If you could would you skip the next 18 months of life?

[severeine]

I have hated 2020. I hated lockdown. I hated the sanctimoniousness it brought out. I hated the lack of social contact, the tragic consequences for some and isolation. If on balance a period of time is a net drain on quality of life, and I realise this is hypothetical, if you could, would you just go straight to the end of it and restart living when conditions are better? Before any of the "but how do you know things will be better -second lockdown, economy ruined, new virus" merchants pounce,I realise any talk of a less awful future is hypothetical.

etopp Okay, so you’ve had a shit time of it. But how is harbouring all that anger and hate helping you?

No but if I could get ds to sleep through any 14 day self isolations I would go for that.

I wouldn't skip it; like some pps I am older, and had cancer last year which is pretty likely to recur, so I want to make the most of however long I have. But I am utterly fed up with the pandemic, very pessimistic about the future, and depressed by the extent of the damage it's done, economically and socially.

I wouldn't skip it as among the shit are some genuinely great moments.

@heartsonacake, I think you will find that Etopp is expressing her anger, which is healthy and necessary. People don't need this bullshit pressure to be perpetually positive when they don't feel that way. You remind me of a CBT therapist a friend of mine once saw whose remarkable insight resulted in telling her to just stop thinking about the things that upset her. Bingo. Problem solved!

No.
Why would I?

@sophiestew

No. Why would I?

Love it

Why indeed? Everything is totally unremarkable, nothing concerning going on at all.

Well I am a nurse in a busy hospital so I can assure you I know what has been going on

That doesn't equate to wishing away 18 months of my life though.

Lovely things have happened in the last few months too, and I have no doubt they will continue to happen in the next 18 months.

MN is so doom and gloom!

Hell no. Dad's increasingly frail. We lost Mum unexpectedly last year - her cancer wasn't spotted until shortly before she died - which brought home just how little time we have. I wouldn't want to miss time with my dad.

My DS is off to uni shortly, and I'm looking forwartd to seeing this new stage of his life.

That doesn't equate to wishing away 18 months of my life though.

I was imagining just skipping forwards, waking up same age but in 18 months' time? With the kids.

I've changed the whole premise I think!

Heartsonacake

I am a complete people-pleaser in real life, and I never get angry with anyone or anything either.

So if I want to be angry on here, when I'm not frightened of what will happen if I express anger about being in an incredibly shit situation, then that is a healthy thing for me. It feels healthier for me, at any rate, than dumping my feelings on my children, who have had a rotten time anyway, and don't need me griping at them as well.

No way, I'm too old now to skip any life....so few years left. I already think I wasted too much of it and with COVID coming so unexpectedly, it makes me feel every day should be precious and used to the full, we never know what is round the corner next....

No. Because my lovely mum has dementia and i need to spend as much time with her as I can while she can still remember me and the rest of my family.Yes, we have all had a terrible time with covid, and we all want it to be over and back to 'normal life' however long that might take, but it's not the only problem people have to cope with. There are other, bigger things going on in people's lives.

No. It's been a hard year in many ways. It has had a big impact on my work, it's had a devastating effect on the futures of our young adult DC and many of their friends. It has been worrying, tedious, frustrating and just hard work. But, by a long way, it hasn't been the worst year we've had as a family and I know we will come through it, if we don't actually die.

The next six to twelve months will be tough, for some more than others, and there are bits I'm dreading but it will pass.

We have got used to a comparatively calm and orderly life in western Europe so I wonder if that has made us less able to cope collectively? People in countries regularly affected by famines, civil war etc probably view the threat of Covid differently. It would be interesting to hear their stories.

Etopp go for it. Just let rip on here. It might help you cope irl.

@Whenwillthisbeover

I would and I’m 54. As well as Covid I absolutely hate my job with a passion but need another 12 months in my pension and I might get made redundant in this time (good thing for me).

In 12 months I could get on with my life and be happy, I feel like I’m stuck in misery right now.

Are you me?! I'm 53 and if I could fast forward the next 18 months, it would mean I was that bit closer to early retirement- although obviously, I would be that bit closer to death as well which isn't quite so appealing.

@AdaFromYorkshire, my father was from SA, I have close friends from Nigeria (whose parents etc were caught up in the Biafran crisis) and from Zimbabwe. They do view this very differently because this isn't a threat any bigger than lots of daily occurrences. Malaria has killed more people this year in Nigeria than Covid has globally. The women don't move around freely because it isn't safe, many spend most of their lives in the house. My Nigerian friends have had around 20 friends and family die, all under 60 from illness, building collapse, fire, malaria, childbirth and murdered. The only difference has been that the Churches were closed. But now they do outside service. It hasn't gone through sections of their society as predicted.

Thanks, Pointy. That's very kind.

Yes I would, not because of lockdown though...my ds is hitting teenage years and its looking like it will be hell, so ill happily skip as much of that as possible.

Save myself 18 months of face masks, neuroses, watching the government make fuck up after fuck up, get DD past her GCSEs, not have to helplessly watch my lovely dad slowly fade away...

Yeah, I'd trade 18 months for that.