Can I ask how Covid has changed you

[oldandscunnered]

I do conveyancing and since the pandemic the property market has gone through the roof. Lots of people moving to surrounding islands (on the West coast of Scotland). They are mostly southerners who do not want to live in crowded places. People also want a garden. For me it's made me realise life is short and I want to see as much of the world as I can while I can. I am going three holidays this year to different places abroad. They are not that expensive but I'm doing it now in case I can't in the future. What have you all changed?

Oh and when I eventually caught COVID three months ago, I had 0 symptoms, even more confusing, I’ve never felt more energetic.

I was so severely depressed during the 2nd lockdown and had crippling panic attacks that it prompted me to start anti depressants, which I should have taken a long time ago. So now my mood is good and anxiety had gone. I do a much as I can with the kids, we travel, go on days out and generally do anything to avoid the feeling of being trapped inside. The main residual effect of lockdowns is that I can't tolerate the feeling of being trapped eg. if kids are ill and are too ill to leave the house or make me stressed.

What an interesting question. I was just thinking a few days ago that I feel so different to 3 years ago. I'm lucky that I am retired, and comfortable, with a decent private pension. But somehow, I feel vaguely scared and a bit depressed. I'm also more cynical especially after Brexit and this awful government. I had Covid in February this year, and it knocked me for 6.The paramedic I saw said that they considered it a mild illness if not hospitalised!
I feel as if I have a layer of skin missing, just sort of worried.

My mum died in January. She was in hospital for 12 weeks before she died. I got to visit her once a week until Christmas when visiting was stopped. I didn't get to see her again until the realised she wasn't going to make it. And I was the lucky one. My brothers only got to visit at the end of life stage and by then she wasn't conscious. We lost the last months with our mum due to Covid restrictions and she spent the last months of her life separated from her family, alone in hospital.
Not only am I mourning my mother,who was my best friend, I'm so devastated by the circumstances and I think that will take a long time to recover from.
The day I sent her to hospital in an ambulance is one of the worst days of my life as I knew it would be a long time before we saw her again.

The main residual effect of lockdowns is that I can't tolerate the feeling of being trapped eg. if kids are ill and are too ill to leave the house or make me stressed.

I struggle a bit with that sometimes too.

I feel like @NothingIsWrong and @Flyonawalk

I still feel quite traumatised by the wholesale abandonment of humanity, disguised by a pretence that “we're all in this together” and all the sweeping instructions to be resilient, and not “selfish”.

@WouldBeGood

I feel like *@NothingIsWrong and @Flyonawalk*

I still feel quite traumatised by the wholesale abandonment of humanity, disguised by a pretence that “we're all in this together” and all the sweeping instructions to be resilient, and not “selfish”.

I'm more disgusted than traumatised but yeah, it's definitely had an impact on me too.

Me too @WouldBeGood - I feel powerless and a bit stupid for not realising before that we have so little control over our lives and that we are not really free as it can all be taken away from us in an instant. I also feel angry at the ever growing divide between the very rich and the rest of us. We were never 'all in it together' and it's become blindingly obvious that they view us as expendable little people and believe that the rules don't apply to them.

@hippoherostandinghere - I am so sorry to hear about your mum & feel massively worried about the way hospitals are still keeping very sick people from their loved ones. It's inhumane and in my opinion really needs to stop.

On the upside, I now have a little dog who makes me smile everyday and I appreciate my family and friends more than ever! 💐for anyone who has suffered through this - I really hope you find some peace and happiness soon.

I have a family member who has developed huge anxiety as a result of Covid.

It has changed our family dynamic. We can’t go out to restaurants as an extended family and family holidays are now a no no.

She is like a big black cloud over any arrangements - always telling older relatives what they can’t do. Not letting her children participate in anything outside school, keeping them off school if she think cases are about to spike. Won’t listen to reason and gets very angry if we gently suggest life needs to back to normal.

Really sad and unbelievably frustrating.

At this point in time we are both in bed with covid.

I feel upset and angry that I've unwittingly infected vulnerable people I helped last week.

They now have this because of me. I had absolutely no symptoms for the first two days after testing and I was obviously infectious prior to this as I've infected others who had only seen me.
My only possible symptom was increased brain fog and feeling very emotional which is my normal with menopause anyway.

Angry that we spent the first two years in fear being in the CEV group. My doctor advised me to avoid at all
Costs getting this virus. The repercussions of this meant we missed important family events, precious time with loved ones. That the children missed out on education and living. I have it now and it's mild, I feel rotten but it's mild as I'm not in hospital.

I know the logic of now being triple vaccinated and that earlier strains were worse than omicron.

I'm still feeling cross, scared and angry this morning. I'm just praying no one I've infected gets extremely poorly.
☹️

I also dislike that people have been made to feel guilty for infecting other people.

I'd say I went from a super bubbly ,chatty person to someone who's gone into a bubble and no longer wants to bother anymore with much that goes on with anyone outside my immediate family. The pandemic made me see alot of people very differently.

I want to travel more than ever.

I look older, progressed quickly in my career, moved house, got a dog, bit more weight as I drank too much!! Lots has changed.

I’m sad about how much my children have grown up and all the things they should have been able to do. The rites of passage they missed that they will never get back and that guilt is overwhelming sometimes.

@Mellowyellow222

I have a family member who has developed huge anxiety as a result of Covid.

It has changed our family dynamic. We can’t go out to restaurants as an extended family and family holidays are now a no no.

She is like a big black cloud over any arrangements - always telling older relatives what they can’t do. Not letting her children participate in anything outside school, keeping them off school if she think cases are about to spike. Won’t listen to reason and gets very angry if we gently suggest life needs to back to normal.

Really sad and unbelievably frustrating.

@Mellowyellow222

Surely the rest of you could still meet up, and respect your relative's choice not to join in

Out of my group of friends, I'm in the more cautious approach. I was previously happy for them to meet without me. I'm now more comfortable to join them

I’m more bored and lacking concentration to do anything. I’m a bit more dissatisfied with stuff but don’t have the energy to change it. Like my job - I’m bored, I don’t think I’m being allowed to reach my potential but then… I can’t be arsed to start a new one.

It’s like that deep, soul destroying ennui hit at some point during the first lockdown and I just haven’t had the energy to find a way to pull myself out of it.

I feel very similar. I feel like I'm trapped with invisible rope, I know what I need to do but I just can't break free.

@notanothertakeaway well yes we do still do things - but she is the mother of my parents only grandchildren so a big part of the family is notably missing from every occasion.

And yes of course we respect her wishes and wear face masks and carry hand sanitiser and open windows and doors.

But we haven’t had a family Christmas or a family meal or a holiday in over two years now. And the kids are missing out on so much. No swimming lessons or gymnastics or pantos or holidays or trips to the museum or birthday parties.

My parents are getting older and they are upset that they have missed out on so much of the kids childhood. My nephew is 12 now, they used to do all the after school care and now they only see him in an outdoor setting every few months.

But we haven’t had a family Christmas or a family meal or a holiday in over two years now. And the kids are missing out on so much. No swimming lessons or gymnastics or pantos or holidays or trips to the museum or birthday parties.

This is so sad

I'm less tolerant of people and don't like random people being in my personal space.

@Flyonawalk

I have realised how little our society cares about children, teens and young adults.

I am equal parts angry and sad about this.

This, totally this ⬆️⬆️🙁

My partners mental health has hit the floor and he isn’t the same happy go lucky jovial man anymore. He is desperately trying to escape his career within the nhs. He is broken

Also we’ve both aged physically a lot!!

I've been wfh since Mar 20 and love it. Wfh also forced us to finally move house after considering it for years, the minor niggles with the house became major ones after being at home so much. Love our new bigger house.

On the negative side I'm less sociable, don't really like leaving the house for too long and I've lost my best friend to Qanonsense. She's spouting all this lunacy. I love her like a sister but don't want to spend any time with her anymore.

I've completely lost faith in science, the media, the government and the judiciary.

Science was policitized during the pandemic and so I no longer trust that it is impartial and objective.

The media lied, government abused their power and the judiciary stood idly by.

Like others have said, I've lost all faith in medical institutions and office holders like the CMOs and the WHO. The media too. I trust none of them them now, especially after the summer where we were told it was fine to go in demos despite the spectre of covid looming over us. People having outdoor coffees together being told they are killing people. The whole thing. Utterly disgusting behaviour on behalf of the police too. Not all, obviously. Not being able to worship in temple / church / mosque etc, yet able to go to the shops. Euff.