Evidence of the pandemic?

[LaceWingMother]

Just idly wondering whether it's clear from any aspect of my life that the covid era ever happened.

Fortunately, no one I knew died or became seriously unwell from it, DH and I don't work from home because of it, DC now going through secondary school as normal, I didn't make any large purchases linked to it (one friend built a home office and a feckless neighbour bought a now-neglected dog). Apart from a few face masks stuffed in a drawer and forgotten about, I don't think there's any evidence of it in the house.

Does the impact of the pandemic appear in your life now?

I have a colleague who has serious health problems because of long covid.

It's easier for me to cope with things like meetings. Had a teams meeting with the school the other day, and felt comfortable enough asking for it because of the advances we've made from the pandemic

I think its been easier (I know!) To seek mental health treatment as therapy and diagnostic appointments are all done remotely as well

Apart from that, no tbh, life has gone back to normal

I caught it four times (I work in healthcare) and now my lungs are fucked and I have permanent fatigue.

I’m constantly exhausted.

Permanent WFH for me, we closed the office and never re-opened it, I'm delighted!

The move to hybrid working and more WFH has been absolutely life changing for me.

Online parents evenings. Bloody amazing.

I've been left with a constant cough and a wheeze.

Another vote for WFH

Madness to think how awful things from before were just accepted as necessary

I changed jobs the following year which I wanted to do.
Hospitality was v hard and we were short staffed due to people deciding to take other jobs.
Less hours and every other w end off now.

I had Covid at least twice but to not great long term effect as far as I can tell.

I was wondering the other day how long things like ‘keep your distance’ signs and the like will hang around for.

There are still signs up on shop floors evidence of the "one way system" in tescos

my eldest son is behind developmentally even more than before he was just starting to get comfortable going outside with his friends he stopped completely he still washes his hands repeatedly they are thick with callouses so the personal effects are still ongoing

the businesses in the town that opened in 2019 failed in 2020 no footfall in a new business they closed fast

we have new "tat" shops they last a few months then move on nothing substantial just selling odds and ends

trying to get a job is now 10x more difficult suddenly they have decided it's a buyers market as far as employers is concerned they no longer worried about retention just bums on seats will do then they complain "no-one wants to work anymore" your literally barely training people then sacking them or they walk out because you changed their shift patterns AGAIN and wonder why they can't work it at a moments notice

My Dr's are a new level of incompetent they make a referral get told not our department you need to refer elsewhere have you? No? Are you going too....you need to make an appointment to discuss this! WHY NOTHING HAS CHANGED JUST MAKE THE APPROPRIATE REFERRAL stop wasting appointment time! Please ring at 8am we will decide if its an emergency....made a different referral to a clinic 20 miles away only to be told they can't do anything and they run weekly clinics a five minute walk down the road at the Dr's

My daughter has ended up in a wheelchair because of it.
My friends husband was one of the first people to die from it .

I lost a great friend to covid. My husband became ill towards the end (not covid,) and I was unable to visit him in hospital until a couple of weeks before he died. I will never forget those days.

I lost a family member to the first nasty strain of covid.
I think I have PTSD from trying to keep sane/work/look after the kids as I struggle now with half terms/ kids being off etc.
I worked from home before covid but I did get a dog 😅 (definitely not neglected though- more like a member of the royal family)

@noblegiraffe ditto this, online parents evenings are awesome!

Evidence for me - two late teenage SEN DC whose entire education and beyond is absolutely shot to pieces. As well as this, two close family members who died too early as they couldn't access health care when they needed it (non-COVID).

And yet OP.... I feel the same. I came across a mask stuffed in a drawer the other day and it felt so unreal.

We relocated from a big city to a village, I don’t think we would have done if it hadn’t been for the pandemic. We seemed to get swept up in the same wave as so many other people for whom moving out suddenly seemed the right thing to do.

I regret it although have mostly accepted it now, DH has never regretted it and thinks it was a great decision.

I also have a colleague with a long term health condition due to it.

There's still a bag in my attic stuffed with school work, papers, random detritus that I just can't sort through because it is painful to remember the home schooling, lockdowns, stress of work and all that went with that time. There is also still a drawer in my kitchen that doesn't close quite right after I smashed it shit in anger during one especially hard day.

My children are largely unaffected, they were too young to really remember it. I have Dneice and nephews who were impacted either academically or mentally but mostly they are now fine.

We have a few medium purchases made at the time but all have been useful.

I take great pleasure in binning any masks I find around the place.

We moved house because of the pandemic
My mum died in circumstances that were quite traumatic early on in lockdown, and I don't think any of us have really dealt with that.
I had some health issues that were neglected due to circumstances around lockdown and still suffer some of the effects.
Ds was hospitalised with covid in an isolation room (with me) and has lasting trauma from the experience.

Smashed it shut, that should say, though I guess I also smashed some part of it to shit, it the drawer would close better now....

School refusal
Social anxiety
Emetophobia
Delayed independence

... that's what lock down and all it entails has resulted in for many

I lost half of my vision after my first Covid in 2020. Still not recovered.
My workmate died.

No. We are farmers,so carried on working as normal during COVID,no furlough for us,no change at all,apart from not standing too near the elderly family members whilst at work.We were lambing when all the lockdowns started,so were doing 19 hour days between us.The Dds should have been at secondary school and it was lovely to have them at home all day,I hated it when they had to go back. DD1 didn't sit her GCSES as they weren't allowed,so A levels were her first experience of exam settings.
I didn't see any of the government speeches/ instructions/ announcements as we don't watch TV.
I did catch it,but didn't actually know I had until I took a test as DD1 had got it and I was worried about passing it on to my elderly relatives. I didn't feel ill at all and if I hadn't done the test,wouldn't have realised I'd got it.

It sounds like we were very very lucky,compared to some of the stories on here.

I worked as a nurse during the pandemic. Life will never be the same after watching seemingly healthy young people die in panic alone with no relatives. I lost a coworker. She was 34 yo leaving a young family to Covid cought on the ward.

I haven't fully recovered from juggling my job under precarious conditions, my husband working from home without notice (we don't have an office) and homeschooling. It was traumatic.

We've never worked as hard as we did in those years. And no, no bonus or pay raise. Nothing. Never again.

What a stupidly insensitive post @LaceWingMother

Just have a read of those who have replied to you, and think on. FFS.