yeah I’m normally quite chipper but feeling really gloomy this week. Not helping that I work in the aid sector. And my DC’s whole year have been sent home until the last day of term. I’m 29 weeks pregnant and despite being double vaxxed still feeling twitchy about covid (after getting long covid last year). Plus the government are useless corrupt twats and half the country are flaming racists. The RNLI are under fire for refusing to leave people to drown in the Channel FFS. Think I need to limit my internet usage to cute animal videos and that clip of Andy Murray saying “male player” for the next couple of weeks…

This has massively cheered me up today: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-57824639

I feel really down this week too. Maybe the EURO’s, maybe Bo Jo maybe high incidences of covid around here. Lots of shops have closed permanently and several restaurants and take aways are closed due to covid. I was also looking forward to the summer in the UK (just a quiet one nothing mad(.

I am in the shielded group but have worked part time at home throughout and been really productive and careful socially. Now my anxiety is through the roof again after the football, lots of teens here have covid (and I am mum of two teens). I feel the government have thrown the shielded to the wolves as restaurants will put more tables in again and people will be behaving selfishly and recklessly even at quiet times. So I will find myself at home and going for walks and thats it.

I was just starting to get some sort of a life back. Seeing people in small groups less than 6 outside in restaurants and in gardens etc. Still doing shopping click & collect but recently started going back to M&S foodhall once a week at quiet times.

I am arguing with DH more who is tired of it and just doesn’t understand now. Work are on about making us all go back before September and now MIL wants 12 of us to go on holiday in the winter and is being really arsey about it.

I agree. Feel very down

Yep, I hold my hands up, I'm feeling pretty beaten by it all now. Trying to stay positive but it's a big fucking challenge.

I'm genuinely scared of the impact the last 18 months will have had on the environment.

Why? I googled and the only articles I found linking covid and climate change seemed to show a positive impact.

Yep, here we are stuck on racist, plague Island.

I know that's very over dramatic but things do feel very grim at the moment. I so desperately hope to be proven wrong but I feel very uncomfortable about the 'throw caution to the wind' Covid approach.

I just feel generally uneasy about a lot of things at the moment, and that's not like me at all.

This government scares me.

• cutting aid to the poorest
• criminalising refugees and planning to keep them in offshore prisons
• more interested in positive headlines than keeping people safe from Covid so they ignore scientists
• new laws allowing protests to be banned
• dodgy procurement contracts funneling millions to friends and donors

And that’s even before I think about the Brexit shitshow and the future of the NHS. Even Tory stalwarts like Theresa May rebelled against the aid cut, but they have such a massive majority it doesn’t matter, they can do what they like. And they are so popular. Dog whistle nationalism wins votes, apparently. Sorry for the long rant but OP really resonated with me. One positive thing today - the people covering up graffiti on the Rashford mural with beautiful messages of love and support. Made me feel this country isn’t all shit.

@sqirrelfriends on a positive our front lawn is buzzing with bees as we have let it go, not cut since mid June after no mow may. It’s covered in clover and definitely not fake. In a nature group and lots of people doing lots to help bees, butterflies, bugs & nature.

Easier to stay off the news in my opinion.

Add cutting the foreign aid budget to the list

The NHS bill which is being slippped through is also greatly concerning
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/4296192-NHS-White-Paper-will-remove-the-statutory-duty-to-provide-hospital-medical-services

@MrsFin

I don't know anyone who has Covid, nor anyone who has had Covid.

I know one person. And only two Who've had to isolate. No idea how I'm in my little Covid free bubble!

As a white woman I knew about racism. I believed it existed and I was not happy about it. But seeing some of the racism on Twitter in recent days actually had me in tears, and that's not normal for me. It feels very different from the country I hoped I lived in.
Then I suppose I saw the backlash, and remembered that a few racist voices stand out. But it's the first time ive seen it first hand so to speak. It wasn't aimed at me obviously. Apologies if this makes no sense.

[quote Cakemonger]This has massively cheered me up today: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-57824639[/quote]
Nice to see

@MrsFin

I don't know anyone who has Covid, nor anyone who has had Covid.

I knew very few until this month. Now friends and colleagues are contracting it by the bucketload, I heard of five in the one day!