The positives of The covid pandemic.

[badgergirly]

Thinking back to covid times/lockdown/the pandemic and what a horrendous time it was for many, losing loved ones, children losing their education and and generally a horrible time for the world, I'm curious to ask if anyone can take anything positive from it all?

Has life changed in anyway for you that's become a positive going forward?

My DH now works from home 50% of the time and can take out DC to school and pick up, something he would never been able to do prior to covid as he would have been in the office.

He was also able to take DC to nursery in lockdown/covid times.

We also had another baby last year, something I'm positive wouldn't have happened if covid hadn't have been present.

My sentiments too.

I had twins at the start of lockdown.

The advantages for me are:

• no expectation of international travel to head office in the US (would be hard to manage this with my toddlers)
• able to work from home 100% (it's great having no commute)

Umm - we got through it, I found out my relationship is strong enough to withstand a lot, I saved a lot of money (but tempered by the fact partner's income collapsed), we got to know and love our local area better.

I was one of the lucky WFH ones and am grateful I kept busy and kept an income. However I want to scream when people talk about the quiet days of lockdown and WFH. My work load exploded the day lockdown was announced and we were effectively running a 24 hour office putting in 18 hour days. WFH for me was taking phone calls at 6am in my kitchen with no let up for hours and wrestling with the security protocols of several different types of hastily adopted video conferencing. It was hellish.

I vividly remember stopping work at 7pm and going out for a walk in the local wood and just sitting down and weeping with sheer exhaustion and lonliness.

And I never want to see another Zoom social as long as I live.

There's also a coroners backlog and has been for ages now, which doesn't help. But ultimately, suicide rates do tend to be lower during the traumatic events themselves and the consequences be felt down the line, so it just doesn't tell us much.

I think it's important to distinguish between related to covid and related to lockdown, notwithstanding that aimed that some things are both. If lockdown changes a particular behaviour, in this case increasing time spent online and social media, the consequences flowing from that relate to lockdown. Its not about covid the disease though, as you say. There isn't a mechanism whereby getting covid leads to more tics in young people.

It was good in many ways for us, DH wfh and now still wfh some days and is happier and more available at home and we save on fuel. Our earnings weren't affected as we both worked as normal but obviously didn't spend during the lockdowns so saved a lot. Changed shopping habits for the better. One DC was really struggling at high school and whilst academically covid wasn't great for them it actually did them the world of good to be out of a school environment at that pivotal time.
It enabled me to rediscover myself and reflect on my own needs and wants. I am now much more selective about how i spend my time, the friends I choose to spend it with etc. I loved being at home in our bubble and luckily close family close by who we saw outdoors a lot or even on doorstep, made me value them more. We got a lockdown puppy, it had been on our minds for some time but it was the perfect time with us all at home, DDog is a much loved pet for us and our wider family too.

WFH has been the best thing. I honestly don’t know how I used to be showered at dressed and on the road by 7:30 every day. The odd day I go into the office now, I don’t get there until about 11 - and that’s an effort.

We look back fondly on the enforced time at home in the early stages. The weather was fantastic and we spent every evening sitting in the garden with the family. I haven’t forgotten that within a few months, we were heartily sick of it.

We were lucky twins and a single so happy hands full atm 😂

DH WFH apart from a couple of days a month, so we're saving over £100pm on fares - admittedly it hasn't made too much of a difference with everything going up in price but we were able to save a bit for a while before everything went tits up. If he was paying that every month right now we'd be screwed.

Other than that, not much - I'm CEV and have had covid nine times, so it was (and still is) stressful. I think a lot of people are living with PTSD to some extent relating to the pandemic/lockdowns and we've yet to see the full fallout.

Also living in a tiny flat with no outside space and with no car (so supermarket shopping was a nightmare as there were no buses, not that I could have used them if there had been) was awful.

I remember the weather was beautiful but apart from a daily walk if I felt up to it, all I could do was look out of the window. For months.

My DH died of covid. Fucking insensitive thread.

It is, rather.

I'm so sorry for your loss 💐

I think my finest achievement of lockdown was not punching my exH in the face

I think mine was not telling my manager to fuck off and dream on when she announced that she expected the same work performance from me working with a crappy laptop on my sofa as she did when I was in the office. And the zero interest or support she and the dept director gave us - or me, at any rate. At one point we actually asked if he still worked for the company, we saw and heard so little of him. Filling in the work survey that asked 'how supported by your management did you feel in lockdown?' was fun, though.

Thank you PrincessofWails. I haven’t RTFT but I can imagine there are many others affected.

yeah it’s pretty much a thread about money. More savings, more jobs etc

it’s like “what were your personal benefits from world war 2”
”houses became available so we were really lucky x”
”didn’t have to go work for the local shop, hubs and the dog I were well happy!”

We look back fondly on the enforced time at home in the early stages. The weather was fantastic and we spent every evening sitting in the garden with the family. I haven’t forgotten that within a few months, we were heartily sick of it

Big whoop. Imagine what it was like for those of us without gardens and trying to do our jobs in a 1 bedroom flat. Glad you look back fondly on it, though.

Obviously if we had a magic wand and could undo Covid we all would - literally no one wouldn't undo the millions of deaths and other damage done by the pandemic if they could!

But it can't be done and it's not wrong to remember and appreciate the few good things which also happened. If posters think it's massively insensitive, perhaps opening this thread wasn't the best idea!

For me, it was having my sons come home and not waste money on rent. DS1 saved enough to put a deposit on a flat.
I also think it's better that people are more aware of spreading germs and wash hands more/stay away when they have nasty colds.

“If posters think it's massively insensitive, perhaps opening this thread wasn't the best idea!”

Are you seriously accusing the bereaved of being oversensitive snowflakes?

Yes actually
that is pretty much what she did

but yay her son got a deposit together!

I didn't use the words 'oversensitive snowflakes'. But if you know a thread is going to upset you, then you've brought it on yourself by opening it.

Dear fucking god

Do tell me what this gift is of knowing a thread is going to upset me before I read it. Second sight, or something?

then you've brought it on yourself

'Ohh it's all your fault for not being able to tell even before reading it what the comments are on a thread that might upset you.'

The thread is literally titled 'The Positives of the Covid Pandemic'.
Is that not a clue as to likely content?

Social contagion playing a huge part. Like trans.

Never been to a shopping centre since. Bliss