Does anyone else feel stressed at how busy/overcrowded everything is all the time?

[Walkyrie]

Just that really. Supermarkets, the roads, even what used to be fairly quiet dog walks. Pavements, beaches, bus stops, it just feels like everything is really busy and there are very few places you can go outside your home, even at off peak hours, that are peaceful and quiet. Even then our house is very overlooked with constant traffic and mopeds outside.

I totally appreciate I am also a person and therefore contributing to this by the way! It just feels like everything is so hectic. I’m having a tough time at the moment and just went out to what used to be a fairly quiet dog walking route, hoping for a bit of quiet, but nope - people everywhere. Just constant mental noise.

Well clearly most people agree with you!!! I feel very bad for people who have to live in towns and cities. I went to London recently, I lived there 15 years ago my god has it changed.

I can’t bear it. People everywhere. There’s just too many of us in this small country!

I live in an area popular with walkers and people come here on holiday. Mainly day trippers. Can’t get out my road on sunny days at times. If I want to go for a quiet walk I have to go out of the main area. Town is rammed.

I was recently in Ireland and their population is so much lower and it was bliss. Considering a move!

I’ve moved here from England I often think Scot’s have no idea how busy some parts of England have become. Everyone I know who regularly drives up and down the M6 comments on how much the traffic significantly drops back after Blackpool (going north obviously). I regularly drive from one end of Scotland to the other through the busiest bit of the central belt and yes the traffic can be difficult but as a once regular drives round the M25 any difficulties fade into insignificance in comparison.
My purely anecdotal view is that full time working from home is on the decline from its peak in 2020 I suspect this will impact on your area in the medium/long term. And we cannot deny that Scotland needs more people of working age. Where I live we have a exceedingly high number of people of retirement age lack of well paid permanent jobs or even fairly well paid means young people are forced to leave the region many go over the boarder or into the central belt.

As a country we are in urgently we by need of people of working age to pay taxes and of course work in health and social care to prop up our ever aging and inevitability expensive population (I’m not being ageist about this as someone working full time but in my 60’s In aware that I too will soon fall into this category).

Yes I was on holiday in Ireland recently and found it a dream to drive around. The roads were not full of potholes either. Went to a few seaside towns and it was noticeable that there was always parking available.

This is my thread. I cannot stand the crowds, all the people, too busy, roads super busy and everywhere is rammed. I am south UK.

I go to the supermarket at 6-7am or very late at night- if I have to go that is, as I get a home delivery. Likewise petrol, I only go 7am or very late at night. I go no where on a bank holiday as all the pub gardens/beaches/parks are rammed. Queuing for everything. On a sunny weekend the supermarkets have been stripped by 10am of anything BBQ related.

There is no defined rush hour anymore, the roads are constantly too busy. It once took me an hour to drive to the next town in the middle of a working week day. It's 7 miles away. Traffic, road works, temporary traffic lights.

I mostly stay at home nowadays and spend my time going abroad for long weekends when I can. Even then, the crowds through the airport are horrific .. regardless of the time of day,

@Numpty908

i feel exactly the same. I’m waiting for my husband to retire so we can move somewhere quieter in England if there is such place any more. I also have home delivery as supermarket car parks are a nightmare. I only go in a supermarket if I just need a few things so I walk.

And that’s why I live in London, it’s much quieter. The problem is cars, not people. Traffic is horrendous up and down the UK but public transport is quiet, bearable and easy.

My sister came to stay at the weekend and asked why we didn’t drive to the big posher shopping centre (Bluewater) and I said because traffic is horrible and queuing to get out the center itself can take an hour. Instead we sat on a bus for 30 minutes in the peace and quiet and got out at an almost empty Monday shopping center (Westfield).

perfect