To miss the first lockdown?

[TidyOchreReader]

I know it was a tough time for many but I genuinely loved that first lockdown. I think about it all the time. There was something strangely blissful about slowing down, having fewer obligations and just focusing on connecting with people - even though we couldn’t physically see them. And when you did see someone, the gratitude was immense. AIBU to feel nostalgic for that time?

I had a great time during lockdown I was the healthiest I have ever been physically, mentally and socially.

I was a key worker in a company that really looked after its staff so I had somewhere to go every day but they reduced our hours while giving us full pay.

I took up online exercise classes, couldn’t binge eat as it was not an essential shop, I saw my friends and family more through virtual activities and was able to study for some professional qualifications so I came out of COVID much better off than I went in.

I appreciate that this isn’t everyone’s experiences and I got very lucky that no one I know got seriously ill but everyone’s experiences were different. Lots of people benefited during COVID.

I always felt bad for the people expected to enforce mask rules. It was a rather substantial burden the state placed on often low paid workers in retail, transport and other such sectors.

@bert3400 How very fortunate that you had cash available with which to get the food: lots of people have now abandoned cash completely. Another side-effect of lockdowns is the acceleration of the cashless society; and power and internet outages throw the danger of such a society into very sharp focus. Lots of businesses would now be totally screwed by an “idyllic” power or internet outage, even one lasting only a day.

sorry to hear that, my dad had cancer during Covid too, a horrible time x

I remember in 2021 having a socially distanced dinner party on my front lawn...I was crapping it, as we had SEVEN people all sitting at least 3m apart from anyone not in their bubble...the rule was SIX. I was tempted to ask the single lady to sit on the other side of my fence, so as to not "be in my garden". I felt so guilty though.

As an introvert, the silence was bliss. I remember going for a walk down a road that is normally choked with traffic and actually hearing birdsong. It was so lovely to have a break for the endless noise and cars and people and house building. It was a reminder of how peaceful everywhere must have been 100 years ago, before the world’s population spiralled out of control.

I don't think trying to rewrite history, and trying to deny half a story is ever useful.

Everybody had different lockdowns, even negative or positive, there are naturally different degrees of anything.

It's also very easy to criticise the decisions of the time. It was obvious then that whichever choice was made, it would be criticised anyway. Insight is a wonderful thing.

Whatever your lockdown was, people have a right to tell their story.

Try 35 years ago on a Sunday afternoon. That's what it was like where I lived, and I live in a hugely populated large city. It reminded me of being a child, only with the crippling anxiety that any one of us could die at any point and that life would not be the same again for years, if indeed ever.

I miss my life before Covid. The pandemic wrecked my finances and my quality of life. Knowing what I now know, I would never have stayed in and I would never accept another lockdown.

During lockdown I had a toddler, a young primary school aged child who needed home schooling, a stressful full time job, my parents had to fully isolate so I was responsible for all of their shopping etc, plus had to take on caring for my grandad as my mum usually did so. My grandad in the end died alone of COVID in hospital. Despite this, I have some really fond memories of the first lockdown. When I shut my door at night and it was just me and my wee family, it was bliss. It was horrendous in a way, but I do miss some of it!

Just a big fat nope will suffice here.

AIBU to feel nostalgic for that time?

In a weird sort of way I understand what you mean, but I think YABU.

Instead of looking back, look forward to how you might reclaim some of that. Personally, I hated the way I couldn’t connect with those I loved.

It was difficult and scary but the alternative would have been worse. I felt relatively safe since DH moved to WFH and my self employed work was impossible to continue. DH and I found it OK but we're introverts. My teen DS found it a bit difficult, but they seem fine now.

Lockdown was awful , it affected so many :( my nan had to die probably scared and confused in hospital because we wernt allowed to go and see her . Infact we wernt allowed to see her for 5 weeks before she died. She had dementia and did not understand the lockdown. She probably thought her loving family had abandoned her and didnt care anymore
A kind nurse took the time to hold her hand as she passed so she wasnt totally alone
We then couldnt have the funeral she deserved. Only 10 people allowed,no cars, no singing,no flowers, everyone distanced,no hugging no wake
Then i find out boris and hos cronies were socialising and drinking at the time my nan was kept from.her family
It is disgusting how we were treated and lied to .i miss my nan she didnt deserve to go like that

YABVU. It was dire and it should never have been implemented. If there is ever another pandemic, there won't be a lockdown. I don't think people will stand it.

In some ways there were positives on an individual basis in the sense we’ll never get a chance to spend that sort of family time together again.
But in work terms there were parts of it where I’ve never been under more pressure and I wouldn’t go through that again.

I don't know. Before the first lockdown, people were saying it would never happen here, and schools would NEVER close. They would never accept the restrictions. Look how that worked out. People talk a lot but don't do much.

For those who lost income and had to home school young children whilst trying to work- no, I bet they not miss it.

It was awful. I had to close my business, DH was posted away for months to set up nightingale hospitals, leaving me homeschooling two teenagers - one unsure whether GCSEs would happen or not and separated their friends, activities and everything they had planned. I spent the mornings homeschooling GCSEs and the afternoons and evenings working for NHS England speaking to people who didn’t want to speak to me. Worst year ever.

The experiences of the last lockdown, the bill and Partygate are why we're not doing one again, not for a good long while at least.

Believe me, people won't take it a second time. The government won't even try to impose it, unless a very large amount of time has passed. It was an utter nonsense and by the end of the second one, I don't know anyone who was even following any of the rules anyway.

No it was awful. I’m thankful that I had job which required me to be there so my life didn’t change a lot. What really irritated me was everything else - social distancing, useless face masks and more litter created by discarded masks.

You 'miss' the biggest affront to civil liberties in our history which resulted in lasting damage to a generation of children? Bloody hell OP.

OMG this. The affront to our civil liberties was immense.