Is this year the worst year of your life?

[AbsentmindedWoman]

It's a shit year, I think virtually everyone would agree. But is it the worst you have lived through?

I'm bored, frustrated, and because I am chronically ill and depend heavily on access to specialist doctors for time-sensitive treatments, have a constant level of background anxiety in case SHTF and my doctors are forced to cancel. However, for me it's not the worst period of my life to date.

What about you? I'm interested in different perspectives on this, as we all are coming to the situation from very different places.

No, not by a long shot.

No, 2010 was the worst year of my life, I had a cancer diagnosis and spent the whole year totally incapacitated due to treatment and in hospital for most of it, I couldn't eat or walk more than a few steps. I also spent most of the year seriously worried I would die. This year has been tougher than some of course, but I have a lovely home, a wonderful husband and 2 amazing little boys, I find so much joy in the little things every day, but that probably is due to what I've experienced in the past, I take nothing for granted.

Not remotely. 2018 wins hands down. My mother killed herself. Since then my life has been about recovering from that. Just as 2020 dawned I said to myself THIS will be the year I get to grips and start living again. So Covid is like a bad joke really.

It's been a bit shit but I've had much worse. I grew up with an alcoholic father and narcissist mother, there was a nervous breakdown and hospitalization of my mother, DV and a hugely acrimonious divorce in my early teens.

Then later I ended up living with my mother, which nearly destroyed my own marriage and ended up no contact with my mother, six years now.

Even with living through Spanish lockdown (no going out at all, not even kids) for weeks and my freelance income being cut in half, this year has been a breeze compared to all that.

No. This year has been boring more than anything else. Not being able to go anywhere or met up with family and friends and it has been a minor inconvenience to have to queue to get in the supermarket, maybe buy a different brand of pasta because of panic buyers and wear a mask.

Not by a long chalk. I've had very much worse years due to bereavement, illnesses and family problems.

I do know that I m one of the fortunate ones regarding how I've been personally affected by the virus.

Other than losing someone close to COVID though, I don't think any event in itself could come close to matching the distress and awfulness of some other years.

No, that was the year my husband died suddenly leaving me with 4 young teenagers and a mortgage, and no job as I worked for him. Lockdown is boring and inconvenient, but I am lucky that I and my family are alive and well

Not by a long way. I've had a few horrendous years in the past.

We've been lucky enough not to have lost anyone to Covid, and have kept our jobs, so it's been a restricted year, but not that bad.

No it’s not the worst.

I honestly thought I wouldn’t be able to cope with it. We live in a freezing cold, snowy hell (not the UK) where we don’t speak the language and can’t go out for half the year as it is. We were nearly getting to the end of a very long, difficult winter when we went into lockdown. All the things that had been keeping me going were suddenly taken away. I was trapped in a small apartment with 2 babies hundreds of miles away from family and friends while suffering from severe PND and then even worse PMDD. Oh and I also caught pneumonia and then Covid! I really thought I wouldn’t survive but I did.

It was the same when my mum died. I thought that would finish me off but it didn’t.

I remain unable to think of myself as anything other than extremely lucky.

No it's not. Not even in the top 3

I've had worse but it's been the most disappointing.

Undoubtedly been a really shit year for me. But the year my dad died, and when I had PND was both a lot harder.
I really hate 2020 and we had such lovely plans that went to shit, but no one has died in my life and my physical and mental health are currently tolerable. I think I'm slipping into depression now though

It's not been a good one but it probably isn't even in the top 5 of bad years for me. I lost two close family members and a good friend last year, that was definitely worse for me than this year.

Pretty much - I lost my DF in April (care home fiasco) then my step FIL last month. My DM was unable to be with her DH of 70 years in his last hours. Both my dc have lost out on education and are unlikely to get jobs in the near future because of the dire straits the country will be in.

On the plus side DH and I have been able to work from home through out this year

No, it’s not. Although in the last few months I’ve slipped into pretty bad depression (have been in touch with GP as I’m thinking a lot about suicide). I think that’s a lot to do with things being on hold and not being able to look to the future, ruminating on the past, too much time to think about mistakes and problems, less of a sense of being able to move forward, invest energy in positive steps. But not because of bad things ‘happening’ to me this year – I’ve been relatively lucky, although my grandparent did die of covid.

So sorry to all those who have been having a hard time or have lost jobs or loved ones.

@Greenbks

Not my worst year by a long way. I know many have had it really tough but I've actually enjoyed this year. We are incredibly lucky in that we can and have worked from home, all healthy and haven't lost anyone close to us due to covid. I really feel for everyone that this year has hit hard. I've enjoyed both lockdowns and don't feel my life a has been that badly hit.

Nope. 2017

So sorry to hear that @VeniceQueen2004

God no.

Trump didn't get re-elected so im happy about that and no one in my family has died. This year is a positive for me.

No not a bad year for me. I've always been a stop the world I want to get off kind of person so I've quite enjoyed all the nothingness.

No, but then I haven't lost a loved one, my home or my livelihood.

I can see how 2020 may have been a bad year for a lot of people but all I am is a bit bored.

It's been bad but not the worst. My son was born this year, no one close to me has died or got ill and my husband and I are still employed at the moment.
Worse years when my FIL died, my husband lost his job and we got evicted. The year after my husbands grandparents and my uncle died
This year although I worry about my children constantly and miss my family and friends like crazy it's better than those years.

No, this year is frustrating and a bit boring but not the worst.

2005 - 2012 were a series of utterly shit years during which my dad had a quadruple bypass which marked the beginning of the process of him slowly dying of heart, kidney and liver failure and my mum hung herself.

It would take a low of awfulness to truly knock those years off of the 'worst' list.

Not at all. It’s been difficult but overall it’s been ok especially in comparison to some of my worse years