Bad taste to enjoy lockdown

[schooba]

To think it's bad taste for people to enjoy lockdown?

I think some people are sleeping and in total denial to the damage of it.

It's the same as usual: social media brings the worst in people who are bitter and jealous.

You have friends and relatives who are actually happy to see others enjoying themselves, and currently making the most of a shit situation.
And you have Whiny Wendy who only use social media to be vile about others.

Why would the lockdown be any different?

There are countless reasons why people on furlough are unlikely to confuse this with a holiday, or why most people would have loved not to cancel plans and life for weeks, but refuse to be miserable as it doesn't change anything anyway.

" ihave been enjoying aspects but it's just the lack of acknowledgement for the suffering of lockdown not just focusing on the virus"
I dont get why you have to acknowledge everyone's sadness before stating your own happiness. It's not terrible to say you are enjoying the break, without following it up with "of course it's awful for some people"...every single time. Some people have worked all their lives, and are loving the break.

why waste your life worrying?

Great.

So let's put the health anxiety to bed, recognise that the risks of this virus are not high, and get our society back.

Everyone loving lockdown still free to live like that.

(Except no more furlough pay. Which I'm sure is not a factor anyone would be keen to extend given what it is costing people who are working.)

I am not sat on my arse either. I am working full time and actually doing more hours than usual and still seeing lots more of my son as I am not doing the drive to work every day.

My employer is realising the sky doesn’t fall in when people work from home more than a day a week which will likely change the way we work going forward.

I was receiving counselling before lockdown. My ex was stressing me out (I won’t bore you with the details), my son was off school ill and I had too many balls in the air. I was on the verge of needing medication to help me cope. I feel much calmer.

I’m mostly enjoying it. I’m naturally introverted and find staying at home with dH very relaxing. I have a very occasional day when the enormity of the world situation overwhelms me and I struggle to cope. If my having more bleak days like that improved anyone’s situation I would welcome them but me being miserable or contented changes nothing for other people and on balance I’d rather be happy in lockdown than the alternative.

I'd love every minute of it if I was getting paid. I'm exhausted by years of hard work and coping with a disability.
But I work for the NHS so have to go in everyday and work my socks off. I'm on holiday next week thank God because I'm knackered.

recognise that the risks of this virus are not high

ladies and gentlemen, let's bow to the presence of an eminent immunologist, epidemiologist and general expect on this thread. If Nihiloxica on MN tells us we should ignore the problem and go back to normal, let's! I mean Nihiloxica from MN says so, so it must be true.

If a person enjoys lockdown they can hardly pretend they are not! Most wouldn't say anything about it unless asked in which case they'd probably say, "It's not too bad for me right now". I know that because It's what I say.

'Enjoying' lockdown does not really describe how I feel but I do appreciate the peace and privacy. It's a sort of retreat for me and I cherish the solitude.

Someone very close to me who has an extremely outgoing job involving lots of contact and bonhomie, is really enjoying obsessively working from home, being very creative and inspirational. He says he is currently being the person he feels he was always meant to be! I don't know if that is worrying or not because it's not going to last forever but it's good he's not unhappy and is making the most of this opportunity.

None of us 'hermits' are insensitive to or unaware of the problems faced by so many others and most of us will do anything we can to help. There is a lot we can do remotely.

Hi OP.

I would say you are kind of right and kind of wrong.

I don't think it is wrong that on an individual level people look for the positives in life, enjoy the solitude if they are introverted for example, or enjoy the thursday evening clap, maybe enjoy working from home and having more time with their families and working on projects and hobbies. What is the alternative? Be thoroughly miserable and the enormity of the situation weighing heavy all day every day, and hold a 24 hour 2 minute silence because people have died?

However, yes OP, i think a section of society has become too comfortable in lockdown, often those with gardens and a laptop job who continue to receive full salary. Yes I think it is in bad taste to say how happy you are with this situation given that many people are locked down in grotty flats and maybe can't earn a living like (I hesitate to say this because I hate the class war retoric) middle class person with work from home'able job.

When I talk to my kids I am always upbeat, reassure them I'm getting my supermarket delivery and eating well, doing lots of gardening, working from home (I'm retired from my proper job but do a few hours for a bit of extra cash.)

Maybe they think I'm insensitive but the way I look at it is they are busy, jobs, kids, mortgages etc and I don't want them worrying about me.

Do you think I should give them a call when I'm down, tell them their dad's health is getting worse, I'm stir crazy, feel lonely and cut off?

I'm enjoying it in the main. I'd rather we didn't have to be doing it, of course. I'm quite risk adverse, but yes for the most part I'm not finding it difficult. I appreciate that that is because of my particular set of circumstances though, and that there is a spectrum. At the other end people are really struggling. I would be if my children were younger or if we had job/money worries.

I think it’s ok to privately be grateful for the positives like saving money and spending time with family. And discussing it with friends and family is fine too. It’s a good thing for mental health to enjoy the benefits.

However I think openly saying on public forums and social media that you are ‘loving lockdown’ is a bit distasteful. There seems to be a correlation between how privileged people are generally and how much they are enjoying lockdown. The middle class in the burbs with gardens and secure WFH jobs or furlough can afford to love it and there’s a lot of that on here. If you are loving it then you are almost definitely privileged and it’s distasteful to brag about enjoying other types of privilege (eg being white, able bodied etc) why should this be any different?

I'm not loving it but also not finding it awful either. Infact sone good has come out of it for us, as well as there being some truly awful moments.

Most people are just getting on with it and making the most of it in my experience.

I don't think it's in bad taste to find enjoyment in lockdown.

I’m really enjoying it, apart from seeing loved ones. Best I’ve ever felt in years, for the first time in a long time I have the mental health and clarity to look after myself physically and mentally.

I realise I’m fortunate enough to do that in regards to money/job, but I’m really making the best of a crappy situation.

I think a lot of people have just enjoyed the rest from their commute, the long hours, their daily grind. I think people also have realised that a lot of things they spend money on is as a result of being overstretched, eg you buy a takeaway as you're too knackered to cook, you have a manicure as everyone else at work has manicured hands so it's kind of expected.

But people also have to acknowledge the lockdown for what it is, a temporary situation that can't go on and on.

I've enjoyed it at times, time to relax at home, time to be with my children and time to enjoy my garden. I've had time to do a bit of one of my hobbies which I haven't done for years.

On the other hand I've been worried sick about money because my hours at work have gone down massively, I've been grieving a close relative without any support and supporting two very stressed children who are struggling without school.

I don't feel guilty about the seemingly idyllic portrait my first sentence portrayed. Remember what you read on social media is only the version that people want you to know about it.

As I have to go to work, and very stressful work at that I do feel a little miffed about others being at home having fun doing very little. But then I think about the fact that my job is secure and I am helping people so I suppose I must count my blessings.

I sort of agree with you - and I’m really enjoying it. But I’m self aware enough to know that I’m only enjoying it because I’m enormously privileged, so to broadcast that fact to people would be rather insensitive and, as you say, OP - in bad taste. This has affected different people very differently and it’s important to bear that in mind.

No, it's not bad taste to enjoy parts or all of lockdown. It is bad self awareness to forget that not everyone is in the same lucky position as you or to imply that anyone else could do the same as you if they tried.

I am enjoying it, for me and my own family. It’s been a worry however for my wider family - mother and brother with mental health issues particularly

It’s not bad taste to make the best of a bad situation. I really tried to just enjoy the little things, despite me working nights ( but less shifts than normal) to fit around children being home, Dh working from home but in a new role with a new company so trying to keep kids happy and on track with school work so not to interrupt his meetings. It was shit - we were exhausted but we did fun things at home as a family and now we have really nice memories of it. Yes we know how many people have died, How many now have ongoing health problems from having it. how many have lost jobs, how the economy is screwed etc etc but it’s ridiculous to think I need to be desperately unhappy to validate these things. We do help where we can, that’s how we show how much we care.

Not everyone at home is not working. The biggest difference in quality of life for my working friends (and I don't have one that isn't working at least part time) is not commuting/dealing with rush hour traffic. It just adds such a layer of stress to everything. The people I know are now working online from home, some teachers are doing half time, one has resigned rather than continue to commute in to do a retail job as they can afford to do this. Others have had to get new jobs, but again, online new jobs.

The shift to online working won't affect everyone, those with jobs that have to be face to face are more likely to be min wage jobs (not all), and so it will be a source of inequity. But do I wish everyone to have to all start to commute to do jobs it turns out that entire industries can do from home- nope. And some min wage jobs can also be done from home like call centre work. One of my relatives' companies is thinking of shutting their huge offices in the city, as, although it was hard moving everyone online, it is now working great.

Good that life has shifted positively for some people- if you judge by mumsnet threads, many people were living a deeply unpleasant hectic life of commuting, driving, running into the supermarket, everything so crowded and stressful- it's natural to notice when life is not like that, even if there are worrying aspects to it, in terms of economics. Nice to get off the treadmill for a short while.

For some people, mainly I think ones with small children, life has been incredibly hard in lockdown, without their usual childcare/ways to relieve the pressure/stress and for people trying to work in that environment, it's hell. My friends who have had the worst times either live alone, or live with small kids and are trying to work. Those with mental health issues have not fared as badly as I expected, but many of those have done things on the edge of lockdown rules (e.g. seeing family from a distance, shopping daily) to get through.

I'm still working (Nhs) and I'm loving my commute to work atm as there's been no traffic for 8 weeks. I get an extra 20 mins in bed and no queues 🤷🏻‍♀️

It's not bad taste.

I have generally enjoyed lockdown, its not bad taste to do so, and yes, I still have every sympathy for those suffering or in hardship because of it.

I recognise I am lucky. I am an introvert. I have no partner to worry about, no small children at home. I am furloughed and on 80% pay but I only work part-time and may even hand my notice in anyway as I wasn't particularly enjoying it. Therefore it's obviously nicer to be at home. I don't have a garden but I do have country lanes to walk down and I don't lack for anything. So of course it is easy for me.

For those in towns, terrified for their health or with vulnerable family members, trying to juggle wfh and home-schooled children, it must be dreadful. Even worse for those living with abuse or the fear that they will lose their jobs entirely, or those in grief over lost loved ones.

Enjoying something for oneself doesn't mean we don't feel for and care deeply about the plight of others.