To think the mood of the country is low level depression?

[AllThePogs]

I know individuals may feel optimistic at the moment or severely depressed, but I think the atmosphere in the country is of low-level depression.
I think countries often have an overall "feel" to them. I have lived through times that have felt optimistic that things are going to improve, and times that have felt happy and prosperous.
But at the moment the atmosphere just seems like low-level depression.
AIBU?

Yes agree that there’s a general sense of low mood and housing is a huge problem.

@Karenetta

Yeah not going to happen. We have a landlord class now and no one is going to shift them.

And our next PM likely to be Twelve Homes Sunak.

Still, most public services including the NHS, welfare benefits, and social housing, didn't come about because of altuism in the main. It was more about self interest and pragmatism. There reaches a tipping point when there's too many desperate destitute suffering people - and the issues, whether directly or through knock on effects, start to impact on the masses.

I’m a counsellor and completely agree with the feelings that the pandemic have left people with.
Including myself at times.
I’ve worked all the way through with clients and I’m exhausted.
I’ve booked a holiday at the end of jan. I actually dreamt about getting PCR pre flight tests last night.
It’s so strange how Covid is in my unconscious.

Yes, most people I know are low rather than enthusiastic for the future. Just constant doom and gloom in news. Going out is hard work with masks - I struggle with them - so don't bother unless it's essential. Holidays are hard to plan due to risks of rules changing over night. Dont mind it being January as nothing to do anyway with all the restrictions in place. I find masks give me low level depression as they are a constant reminder.

Yes, when was the last time you didn’t say “have you got a mask?” When you leave home?

I'm also a counsellor like ihatethecold and everyone I'm seeing is functioning depressive plus almost everyone with a constant level of anxiety

I agree the news is just awful and people are feeling a level of constant despairing anger at what life is like now and has been like over the last 18 months

I'm also totally knackered with working all the way through and the sheer volume of new enquiries has had me update all the websites I'm on with 'I'm full for now'

I can’t understand why so many are failing to see the link between government incompetence and corruption, and our declining quality of life. It’s not all solely due to the pandemic.

I agree Pendalino but we have been fed project fear for nearly 2 years now.

It wears you down.

@Pendolino

I can’t understand why so many are failing to see the link between government incompetence and corruption, and our declining quality of life. It’s not all solely due to the pandemic.

It's not just government incompetence and corruption though. It's incompetence and corruption in many organisations and businesses.

Businesses failing to look after staff in terms of conditions/working hours/benefits. Businesses taking customers for granted and providing poor service.

People aren't even angry, they're just worn down.

@GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER

January isn’t helping. It’s always a dreary month. Personally I always feel rather better when the first crocuses start coming out.

I was driving through Windsor yesterday and the daffodils have started to come out. Always a good sign!

I agree people are worn down. But anger does flare in the public mood every so often. For example over the Downing Street parties.

Why are the Nordic countries seemingly much happier than us? Well, it would appear that they have a more robust social welfare system and decent work/life balance which makes people feel secure and not put upon.

In the UK at the moment, people are working harder and harder for worse returns. There is lots of uncertainy and little security for lots of people.

worldhappiness.report/ed/2020/the-nordic-exceptionalism-what-explains-why-the-nordic-countries-are-constantly-among-the-happiest-in-the-world/

Spring is on the way though, nights and mornings are getting lighter too. There’s lots of positives. Omincron nowhere near as bad as predicted is a positive too.
Everything in England is mostly open as before and most other restrictions will hopefully be lifted on 26th Jan.
I feel pretty positive about 2022! I’m looking forward to having a nice holiday or two and I have booked a couple of theatre shows and festivals.
Maybe trick is to have a few things in your calendar that you can look forward to?
We also have an extra June bank holiday this year too, let’s hope it doesn’t piss down

It all comes down to poor governance though. Government have been lax about poor employment practices because they don’t care about human welfare. They also dare not clamp down on the UK business community when it is already angry about having to deal with a disordered Brexit.

@Pendolino

I can’t understand why so many are failing to see the link between government incompetence and corruption, and our declining quality of life. It’s not all solely due to the pandemic.

It’s like we’ve been caught up in the most perfect of storms in a story plot you couldn’t have written anymore bleak except maybe if the ending was a nuclear war that wiped the whole country out. If you’d have asked any of us what we expected 2022 to look like back in 2015 I doubt it would have been this cluster fuck….

We have Brexit

We have BJ

We have Covid and it’s never ending effects

We have wars brewing with Russia

We have Chinese espionage in government

We have climate change

We have social inequalities that become greater every day

We have a crumbling Royal family

We have no solid alternative to our current ruling party

Cost of living keeps rising

Yes totally agree @Thewiseoneincognito - good summary

Totally agree. It’s difficult to feel positive or optimistic when everything is so doom and gloom 24/7. The pandemic has messed people up, I ended up with severe PND and anxiety as a result. I’ve never been so lonely in all honesty, just full of despair. Doesn’t help we have a complete shit show of a government.

Speak for yourself. Some of us have a new sense of well-being without stressful early commutes and can be around family more. Stick your office hours - I’ll stay wfh.
I am in a business that is all about local business development and keeping the workforce happy etc and our research has found that a lot of people finding wfh depressing.
I worked from home for 11 years when my dc were little and worked brilliantly for me.
But this time round it is very different and i find wfh depressing and stressfull atm

I don't think this is about wfh or not wfh, or wearing masks or not wearing masks. I appreciate for individuals these things may be an issue.
But I think it is about the pandemic still going on and hundreds of people still dying a day, rising prices meaning that we are all getting poorer, the lack of holidays or uncertainty around holidays, the utter corruption in government, the fact that the elite obviously ignore the rules - there is no sense of we are all in it together that there was at the beginning, the constant revelations about sex trafficking and famous men, and the sheer uncertainty about the future.
In the past, people would book holidays or plan nice things if feeling low. Now we have no idea if things will happen. Our government can allow foreign travel, but that does not mean other countries will allow us in, or they may allow us in but have lots of rules.
But I am also worried about the constant price rises and how we are getting poorer. We will be able to absorb this, although we will have less money in real terms. But I have no idea how people who were already struggling are now managing.
And hard times are much easier to manage if you can see an end in sight. I know things will get better as historically that always happens eventually. But I find it hard to believe it.

I find the groundhog day reporting about parties really grating but generally I’m relieved

Pre - Christmas re omicron and scare stories haven’t come to pass, SAGE we’re pretty far off

It’s January so as a month it lags a bit but I think by Feb it will feel different again, fewer restrictions again

Winter never helps me. Hate the darkness and gloominess of the UK from Nov/Feb.

I’m in the middle on Covid. Part of me is optimistic that we are coming to an end of it and restrictions won’t be brought back in.

The other part has become naturally more cautious so I avoid large gatherings in pubs etc. I sometimes wonder if my hermit like existence during CV will continue once it ends and I will just be happy walking my dog and holidaying in the UK, which I have enjoyed. I have reverted to a much more simple life in the last 2 years, not worrying so much about how I look etc. Not spending excessive amounts of money on things I don’t need. I wonder whether I have unearthed the real me or if this is just Covid blues that have led me down this path and the old party animal instincts will come back to me.

Hundreds of people are dying a day and our local hospitals are bursting at the seams. I know people who have had tests postponed as a result. I know things are getting better in London, we don't all live in London. And tbh the disparity between the national news reporting pressure easing, and what is happening locally, just makes me feel worse - as if no one gives a shit if it isn't happening in London.

Yes I think that’s a fair description OP. January/Feb are always difficult months for many people. Add in two years of oppression, financial squeeze, equals not a lot of fun. Roll on Spring.

It's not just government incompetence and corruption though. It's incompetence and corruption in many organisations and businesses.

Businesses failing to look after staff in terms of conditions/working hours/benefits. Businesses taking customers for granted and providing poor service.

People aren't even angry, they're just worn down.

Yeah I agree with this, but I do think it's reflective of how the government treat the population too, the idea that if you have enough power (ie money) you're pretty much untouchable and that exploiting people to make more money is positively encouraged, thus gaining more power and round it goes.
It is so entrenched that I don't even know how we could tackle it, I think people are worn out and have little energy from living in this cycle to even start to think about how we change it for the better, how we tackle the attitudes that mean some people are exploited as a matter of course to make someone else richer and more powerful.
And that was going on before covid, covid has been used as a reason by so many to demand even more while they return even less.

The Londoncentricity of the news and GOVERNMENT RESPONSES to the pandemic are beyond a joke at this stage.