To think it’s so hard to be happy nowadays

[Showupformyself]

Pre covid, life, looking back, seemed so simple, so happy, even with it’s inevitable sadness & problems.
I had covid in March, 2020, still not 100% but getting on with things. Have a beautiful Dd, life just feels so anxiety ridden now, so negative.
Are we ever getting back to how we felt?
Normally a positive person, but how long can you keep being positive 🤷🏻‍♀️

Thanks @SparrowNest hope your niece gets better too. My DD isn't scared of getting Covid as such- no health anxiety-but has lost a lot of social skills due to uni study being completely online. And her grades have suffered.

What has changed? Only on Mumsnet.....people have lost jobs,homes,health,standard of living, gained jobs, moved house, had relatives die or emotionally tested, kids education set back, our young people have suffered at a critical time in their lives, restrictions on freedoms and travel and the threat of new variants on the horizon while facing rising food, petrol, energy, housing prices...life is challenging...

The nhs video on unhelpful thoughts was pretty good when I listened to it the other day. Made me realise how much you can get in a habit of negative thoughts.

I don’t really understand, I had Covid in March 2020 too, but I feel things were largely back to normal again (aside from new mask requirement in shops). What is bothering you?

As others have said, no-one is happy all the time. But thinking negatively can become a toxic downward spiral.

I try as I fall asleep to think of three nice/ positive/ good things that happened that day, something that made me smile, or that I was proud of doing. Taking some exercise and getting outdoors are important in producing those feel-good hormones also.

I'm a very happy person now I'm on top level does of Mirtazipine, Venlafaxine, Amatryptaline amongst other meds, though this pre-dates CV.

@Showupformyself

Pre covid, life, looking back, seemed so simple, so happy, even with it’s inevitable sadness & problems. I had covid in March, 2020, still not 100% but getting on with things. Have a beautiful Dd, life just feels so anxiety ridden now, so negative. Are we ever getting back to how we felt? Normally a positive person, but how long can you keep being positive 🤷🏻‍♀️

I hear you completely, I am also finding it really hard. It doesn't help that because I've always been a positive person, so many people rely on me staying positive and keeping them cheerful.

I try, but it hurts because none of them ever bother to ask if I'm ok, and I'm not. I'm really not. I'm doing all the right things and smiling till my face hurts, but I feel like I want to break down and cry most of the time.

I am happy and really enjoying life. What are you anxious about? Yes there might be a few restrictions like a mask in a shop but you have a whole month of Christmas to look forward to with your dd, why not make a plan on how to enjoy it? Book the grotto, make a note of the carol concerts, invite friends over for dinner. I think life is what you make it, and if you decide to feel miserable you WILL be miserable guaranteed.

Everything is open this year, we are so lucky to be in this position when we consider Austria and others. We have so much to look forward to. The snow flurries, the beauty of the winter, try and find the magic where you are and keep looking. Turn off the news and get away from SM.

I would count myself as a positive person but my positivity has taken a real hammering over the past few years. I feel flatter than I used too.

I work in the nhs which feels broken and the ongoing stress is taking it's toll on everyone. I can't see it improving.

My eldely mum's health is declining. She's not had covid, but being unable to out the house has sort of fast forwarded the aging process and taking away some opportunitys to enjoy the last year's of her life.

My 6yo has been effected by a
Covid restrictions. Shes not done a full school year -now in yr2. She is raging, irritable, anxious in a way she wasn't beforel. All around me I hear story's of kids/teens struggling with mental health. I don't think we will know the true effect of covid/ lockdowns for many years.

Weve been one of the lucky ones! We haven't had covid, lost any family/ friends lost a job etc. It's no wonder people feel anxious and sad.

I could have written your post. My feeling is that Covid has had a huge impact on our family life and every day is dealing with that. My job is in a school and Covid has made it so much harder - the regulations but also the filling gaps for the children daily. I also feel it’s lowered staff morale just making it less of a happy place to work - particulars in my team who show me little respect. My hours have gone up to My youngest son is being bullied by a child who is traumatised by Covid and has no where else to put those feelings other than to terrorise a selected group of children. My friends are focusing on their children not being bullied that they have been completely unsupportive and I feel alone in this, tackling the school. My sons have so much homework because of Covid Gaps that my husband and I struggle to keep up. My husband deals with anxiety by trying to control everything so I feel home life has become rigid and driven. We’ve just had to chase around to get my oldest his vaccine in another city which was stressful.
I’m such a positive person as I have always suffered with genetic anxiety and depression. I worked hard with CBT and medication to become a content, calm or buoyant person if needs be. Now I just feel like I’m swimming upstream, trying to push past upset like it’s debris in the water and trying to hold it together all the time.

I try to look at the smaller, good things and it helps. We’re spending more time as a family than ever and that’s mostly a good thing. We’re spending more times outdoors and that’s also a good thing. I appreciate what we do have much more.

@tallduckandhandsome You don’t feel things have changed at all?
Well, I’m suffering still from long covid so that probably doesn’t help my feelings of negativity, although I try really hard.
I just feel completely different to pre March 2020, I was so healthy and full of life, I feel I’ve aged, also so much anxiety about nee strains coming out etc etc. Other things seemed to have changed, life just feels different, you can’t say this or that, all this wokeness..it just all seems so bleak, there used to be some laughs, it feels different