‘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?

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.
No objection to anyone using some (in many cases unpaid) time off work to do some decorating, gardening or to have a barbecue with their household. I am personally still working (key worker) but any downtime is now spent at home near the phone rather than in a messroom at work. Therefore my vegetable patch has been coming on leaps and bounds.

I do, however, object to those who have quite literally been treating this as a holiday. Some have been crowding out beaches and tourist towns like on a bank holiday weekend, no social distancing at all.

Others have been jumping into campervans or hitching their caravans up and heading for campsites. Communal washroom facilities on these campsites are surely excellent places for viruses to spread.

Then there are those who have been going hiking and climbing, again with no regard for social distancing or the pressure that they have been putting on the emergency services.

On the subject of barbecues, having them with your immediate household is fine. Inviting the neighbours or extended family around is just plain irresponsible.

All the items we’re using were bought well before the lockdown was imminent - my seeds and compost are from last year, DH bought lights before Christmas that he never got to put in, and we had paint in the shed. We did get fresh paint for DD’s room as that will be a new colour but that’s been on the list to do “next” for almost 2 years and we got the paint before the more stringent measures of earlier this week (we only went on lockdown today but had been further reduced on Tuesday evening).

YANBU. Other than an annual week off between Christmas and New Year, it's been 8 years since I had time away from work. I'm certainly going to make the most of it, catching up with DIY and gardening and also just relaxing and not doing much at all. I'm likely to have a lockdown birthday too, so if the weather's good I'll likely have a BBQ and a few drinks with DP. If I didn't keep busy I would quickly slip into depression and be needing to go back on anti depressants before too long.

Oh get lost. I need the closest thing to social contact so I'll stay online thanks - Well, if social contact online is so important to you, have you ever considered being nice to the people you're talking with?

I do feel though that the expectation is for us to have to suffer within our own homes, DH wfh, I am still going into work for my pt job (2 days) so the rest of the time we can do what we want within our own home.

Have heard exactly zero people saying this.

Or should we just be sprawled on the couch drinking beer and watching tv?

It works for me! Interspersed with a little light reading and some internet-surfing, admittedly.

We've ordered some paint from Homebase as we've been meaning to decorate for the last couple of years. DH can't work at the moment so he can do that while I work from home.

@sallyisstarstruck @Mrsm010918

its been hell hasn't it?

but todays click and collect in the car park brought in 2 separate customers from local pharmacies, both had been broken into overnight so needed plywood and fixings to board up and make safe

also, one pub broken into overnight so needed locks and repair items

this is why we need to be essential items only and not paint, wallpaper or (and i was asked today, couple had made a special trip out) for curtains!!!

@Mysterian
Nice on

*one

I’ve seen posts on my local Facebook moaning about anyone daring to go for a walk and god help you if you are seen gardening.

I need the closest thing to social contact so I'll stay online thanks.
There are more ways to stay social than endlessly scrolling through Facebook and scowling at those who have things you don’t. Text, Call, FaceTime / Skype. Houseparty is the latest app getting a boost. People are just trying to stay positive and if posting a cheery photo to social media helps with that who are you to criticise that and call it “showing off”. Staying optimistic and positive will do you wonders.

Am I hell staying indoors. Our garden has never looked better it’s had the most weeding we’ve done ever I think. We’re going to sort out the garage as it looks like a bomb went off in there (and take all junk to tip / chazza shop or give away after the lockdown), we have scraps of paint to do the summer house up, we have furniture paint to spruce up the loungers we didn’t put away through winter so have gone all flakey. I won’t lie it’s been great to have some extra time. I have massive anxiety and the more time I sit inside miserable on social media the worse I get. I wouldn’t go out for anything as trivial as paint though it’s fucking insanity.

I think some people need to take responsibility for their own online social life - I have blocked the Coronavirus topic from here and on Facebook and have blocked all the frothers and determined to be bloody miserables - because it seems that we can't help each other and we have a right to be happy or miserable. Move on, we all have a right to breathe and be who we are!

I think as long as people abide by the rules and don't annoy neighbours too much they can do what they want while on lockdown.

The people I know are nicer than you. They wouldn't go on about their holiday if they knew you couldn't afford it.

What are you on about? I literally said I can't afford a holiday or driving lessons, but I don't begrudge seeing other people enjoying theirs. I like to see my friends and family because I like/love them.

You are bitter and jealous and miserable and very rude to a poster who tried to help you with suggestions but I'm not nice?

If you're staying in, and are able to enjoy it, make the most of it!

I am still working as my job can be done remotely. Same with my DP. So it's kind of like normal life but without the fun bits I normally do like my volunteering, seeing friends etc. But I'm trying to make the best of it; I've never gotten so much reading done before. Ashamed to say that it hasn't made me do the garden though, my natural aversion to gardening continues

Someone on here had a good old rant the other day about the couple next door who have been furloughed having a quiet drink in their garden at 4pm 'thanks to taxpayers money' and how selfish it was because 'other people still have to work'.

This is one of those threads where someone's misinterpreted 'don't gather round barbecues' as 'don't have a barbecue' and because one dipshit's done it everyone's talking about that one dipshit as though there's loads of them and I'm sick and tired of it all.

All these secondhand reports are just muddying the water for people who are a bit unclear, and stirring up the kind of people who want to turn one council having a multi-faith winter thing into a shriek of 'they're coming for your Christmas'.

Fuckwits.

This really has shown people’s true characters. It’s bringing out the best and worst in humankind.

The constant stream of people happily treating it as a holiday is annoying if you're still working as @watermelongalore pointed out. My social media has endless lists of 'ways to stay positive' and 'exciting things to do'. Of course I get a bit shirty when I've actually got LESS free time. I get that furlough on full pay is necessary and that a lot of people are preoocupied with feeding their families but because I'm in my early twenties for most of my single, responsbility-free acquantainces it's just holiday on 80% pay and I am quite frankly a bit jealous when it keeps being shoved in my face.

@NewYearNewJob123 that sounds a bit like me! Tbh I know it's unreasonable to rant and feel guilty about doing so but those who are still working (albeit from home) are doing double the work. When newsfeeds are filled with either an outpouring of sympathy for the NHS/vulnerable or ways to fill up all your spare time (and pretty much nothing else) you start to feel unappreciated and bit left out of the party. And nobody cares about your feelings because they just say 'oh other people have it worse'.

This is one of those threads where someone's misinterpreted 'don't gather round barbecues' as 'don't have a barbecue' and because one dipshit's done it everyone's talking about that one dipshit as though there's loads of them and I'm sick and tired of it all

Me too.

@ocean69
exactly! my newsfeed is full of people who are complaining how bored they are, or who go on about how amazing it is to get paid for having fun all day.
i work 18 hours day and have lost weight because there is no time to eat (not to mention that anything decent in the house goes to the kids) ... it grates