Are you coping?

[Hellin301]

There are very few threads indicating that people are still struggling mentally with the Covid situation.

Does this mean people are coping better now or are you still struggling day to day?

No i dont think i am coping. Struggled through the first lock down with the help of an amazing dh and increased anti depressants. I do struggle more in the dark nights anyway but im in NI and things are bad. Cases are high. There is nowhere to go and nothing to do. My kids have been off school for two weeks. Youngest is ASD and is not coping, terrible melt downs, not sleeping and an increase in violence. Its not his fault. He isnt coping either. He needs his special school. Oldest is missing friends and family too. Tbh its all just a bit shit with no end in sight.

Good days and bad days. I really didn't cope for most of April through to July, managed August and am better now for having some days in the office (though there are only about five people in out of two hundred) and the kids being at school. DC's mental health is currently better so that also helps. I still end up in tears at least weekly but that's better than daily.

Missing support from friends (never got support from family really). Everyone has had to focus on their own lives/family and we've barely seen anyone this year. Tier 3 is rubbish but I'm pacing myself till spring, not looking forward to the prospect of a tier 4 but think that's inevitable where we are.

So sorry so many are having a hard time

I feel much better now I have got out of retail and in a new job. The constant crap we took from customers ground me down. I have anxiety and on meds but feel better even tho now I'm dealing with covid residents head on

I dont think I'm coping that well. I am outwardly. I had covid in April and took months to recover (still have pain sometimes in different parts of body).
All was going well but now im back at work, the weird dreams and nightmares have returned. Im a teacher so feel concerned about my health. Work is brilliant but its the stress everytime a child is off, wondering if they have covid and having no clue if I could catch it again or not.
If scientists knew about immunity I think I'd be coping a lot better mentally.

All fine here, but life has pretty much carried on as normal. We're in the lowest tier so can still see family and friends indoors, DH and I have worked as normal throughout (both work outdoors so no need to switch to WFH) - in fact we've both seen big increases in business. I see my in-laws most days as they help out with the dog and my mum is coming over tomorrow for lunch.

Neither of us are huge party animals so restrictions on bars and clubs have changed nothing for us. Life honestly feels normal.

I'm struggling. I work for the NHS. I hate wearing a mask all day in work. I hate the constant discussions about COVID at work, with daily updates on figures etc. I feel so sorry for the elderly people I speak to everyday who are lonely and terrified. The work is more difficult too as there are extra COVID considerations to take into account.

I'm fed up with the self isolation due to the positive cases in the kids classes at school. Fed up with the swabbing of my toddlers as they have another temperature, then trying to work from home whilst I wait for the results. I'm fed up of cancelled plans and cancelled clubs when we have to self isolate. I'm fed up of having to homeschool my eldest when the youngest ones are ill again, as his bubble is still in.

But I am lucky in the grand scheme of things and exercise really helps. I've stepped away from social media too. Otherwise I feel too overwhelmed

I'm struggling with the lack of events to look forward to. Normally I'd keep my weight down because I'd be planning theatre breaks, drinks over Christmas etc. I'm vulnerable I was on the shielding list, so I'm limiting what I'm doing, but the weight gain is putting me at more risk.

I feel for the people around me whose income and therapies have been affected and those who I see with plummeting mental health, but I can't help without putting myself at risk.

I’m fine....level 3, probably soon to be 4 I think.....we’re retired though so no job worries thankfully. We’ve missed holidays/weekends away and of course miss friends and family, but we keep in touch with FaceTime, zoom etc so I’m grateful for that. This is my favourite time of year, the dark nights don’t bother me, though I know it’s difficult for people on their own etc. But, in general, I’m ok

I'm coping but I think only because I'm mentally very strong.
Dh is shielding elsewhere, so we have been living separately for months now. It's really tough, I get very lonely at the weekends and find doing all the parenting, household stuff, shopping etc tough as I work full time in a mentally & physically tough job!
I'm struggling to sleep which is a bad sign for me and it's during the night when I feel really bleak about the world. I've got two older teens and I really feel for them living through this. Their lives are a shadow of what they should be
I also bloody miss my parents and brother!!
It's all a bit shit, I think I mostly just live day to day and try not to dwell on it!

I'm struggling here too.

Have been WFH since March. I settled into it fairly easily at the beginning even though I had ds7 and ds1 here. I think it massively helped that dp was working locally at the time so was home every morning and evening.

Hes been back working further away from home since July so is gone Monday morning to Friday evening.

It's just been so hard and relentless since then. Work are putting us under so much pressure and aswell as my normal hours I have to do hours of overtime every day. DC are gone unruly as they basically do what they want for hours every day. Having had PND last year/early this year, I had become a little less anxious and more sociable when back in the office early this year. Now I'm back to being really unsociable and avoiding social interactions where I can.

Ds7 has autism and was doing well with extra curricular activities before this but I havent brought him for the last 2 months due to so many positive cases in my town.

I dread work every day, and if I do take a rare evening off, I dread what email will be there waiting for me when I log in in the morning.

I coped fine in the first lockdown when it seemed that it was a temporary thing. Now it feels like there is no end in sight and I'm really struggling. My Mum died 9 months ago and her birthday is coming up. It's crap that I won't be able to spend her first birthday since she died with my aunty, brother and Dad because we are in a tier 2 area.

This is going to be one big long moan so apologies... But I've struggled recently. I have a constant feeling of agitation/impatience just under the surface. I'm in Wales so we're locked down atm, my DD is in massive stroppy preteen phase, my DP has had long COVID since April and is suffering immensely, had now GP is talking ME diagnosis. We used to climb mountains before this. He can barely climb the stairs now. Even talking for too long is impossible. I miss us, and our big adventures and our parties and being silly together. The agitation comes from feeling like everything is going to shit, and that our government is corrupt and disingenuous but I can't do anything to change it. My business is limping on but I'm not earning much and relying a lot on UC and its terrifying. I miss my mum and dad (different county at the moment and live in another country for a good chunk of the year so only seen them for a handful of visits since Feb. I'm sick of the whole world tearing each other apart on every single issue, but equally I feel like I'm joining in as I'm so cross with certain attitudes in politics. God what a moaning mini I am!!! There is a lot of good too. Must remember that. Need to focus on gratitude. Starting with a good cup of coffee in bed!

I'm coping fine. We're skint, dh was made redundant and we haven't much money coming in at the moment so things could definitely be better but there's not a lot we can do about it so might as well just wait it out. There will be an end to this at some point.

I haven't really struggled that badly despite having to shield, even when the kids were homeschooled and my photography business hit the wall. I started a new business and kept myself really busy.
However in September, when I realised things were getting bad again I struggled a bit. I haven't been anywhere there's people other than a supermarket, since March. I haven't seen my family, and I haven't had a break from the kids or my husband - lovely as they are, I'd just love a day mooching around galleries in London and then popping into a nice restaurant for lunch.
Ah well.
I'm feeling better the last few days though. I'm trying to do things that help, like exercising more so I'm too tired to lie awake and worry when I go to bed, reading books about happiness and how the Danish cope with shit weather and being stuck inside all the time etc.

I have struggled since march. At the beginning it wasn't too bad but it has been getting gradually worse to the point where I have had enough and I am bending the lockdown guidelines and visiting family.

I have a mixture of post natal depression and covid fatigue. I can't see an end to it.

I am good at putting on a front so everyone around me thinks that I am fine. I'm not fine. I would like someone to notice.

I was fine under lock down because I felt safe, we were all safe.. I was also fine in the summer when cases had dropped.

But now I'm starting to feel extremely anxious again with winter nigh, cases are rife around here, 1 dd has had breathing issues in the past etc.
I don't feel safe but obviously carrying on.

However I'm concentrating on next year!
Our holidays have been moved to next year. So I'm praying they go ahead!. It's given us a chance to save up a little too.

I'm desperately, desperately sorry for all those of you who are younger and struggling so much. We miss DS and dil, who are going into tier 3, but actually, as DH and I said last night, we were up till now managing to see him once a week, which is about as often as we used to see him "in the olden days" so it's more sadness that we can't see him as that we don't. He's sort of front line NHS so we worry about him but that's all really.

Actually, perversely one good thing has come out of all this for me. Back at the start of the year I was struggling with retirement - the usual what's the point, nothing to get up for, feelings. But with lockdown my former work closed down completely and is still not back, with no end in sight, and, selfishly, it's helped knowing i couldn't work even if I hadn't retired.

No, I'm struggling. Everything feels very flat, I guess I am depressed.

I'm just trying to get through winter to be honest, and avoid anything that implies it will be like this forever.

I'm coping. Im really lucky that my job is safe (NHS) so Im not having to worry about money like so many people. Im missing my parents - we're not tier 2, but have agreed not to meet now the teens are back at sixth form, as they both have year group bubbles of over 300 kids. Im worried about the kids futures, but am distracting myself with reading and knitting. I hadnt done any knitting for a few years before lockdown, but am finding it really helpful to have something to do in the evenings that isnt a screen. Ive taught DD1 who has nearly finished a cardie for herself and now DD2 has ordered some wool to have a go.

• The darker days,
• The wet and cold,
• Halloween buggered up (even if you don't particularly like it, like me, it's another bit of 'normal' which youngest DC(6yo) isn't having)
• and the worry that xmas is going to be all weird when it gets here.

These things have made me take quite the downward turn since a few weeks ago.

I am the most laid back and optimistic person you could meet usually. I'm finding i'm getting very short tempered when out and about. People dithering. And then people who seem paranoid and OTT. And then the people who don't seem to care. They ALL annoy me equally at the moment! :(

I'm fine. I found in April/may/june the slight social anxiety I generally experience evaporated. I no longer had to dread events and meeting people. I could just stay home with my kids and I love my job so wfh was never a problem. It alto helps that I don't really consume much media so I didn't pick up on all the fear in the wider world.
Life is pretty much back to normal expect we wear masks. We're on holiday right now and the rain is more of a problem than covid!

Girding my loins for my first hair cut in months (today).

I am anxious at the best of time but the heat, wearing a mask, someone touching me etc.........

I feel like having a large drink but it is 8.45 am

We've decorated the house for Hallowe'en but it just isn't going to be the same - and that's fine.

I'm resigned to not seeing family at Christmas either - we're a 5 hour trip away and I cheered us up over the weekend by getting some Christmas food from M&S; quite glad not to have to go anywhere TBH.

DD welcomed the First Minister's chat on Santa being a Key Worker :)

And we will just batten down the hatches and make the best of it.

We are lucky; we've all been well, we have more than enough space, we have outside space and parks to safely go to; we have supermarket deliveries and enough money. But I still feel like sobbing most days and am totally 5050 about DD being at school.

On the one hand, she needs it. On the other - I want to wrap her in cotton wool. Only one confirmed case so far in her school of 400, which is pretty good going I'd say.

Over the first few months I was doing OK. I was working, volunteering and the good weather meant I was able to exercise outdoors and have meals in the garden. Now we are in lockdown 2, it feels hopeless. I feel trapped, isolated, angry, frustrated, sad to see my own ambitions failing as I'm not allowed to travel or take part in my sport. I am ignoring bans on seeing my family as they need extra support that the NHS is now refusing to provide. It's all a shit show and I have become properly depressed for the first time in my life.

I miss my family :( together means we over 6 so we can’t meet.

Watching my daughter struggle with her mental health. Realising another lockdown she will probably get worse.

Friends arguing over ‘Covid’ and sad way there are so many different views/assumptions on it :(

Work has been busy since March and I felt awful that I didn’t cope with homeschooling and dreading it if I have to do it again. I also didn’t have a summer fun of activities bar making or fun days out.

Half term I’m working and if I see another pumpkin art or Halloween activities that I’m failing my daughter all over again. I have cake making plans at 5 today but it’s hard especially when I did mention it to a friend that I was sad I got told I was being selfish as least i hadn’t been made redundant and had a job. So hadn’t really been affected by Covid.

Just about but tbh Mumsnet is not a place where I’d want to come for support if I was really struggling.