To find the early COVID era nostalgic?

[Acco]

I’m mostly talking about the pre-lockdown and lockdown 1 era mostly but just 2020 in general to a lesser extent (but not 2021, I still hate it and it doesn’t seem that long ago). I haven’t thought about COVID for ages but I was taking about the toilet roll hysteria with my in laws tonight and then I saw a TikTok throwback to all the 2020 trends and sounds and it gave me a warm feeling inside. It’s an era I’d never want back but I remember the lovely sunny days in the garden in April and May 2020.
Anybody else feel this?

I don't think generalisations about who had it easier are helpful.

There were furloughed people who could barely pay bills on 80% of their normal wage, or who struggled desperately with the loss of routine and socialisation and would've gladly done their jobs outside the home if permitted. There were people who had no choice but to work, who were terrified and would've gladly taken a 20% pay cut to stay at home if the option had been open to them. Many different types of difficult circumstances.

I don't think it's that the people who had a shit experience wish everyone had.

More that the people who suffered the loss of friends and family, or risked their health working on the front line, really don't need their noses rubbed in in by the people who had a jolly old time in their sunny back gardens, while being paid to do so by our taxes.

It adds insult to injury really.

Fifty thousand people died of/with covid in the first lockdown. A few thousand cases? Educate yourself!
I very clearly remember the day the death toll announcement went over a thousand as I say at my makeshift desk, alone in my flat where I had been alone for weeks, and sobbed so much my face hurt. Like many others on this thread my mental health tanked during that time. I stated to get panic attacks again for the first time in years. They haven't gone yet. The only reason I didn't start self harming was because I started binge eating instead. I didn't have a lovely time in the sunshine, I worked throughout, juggling covid rules in three different countries to deliver a project, knowing we had to make it work because almost everyone else in my industry was out of work and receiving no government help.
This is one of the most revolting threads I've read on here. Really nasty stuff. You want to enjoy your garden and not seeing family for a bit, fine, just own your choices and do that. But to talk about feeling nostalgic for a time that both took and destroyed so many thousands of lives is pretty much peak check your fucking privilege.

Op, can you tell me why you haven’t asked for this thread to be removed?

Nope, I had a baby and a pre-schooler, both us parents working full time (no furlough for us) and literally had a mental breakdown. But I know lots people who got to sit in their garden, do jigsaws and bake all on full pay and just chill. Think it depended on the hand you got.

This. While all the furloughs were sunning themselves in the garden I was working twice as hard for no more money. Still boils my piss.

I had no work as my sector was largely shut down, no income/furlough because I'm self employed and freelance, and expensive London rent to pay by myself to avoid being homeless which cost me virtually all my savings I'd worked for years to put away.

I sat alone in my flat with nothing to do for months bar occasionally go for a walk or out to buy some food and at one point didn't have a conversation with another person at all for almost six weeks, eventually ending up back on antidepressants.

But I'm glad you enjoyed it.

You want to enjoy your garden and not seeing family for a bit, fine, just own your choices and do that. But to talk about feeling nostalgic for a time that both took and destroyed so many thousands of lives is pretty much peak check your fucking privilege.

Absolutely agree!

What else were we supposed to do? We couldn't work, there was no-where to go/nothing to do?

I get what you mean but also realise its on a purely selfish level that I have nostalgia for it. I had a way better work life balance with wfh and it definitely made me more conscious of building a healthy routine for myself to promote my mental health outside of work. I'd say I personally have found a better life balance because of it. But equally I was very very stressed and anxious about my elderly parents and it was horrible watching other people's mental health suffer and the impact on the NHS was (and continues to be) genuinely terrifying. I don't think I had a full appreciation for how much I relied on it as a safety net if something happened and I became sick or had an accident and feeling like it wasn't really there due to demand was really worrying. So I'll take my learning from it but wouldn't want to go back.

Is it the lockdown you're angry about, or do you think that was ok but it should've happened without furlough?

I think it's the title of your thread that it is totally tone deaf OP.

Despite the horrors of Covid time I recognise that some people did enjoy being at home with their families. However to ask if you are BU to find the that time nostalgic was absolutely asking for the responses you have had from those who would rather forget it.

Emotive subject because it was so stressful, lonely horrific for so many but for us it was a healing time.

I absolutely loved being at home and dd was massively struggling at school emotionally as well as with the work and it was a godsend for her.older dd definitely suffered more but it kept in laws from our door and I enjoyed that time.

There were obviously lots of aspects I hated but we also got some wondeful things as a family and a break from the in laws.

for those of you saying funeral directors said they’ve had hundred or thousands (I can’t remember which) of extra deaths have you looked at the CSO rates? Here in Ireland the death rate was less in 2020 than the previous five years. Deaths rates shot up in 2021/2022. Makes you wonder.

Highly insensitive post. I doubt the people who lost loved ones would agree, or the carers who were thrown to the lions.

Do you also find the effects of Covid lockdowns nostalgic? You know like the destruction of children’s education and life chances, the rampant inflation, government corruption, unprecedented government debt and sky high taxation.

People are truly batshit.

I was fortunate enough to be on maternity leave, have a husband who could work from home, not have school age children, and have a nice house with a garden. So I did have a good experience of the first lockdown. But knowing what we know now about how much a lot of the population suffered during that time, I think it’s really distasteful to feel nostalgic for it just because YOU had a good experience.

Blame your government for that, not covid.

We had lockdowns in my country and my kids education and life chances are just peachy, inflation is what it is, our government is good and we've just had more tax cuts.

Absolutely not. Ads a child protection Social worker I had a visceral panic attack at the thought of the children I supported being locked into their homes with the suspected perpetrators. Honestly I spent most of lockdown ill eith worry.

Absolutely not.

We'll all be paying for that period for decades in both financial and social ways.

YANBU. Lot of miserable souls here 😂

We loved it! Getting paid to stay off work, watch all the tv you want, read all the books you want, play all the games you want. Enjoy the sunshine.

Would do it again in a heartbeat.

Why are you laughing at people’s trauma?

You would do it again? It may happen again let’s hope none of your loved ones experience the devastating effects such as dying alone, mental health breakdowns, domestic abuse, suicides, loss of homes.

Not really no worked in a Covid unit and was left traumatised by people dying suddenly and not being allowed to let relatives in and worried about killing my own family so NO .

Yes, I'm a miserable soul. Having people dressed from head to foot in white one-pieces and masks coming to your house when your husband dies at home and preventing your neighbour from coming in to see you will do that to you.

Oh, how I laughed while I looked at the online catalogue of coffins and organised a funeral where a list of 20 attendants had to be submitted beforehand.

What?

It was horrific. People dying and alot of people being terrified.

I worked long hours throughout it all in very difficult circumstances and I still recognised that key workers had it so hard.

I didn't have long sunny days in the garden because my horrible ex neighbors were out there with loud music and a hot tub 10 hours a day. They would stop and then my other vile ex neighbor would start screaming off her face on coke from 3am. I hate both sides.

I had no downtime and survived on a few hours sleep a night.

I was worried sick about people and my anxiety was through the roof.

So no I'm not nostalgic. I'm still dealing with the trauma.