Lockdown is making me ill

[Daisyxxchainxx]

I feel rubbish. I'm constantly tired. I feel sickly. Barely got energy. My period symptoms have got worse in lockdown. I can't sleep great. I wake up tired. I'm sluggish and defeated.

I've got two young kids.

I've got my iron levels up.

I'm taking vitamin D.

I'm drinking at least 2 more glasses of water a day.

I try my best to get out for walks.

Yesterday I went to my parents garden for two hours. Had s great morning. By 2pm I couldn't keep my eyes open. By teatime I felt sickly and needed to lie down.

Ive completely lost myself!

I want to book a zoo trip or something but I'm also wondering if it would be better to get DH to take DD while I have a rest or something

Of course! It makes sense that it's stress. I have no DC at home, and I'm not working so lockdown should be a breeze for me, but the constant background stress of simple things like going to local one-in-one-out supermarkets and scurrying round mindful of others waiting, no public loos open (IBS) which makes going anywhere fraught, and of course stressing about that makes IBS worse!

I'm in a higher risk group due to age (over 60) which makes me wary of a trip into the city via public transport, and masks make me feel claustrophobic.

I can't be bothered with anything. Loads of litle jobs around the house I could be doing, but nah.

I feel the same. No DC but wfh, stressful job in the NHS. At least all the discharges I'm reviewing aren't all Covid related now. I'm still exercising but only at half the capacity I was as I'm so exhausted.

The thought of a day out, even somewhere lovely, makes me want to hide and lie down!

I guess none of us have ever bee through this before and it's horrible for our minds and bad for our bodies. If you have children you are in demand constantly. Can't take them to the park to play or anything. Only so much fun we can create on walks!

If you don't have children it's still isolating and quiet. It's still tough isn't it. If I didn't have my kids I'd never get out of bed at the moment.

It's virtually impossible to work from home and teach kids. I'm not working but I get limited time to help the five year old with the toddler. They don't sleep either. Perhaps Its just all that.

I feel so sickly today again. I'm trying so hard. Going to sit in the garden with a glass of orange for five minutes.

I wonder what I can do to get better. I feel so sorry for my partner dealing with me on top of his job. It's like he's lost me to this situation. He is so supportive but I'm tired of my own voice so he must be. I just want to be positive again.

I relate to so much of this.

I've moved beyond the (conscious) sheer panic phase too and I thought I'd calmed down, but actually I think I'm like a lot of pp here; in a sort of post-traumatic deadzone of stress and anxiety.

For the last few weeks I've been feeling really strange; achy and twingey in my limbs, especially arms. I thought I had a heart problem. (I am given to over-panicking with health stuff.) But actually it's anxiety tension causing severely knotted muscles in my neck, shoulders and upper back. I couldn't believe how tense and sore they were when my osteopath began to poke around. And it's actually amazing to consider how connected the human body is, when you come to things like nerves and muscles.

I'd love to relax better but I can't; we have financial worries on top of everything (husband and I are both self-employed). It's just that unrelenting bassline of stress and worry that never really goes away.

I have stopped reading the news and largely cut myself off social media, which has helped. All that talk of numbers and infections and peaks and waves was really getting to me. All those people thoughtlessly (or maliciously) passing on bad science, lies and misinformation just because the WhatsApp message they've been forwarded says 'a doctor says...' Beyond staying in and washing my hands and keeping distant from others there's nothing I can do about any of it, so I decided to tune it all out. It's helped, a little.

I just keep telling myself that it will end at some point, as these things always do. I also had a long chat with my mum, who remembers the flu pandemic of 1968/69, and she put a lot of stuff into perspective. It sounds wanky but I do daily gratitudes each morning, where I spend five minutes trying to find things to be thankful for. Little things. Sometimes it doesn't make much difference but other times I come away with a slight bump in mood, cos I've remembered that I've got some nice coffee in the cupboard or that my husband looks sweet when he falls asleep in the chair.

I've also just been prescribed ADs. I've always been resistant but I couldn't cope any more. I had a similar chat with my GP as pigeon, he said several very similar things.

Sorry you're all going through it.

I had this once before - different situation - but a real shock to the body that then morphed into this kind of stress related exhaustion afterwards. So I am applying the same techniques I used then and thought I would share them with you:

Do everything that is important in the morning, and try to leave the afternoons free if it is possible

Prepare dinner in the morning, and if you have a slow cooker or other ways of cooking dinner in the mornings, so there is little or nothing to do at the end of the day

I took to showering the dc in the mornings so I didn't have to wrangle with the children in the evening. A quick hand, feet and face wash was so much easier

Close the curtains etc early and bring everything forward

Don't commit to big day outs or any day out. If you have the energy then go on the spur of the moment and just for an hour or two

Take vitamins every day, eat well and try and sleep as long as you can

I know just what you mean about not being able to rely on your own body, I feel the same. I can't make arrangements with anyone because I am worried I will have to cancel, or worse to feel like this whilst out.

I am watching others motoring on, and wonder if this is yet to come for them. We are all at different stages, and maybe they are still in flight mode, I know I am feeling less stressed now, so I have begun to slowly relax and this is when the problems started. In the peak of the pandemic I was flying high! I was up all night getting shopping slots, running around all day delivering shopping, looking after dc, cleaning. A nervous energy that slowly depleted every ounce of my body's resources.

Would be glad to read any other suggestions for how we deal with this.

It's like you have gone inside my head and written everything down that I'm feeling. Right from fighting to find shopping slots. Getting expensive milk deliveries just so I knew my kids have got breakfast. Worrying about my parents who were still going in shops because they had no choice. I also suddenly had my child home again after our new life had began. I think I have worries about her settling back into school too. Emotionally I feel we will be starting allover again when she goes back.

I really feel relieved to know I'm not alone. So rest and self care seems to be the cure. Lazy days. Great idea with the slow cooker and baths. Do you think my kids will be picking up much on it? I am always pottering about trying to keep up with the kids mess. Because I've got to watch them constantly I never get that 45 minutes to put washing away and do the bathroom etc. I'm having to rush it all at the weekends. It's all abit crap.

I feel less confused after reading this. I have been trying to understand what's going on with me for 10 weeks now. I am convinced if I wake up with energy I'd bounce down the road for a big walk in the woods etc. But the energy rarely comes. I am having smoothies etc. Hoping it is helping in some sort of way.
.
Please keep in touch on this thread everyone. Maybe it will help to talk. I just tried to say it to my mum but she's just come out of hospital with a muscle issue and I feel bad to even moan. I don't think people understand who are not going through it.