‘Treating isolation like a holiday’

[Theyearofthestress]

Everyone is so angry and it’s doing my head in! Taking the mick out of people ‘treating this as a holiday’ because they’re doing their house up, or some gardening or god forbid have a bbq when the weather is nice.

Why are some people so keen to pounce on everyone and tell them they aren’t doing quarantine right? Haven’t we got enough to worry about? It is shit times for everyone, lots have lost their jobs, have huge changes to routine, worried for their health, kids are confused, adults are scared- why is it so wrong to try and make the most out of a shit situation?

We can’t go outside, so people are doing the right thing by staying in yet online everywhere are people complaining ‘Dave next door is treating this like a bloody holiday, with his gardening’ even a news article I read today condemned people who would have a bbq right now.

It’s like we should sit inside in silence in order to be doing this right.

I wish everyone would shut up moaning about other people, if you are staying inside you are doing the right thing. So AIBU to do whatever I can to pass the time, be it gardening, bbqs, painting... anything and tell others to mind their own business?

I've seen a lot of this too.

I couldn't give a shit: I've sorted out my back and front garden whilst the weather was nice.
The dog is getting a buzz cut tomorrow courtesy of the hubs and kids.
I'm planning on painting my utility space on Thursday.
I ordered a takeaway Friday evening as I was emotionally fried when I got in from work. (And I worry about local businesses).

As long as we stay in our space, make no unnecessary journeys and respect social distancing where necessary then I will do as I please thank you.

@UnaCorda why is it only selfish now? I work from home all the time and have to put up with all sorts of noise. That’s life, if people need to DIY and have noisy tools right to cope with this shitstorm then why the bloody not.

It's selfish now because people don't have a choice at the moment about being at home. Also because continuous or recurrent loud noise can be unpleasant and stressful, and most people don't need their stress levels to be increased while under lockdown.

If you typically work from home then obviously you will be disturbed by things happening while most people are at work, but you still have the option of going to a library or a cafe to work, or just going out for a break.

By using their noisy tools to cope with the current situation, people are making it harder for other people to cope. That, in my opinion, is selfish.

Sadly a lot of people live very joyless lives and seem to be differently wired so that they can only enjoy misery, theirs and other people. It's like they have a missing chromosome or something and they just grimly endure each day without ever really living. I think it causes them actual psychological pain and confusion to witness other people happy and enjoying life. It must be such a horrible existence.

I'm midway through my treatment for breast cancer and will find out this week when my radiotherapy starts. But I refuse to be miserable because how on Earth is that going to help anyone or anything? I'm catching up on my reading wish list and enjoying cooking more elaborate meals than usual. I'm loving the slow mornings drinking tea and listening to the radio. Now I know Homebase are delivering paint I will order some and refresh our bedroom. I want to crack on with a few more DIY bits before my radiotherapy starts as I understand it will probably make me quite tired. But I will continue to wear bright lipstick every day and chat with my friends and family on House Party and make plans for the future. And give thanks that even as a cancer patient, I'm nothing like the joyless fuckers out there

peaceanddove, what a lovely post and I wish you all the luck in the world with your treatment.

I’ve decided to find one positive thing in my own situation each day starting from tomorrow. I won’t be posting on here though as no doubt some people will think it’s a stealth boast!

@peaceanddove you sound awesome 🥳

@Summersun77 and I hope your Monday morning is more fun than trying to teach a 4 yo to WRITE YOUR WORDS ON THE BLOODY LINE whilst talking calmly and not saying bloody out loud

Enjoy your time as best you can.
We certainly are.

I think for our own mental health we should be gaving as much fun as possible within the confines of lockdown....gardening, jogging, DIY etc.
What we should not do is sit in a darkened room in a mask and Hasmatt suit watching the news on repeat, crying for lost souls and shouting "shame" at neighbours for putting out the bins. Although some curtain twitchers feel that this is the " normal" reaction.

Having

Anyone working should be grateful they have a job...i have shit loads of uni work but on my birthday im going to eat cake, drink rum annd coke and go for a walk.

It doesn't matter what people are doing during their social isolation, as long as they are doing it within the rules set out by the government. If people want to have indoor flamenco parties with the other members of their household (if they have the stuff to do it), that's up to them. If they want to decorate their houses for Halloween or Christmas way too early, that's also fine too. We do not have to be bored and miserable in our confinement, just safe. Who says we can't go into the loft and pull out seasonal decor and have fun with it, for example.

This shouldn't be hard to grasp.

I’ve not seen this but I’m tired of being preached at. I can barely look at Facebook, it’s the arrogant assumption that because I’m not posting stuff on fb I don’t know the same as you or care like you do. It’s so narcissistic and sad virtue signalling that really does very little to make the world a better place.

I'm tired of being preached at too - especially by, well meaning I'm sure, casual friends - I have blocked them or informed them I no longer wish to read scaremongering, preachy shite - it just gives me the rage and my inner teenager screams from within, fuck them all I'll do what I like! So in the interests of my inner calm, I have cleared out my facebook groups - apart from the local community group in which the admins post the current advice as a fixed post and now only has pre approved posts - which are banned from being shaming, fear mongering and preachy - only supportive posts on on to gain or give help to/from the community are allowed.

I've also blocked the coronavirus topic on here...my inner teenager has stopped screaming - although occasionally a frother appears elsewhere on MN but I encounter them less regularly than before and I am better able to deal with them in good humour - I fear for the frother's mental health, some of the stuff the say is very worrying - they have lost all perspective. We need to pace ourselves.

I did on that 1st sunny day out of jealousy! When I was having to work from home, could see out the window everyone having a great time in the gardens!, beers, sunbathing even! kids out playing having fun etc, it was lovely but I did sit there tutting that I had to sit and work hard whilst watching them ha ha

(in a light hearted way!)

Pink
Chilli

Thank you

It's like some people don't understand that you can be perfectly aware of what is happening out there but still carry on calmly. It's like unless you visibly demonstrate that you are worried and upset then you can't possibly be feeling it. Again I blame stupid social media and awful reality TV where emotions are so superficial and transparent and there's always always the obligatory tearful scene. I hate it.

You're not allowed to have any form of joy right now OP! You must sit in misery until this is all over. Dem the rulez.

Keeping up your morale is important. As long as people are obeying the rules they should do whatever they like.

Well, I am not treating it as a party. But I am doing 2 things.

I am treating it as optimistically as I can, being pragmatic about what we HAVE to do, but keeping it as positive as possible for us all to not become too depressed about it and just keep going to get through it.

And I am also taking the opportunity to have a small slow down with life - get things organised at home, clean, decorate, tidy the garden and et it ready for spring planting (I completely missed it last year being too busy).

I would also like, if I can get those things done, to actually take some time to enjoy the isolation. Do things I have not had time to do for a long time. Read some of my stack of books, use up some of my stash of material/wool/paper etc for a lot of crafting, do some baking including decorating a nice cake and learning how to bake yeast bread....for fun!!

I am doing some things that may look like treating it as a holiday but for the purpose of keeping the household positive and occupied - like I had already bought charcoal to be able to BBQ our dinner in warmer evenings - as that takes a lot of preparation and time to cook compared to throwing things in the grill indoors. Or letting DD (14) light a small fire in my camping stove to cook dinner (or maybe lunch realistically) outdoors a different way. We are playing board games and cards as a family, and sitting down to watch much loved programmes that we hadn't seen properly the last couple of years (as we were always too busy).

Does the fact that we are still working hard all day mean that we shouldn't also have some fun and distraction from the seriousness of the situation outside, and our own personal situations (DH will have a significant pay cut and potentially be furloughed at least possibly made redundant, I expect a pay cut, DD may not have exams this year and a lot of her sports events have been cancelled, I am in a risk group for an underlying illness)? We know we are incredibly lucky in many ways, so we are doing what we can to stay positive.

It's selfish now because people don't have a choice at the moment about being at home. Also because continuous or recurrent loud noise can be unpleasant and stressful, and most people don't need their stress levels to be increased while under lockdown.

It really isn't selfish, its exactly what people should be doing keeping themselves busy, the more people "think"2 of the current situaltion the more stressed they are going to be, if they are doing nothing they are thinking, if they are busy they are busy doing what they are busy with and less stressing, its not rocket science.,

Half my neighbours are out doing stuff, if your stressed with noise then out headphones on!. People will deal with issues how they deal with it, not because they are "selfish"

Also people who are at home when they are not used to b home, are not just peopl who idly sit by and do nothing, they are going to get the jobs that they didn't have time to do.

@peaceanddove you rock wishing you all the best with your treatment

The amount of rubbish being spouted on Social Media (and on here!) is actually quite funny at times. I've seen on Twitter people having a go because others have been doing gardens, painting outside, BBQs, etc.

We did both gardens, went for a walk and then enjoyed a few drinks in the garden, there is nothing wrong with that. To be honest I'm bloody annoyed that we are stuck in like this and the time will be used as we see fit. If anyone around here moans that we should be inside and not doing anything outside around the house, I'll tell them impolitely to fuck off and mind their own business.

My mum is a frontline nurse, she’s got my dad doing plenty of DIY whilst she’s at work and when she comes home, she’s in the garden with a stiff drink, not sobbing in a darkened room.

I'm just so jealous of anyone who can sit out in their gardens for pleasure. It's still bloody freezing in Scotland. My girls were out today in their snowsuits!

I think the joy please are out in force everywhere..yawn!
Im having my birthday party tomorrow...cheers! With my own household.