‘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?

"@Gwenhwyfar if you’re that miserable about other people’s social media then don’t look!"

What the F else am I going to do in my 'leisure' time?

Better hope they don't live near a farm then, cause I can think of smells I'd be much less happy to have on my washing than cooking meat...

As long as people are doing those things in their own home/garden and not socialising with people outside of their own household, and they aren’t being a nuisance to their neighbours it’s fine! Peoples mental health is paramount at this time!!

I’m personally treating the next few weeks as a holiday, because I’ll then be working frontline in the NHS and don’t know when I’ll be getting another break!

"These weren't families out on a jolly, they were mainly, if not all people trying to get to work that they presumably couldn't do from home!"

That's the government's fault for reducing the timetable so people were still in packed trains and also not making it clear to begin with which jobs were essential and which weren't.

The tubes are packed because service was cut but some people still have to get to work. Lots of people in London don't have cars, how else are supermarkets etc going to stay open if the people who work in them can't get there?

What the F else am I going to do in my 'leisure' time?

Learn a language. Learn a new recipe. Do some exercise. Read a book. Go out for a walk.

This time so what you make of it. And before you kick off. I don’t have a garden either. And yes I also have mental health difficulties. But you have to actually help yourself.

YANBU OP. People can do what they want in their own houses and gardens and it is nobody else's concern.

I think what is upsetting people, is the unnecessary deliveries etc, and a lot of DIY shops are now only delivering essentials anyway.

Most people start having BBQ's now anyway, so why shouldn't they start now?

Is everyone really supposed to sit in their houses being miserable right now? or try and keep happy and active and sort out things they have left for a while due to being busy.

No social gatherings, no unnecessary travel, but enjoying yourself at home? no problem!

@PennyArcade I just ordered some paint from Homebase - due for home delivery on Tuesday :)

I think a lot of people are very scared right now and are coping with that fear by demanding everyone else feel just as afraid all the time.

I'm scared. My dad is stuck in a foreign country unable to get home because every time he books a flight it's cancelled, and I have no idea how long he'll be stuck there. I'm not convinced that running around screaming OMG WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE and scolding people for taking their dog for a walk or trimming their shrubbery would help, though.

@Adaline Have you? Ooo I’ll check them now. I’ve checked B&Q, Wickes, Leekes and all local garden centres. No click and collect or deliveries available. I’ll have a look at Homebase now. Thank you 😊

I've only seen the frothing on here tbh.

In rl, people seem to be making the best of a challenging situation.

We have actually quite enjoyed ourselves today.

@Gwenhwyfar wouldn't that be the case without the Pandemic or you feel like no one should be able to grill out because you are hanging out your wash. Do you ask your neighbor before hanging out the wash so it doesn't hamper their dinner olans

You will be able to buy stuff from wilko and Wickes!

Adaline 😞

My local DYI shops ask you at the door what you are here for and will only sell for emergency repair, not for DIY.

DH goes out once a day to give the dog a walk and I go out later to give the dog a second walk. Nobody has ever said anything negative to us except for the cumudgeonly old lady neighbour who has complained to neighbours for years for daring to walk on the public footpath that passes her house. She told me off yesterday afternoon saying that she'd seen my DH walk the dog earlier so he wasn't ''permitted'' to be walked a second time. As someone who loves to complain about everything and everyone, I can tell you she is having the time of her life right now! She really has perked up no end!

Really? I don't think people give a shit what others are up to as long as they are obeying the social distancing rules.

I think people object to idiots gathering in large groups to have BBQs in public places.

"wouldn't that be the case without the Pandemic or you feel like no one should be able to grill out because you are hanging out your wash."

I was responding to someone who asked why a BBQ next door might bother someone.

"Do you ask your neighbor before hanging out the wash so it doesn't hamper their dinner olans"

It should be the other way around surely. The person who causes the smell should ask. I live in a flat now, but once had my washing ruined by a bonfire next door. They apologised so they acknowledged that maybe they should have told me.

JustInCase Same here. All the stores I’ve called have said they have the paint I need on the shelves but not allowed to sell it as people are asked not to make journeys that are not essential and they don’t deliver.

Maybe we need a sarcasm font.

Don't see anything wrong with having some fun or doing something productive while sticking to the guidelines. Much better for us all mentally, instead of sitting with a solemn look on our faces and staring at the walls. Do wish my nextdoor neighbours would lay off the power drill though.

Yanbu at all. But, I did find it quite hard that while I was literally worried sick about juggling self employed work (assuming there was any) and childcare, others were posting on social media about how much ‘unexpected spare time’ they have and recommendations for good box sets to watch. I felt the inequality very much.

I don’t think there’s any problem with the stuff people are doing at home. I’ve been out in my garden most days this week, there’s no one but ,e and my grumpy cat in my garden and so that’s perfectly safe.

I think treating it like a bank holiday refers to all the people who are OUTSIDE their properties I.e. having street bbq or parties, driving to the Lake District or Cornwall for a day out, meeting up with mates. They’re the people who are “doing isolation wrong” because they’re not actually socially distancing. There’s nothing wrong with tidying the bloody garden or bbqing food you already have!

@Mysterian you've just highlighted the difference between myself and my DH. He's hating it and miserable and bored and takes offence when I point out the list of jobs we can be doing to avoid 'boredom'. I'm loving every delicious second of it. My job is extremely busy and stressful and I am responsible for also running all the finances at home and its just blissful to check out for a bit and Potter about doing jobs.

My dh just went out for a walk and he said nobody was even looking at anyone else. Across the road he smiled at someone, said hello to another person and they just blank you.

I stood aside to let a couple get past me earlier - far enough that we could maintain what I think was about a 2m distance! They looked at me kind of awkwardly so I smiled and said hello, and then they said smiled and said hello back. I think everyone is just feeling a bit unsure of themselves at the moment. It's unnatural to avoid social contact to this degree, even for a social hermit like me, and most of us are scared and anxious at the moment. It's such an odd time for us all.