How has the pandemic changed your life?

[velvet24]

For me its brought some positive changes. I now work at home which I love, I am less stressed and rushed. I now appreciate walks in the woodlands and village, I enjoy little things like feeding the birds in the garden. I have slowed down and I feel happier for it. I take time for me now, whereas pre covid i was rushing about 5 days a week.

I know people have lost jobs and loved ones and that is horrendous, this post is looking at how the pandemic has changed life, for better for for worse? Be honest.

Feeling less obliged to go everywhere to meet everyone.. saying no more often and not worrying about seeming rude or missing out .

It’s a mix:

DC becoming overly cynical re life & they don’t trust that activities will go ahead these days. I find this a bit sad! :(

On the plus side - their Dad is wfh and they see a lot more of him. :)

My business really took off in lockdown, which was good - but the Long Covid means I am (still) too ill to work. And I don’t know when I’ll get better. That uncertainty is hard to cope with.

We aren’t on the breadline but I know so many people who are because of LC. :(

It’s been pretty awful for us but not wholly terrible even though my career and health is in a bad place I still try to enjoy what I can, including having hubby around.

Working from home has transformed my life really. I'm a single parent to a nearly 4YO DS and used to spend 2.5 hours a day commuting. Now I'm home more and we have so much more time together it's just lovely.

I'm autistic and my life hasn't changed at all apart from having to wear a mask in shops.

Its been good to have room to breathe and reflect on what really is important to me and my family.

We got an interior designer in to redesign our decor and layout. I really like my home now and some of the changes have had a real impact on our family life. A round table changes the dynamic of mealtimes for the better. Also DH and I were a DREAM TEAM at ikea - it was like being newly weds again! We were trying to get round as quick as we could because masks arent particularly comfortable.

The dc got more independent at school, so now I can drop and run.

Wfh has made me realise that I actually quite like my colleagues.

We had planned on holidaying in Bulgaria but suspected it wouldnt happen. So we splashed out on a holiday park and had the loveliest time! We've booked again for this summer.

I DId like working from home initially but now I would like to be back in the office at least a day a week. No scope to do this at my work. Feels a bit groundhog day like.
On the plus side saved money and not had to endure the shocking train journey each day provided by the rubbish Northern Fail.

How selfish and self centred some people are. It's been a positive experience because I'm now guilt free in making the decision if I see them or not. It's been a real eye opener

It contributed to me having a breakdown last spring. I've been struggling with depression since.

Massively detrimental to us. OH is ECV and now barely leaves the house, mostly only for medical appointments, as consultant has said several times that covid would almost certainly be fatal (very low immunity due to cancer!).

My business is badly affected as most of my clients were small businesses such as shops, cafes, small B&Bs, hairdressers, etc - I've lost about 75% of my clients who closed down during covid, many due to being excluded from the covid support schemes. Another client has just closed down this weekend - they were a small bakery/pie shop that simply can't operate at profitable levels due to loss of custom (during the time they were selling through a window, customers not wanting to queue outside in the rain, etc etc).

I am no longer on antidepressants

@Polkadotties are you able to say why you have been able to come off your medication

Got rid of abusive 'd'h

Started my dream career

Moved to a better house in a better location, giving my kids more freedom

Giving myself a break, reduced activities and plans has made room for life changing decisions

Had a baby during the start of the pandemic. Had really bad PND made even worse by lack of support after giving birth and the fact my partner couldn't be with me during induction and most of labour. Lost my grandmother and couldn't attend her funeral as only 8 were allowed and I was 37 weeks pregnant and considered vulnerable back in 2020.

Been a bit of a shit show early on...

However now I realised I've cherished the extra time at home I've had with my daughter and partner. Appreciate good health SO much more after being hospitalised with covid this year. Learning how to say 'no' and prioritise my well-being!

@Notgettingbetter and @user1497207191 I’m really sorry both your situations sound incredibly hard.

DH was always allowed to WFH quite a lot but didn’t so he does now. It has been nice for me as I’m retired early because of ill health. So I do get to see him more plus the overseas travel has been on hold for two years which is part of his job. I was fine he did it but he would be away for weeks at a time.

I had my 1st baby at the start of the very first lockdown. A mixture of pandemic and motherhood has changed my life beyond recognition.

I should add that I had raging post natal anxiety. I had CBT and its ok now

It killed my dad so it has had a devastating effect on my life

Took time to retrain in a new profession. Got our garden designed and landscaped for maximum use and benefit. Generally spending more time at home and feeling cosy. More focus on gratitude and not whinging.

My DS (20) has become cynical, paranoid and [even more] introverted and anti-social

Ended my marriage. Husband was between jobs at the beginning of the first lockdown and we'd just had a baby. His field completely dried up when lockdown was announced which resulted in him becoming depressed due to lack of job/strained finances and me suffering from PND. Not a good mix in a couple.

My husband starting to work from home ending up being a big catalyst for change for us, as it became a permanent change. We got fed up of living around all his monitors and such shit, so we decided we needed to move to a bigger house. We also realised on our daily walks that we lived in the world's most boring area.
So we sold our house, which would have had the mortgage paid off in a couple of years, to a bigger house in a beautiful and very sociable area. We've had to take out a whacking mortgage, no chance of getting rid of that anytime soon, but we're much happier where we live now. Moving had been vaguely on the radar before covid but it probably would have been years away.

I was working from home prior so the difference there is that many others started doing the same, so it’s no longer seen as unusual. The pandemic actually made my job more stable, so that’s been positive. Lockdowns also spurred me on to do a lot of work to the house and garden, which I’m now benefitting from. I do really miss travel though. I’d find it stressful to jump through the hoops of testing etc so can’t wait for the days that it just gets back to normal, whenever that is.

My GP closed it's doors in the first lockdown during treatment ans told me my high BP would go down (I was 31) and they would contact when they were open again. I now have organ damage from high BP, was months away from having a stroke in Nov 2021 and am on betablockers and other medications for life.

Pre covid: I saw friends every day at work, interacted with the public and met new people most days and enjoyed hobbies and socialising in the evenings. I had a reason to get up, take care of my appearance and I looked forward to sharing news, small talk etc.

Now: I spend every day in my flat, working from home. It’s been this way for 22 months. My colleague friends aren’t local and have young families so I don’t see them. I hate working from home alone, I am demotivated and procrastinate, meaning I then work late into the evening to catch up. I miss out on my hobbies and socialising. I don’t care about looking good any more because nobody sees me, and I am still in bed at 1pm on Saturday.

I still have a lot to be grateful for, but Covid has really destroyed so much of what I loved about life, and it will never go back to how it was because the offices aren’t going to reopen to anywhere near the same extent and my colleagues all love working from home so even if I go in I won’t see them.

Now: