Aaargh! If I hear one more person bang on about how we all have more time now

[ITasteSpring]

You may mate, but I am working my normal hours, at home, and homeschooling young children - my son is too old to not need to bother with school work and too young/ struggling at school to to plonk in front of a computer and leave him to get on with it. Someone banging on about how they love how less frenetic life is, and what we are learning about slowing down and having time. AAAARGH. I have never been so effing busy. I am having to do my job over 7 days a week as i can't get all my normal hours in over five unrelentingness of it. I can't get out to my weekly classes to give me days. It's so much work! No weekend break! And the a break or even 'pop to the shops' which I used to do for a break too.

I get we are all different, but please radio 4, can we have some ';thoughts for the day' from people like me who are going a bit mental with non-stop work and stress. This is my thought 'AAAAaaargh!'

100% feel ya

It's bad enough seeing it all over the internet - if anyone says it to me in person, I won't be held responsible for my response!! And if I see 'All we need to do is stay inside and sit on the couch' one more time.....

Holy crap yes. At first I was trying to focus on the fact that with 2 full time jobs still paying us, and healthy DCs, we are among the lucky ones - but now it's really upsetting me, from 5.30am to 11 at night I'm doing childcare, housework or paid work, my kids are getting a bit feral and I don't dare ask to step back at work or take unpaid leave for fear that I'll be first to go when they inevitably have to make redundancies - DHs role is busier than ever so he has little flex.

Then you come on here and people are all talking about the slower pace of life, or disdainful about others trying to organise childcare (we aren't, btw, but i totally understand the temptation!). It's beyond stressful.

I’m with you. Work, childcare, no time away, house a mess, everything fraying into everything else, boundaries blurred between everything...it’s hugely stressful.

But I try to focus on being grateful for my family and my home and still having a job. Have to breathe and try to remind myself of those things. Because I’ll go mad otherwise!

Strength to you and everyone else in our position

Yes! working from home plus home school plus toddler plus all the meals with no easy way to get food in. Dp still leaves the house to work. He has managed to move a couple of shifts to go in later. I am starting as early alas possible to get work done before the kids wake up, but the little sod's seem to have tugged this as they are waking up much earlier than usual and not at an age where they can fend for themselves. No exercise as every time I stand up the toddler clings on to my leg and won't let go.

Oh relax. Go and do some baking or make a den with your kids.

Totally agree with you OP.

DH and I are tag-teaming to look after our high needs 3 year old with complex SEN and working from home. We are on the go all day, and I am often working in the evenings too.

It feels like there is no time to breathe between work, childcare and the most basic level of chores to keep us fed and clothed.

DH is suffering in particular from the lack of downtime / headspace but I am too

We are also shielding as the 3 year old has underlying health conditions so we have to keep him home for 12 weeks!

The posts about loving the slower pace of life are making me vomit a bit in my mouth. I have never felt under more pressure

for all those who are struggling too

You mean you haven't even bothered to learn a new language yet!

It must be a complete nightmare. I'm still on mat leave so incredibly fortunate in this situation. You have all my sympathy, and every time I'm even tempted to think wistfully of the things I'd like to do with baby, I think of people in your situation and how completely draining it must be.

Yes I am frontline HC worker. DH has learning difficulty and whilst he can look after the children whilst I am at work he cannot help them with all their learning so on my days off I am also teaching which is more than just the average homework I normally have to organise. I also get less sleep when on nights due to the children being at home. I am exhausted.

Well its not a walk in the park 'relaxing' either, since I don't know if I'll have a job in 2 months.

Oh lord yes I'm with you. Two under 5 at home, working a 50-hour week, having to make lunches/tidy up/break up constant fights/respond to a million "mummyyyyyyy"s a day/rebuild broken Lego models/get the play dough out etc etc... and on top of it all DH is home without pay so is grumpy and stressed, and has decided to pretty much rebuild the house to give himself a sense of purpose, so I'm trying to do all the above in a building site with intermittent electricity and water, mountains of furniture and materials, and dust. I'll never ever take WOH for granted again.

I've been furloughed and have nothing BUT time and I'm still sick of hearing this. I had plenty of time before thanks, I don't need a lockdown to appreciate a "slower pace of life."

Who has more time? Unless they are a single person with no kids and not at work?

I dunno about you lot, but my kids are at home. Making a shit load of mess, fighting with each other, needing help with school work, using all the bandwidth so internet is sketchy when I try to use it..

I have way less time.

I don't even have children and I feel like this; I am busier at work then I've been in ages and as I'm at home I'm logging on at the crack of dawn to start work. The house is a tip with 2 of us home all day as well! As usual I've spent my Saturday so far cleaning and cooking so other than the fact I'm not going out, my pace of life is pretty much the same as usual. I'm really bloody grateful to have a job right now though so I'm not complaining!

Thanks to everyone for posting who is in the same situation. It helps to have that understanding.

And a big fuck off to the predictable tosser - you know who you are!

Ugh yes Thankyou! When I asked how everyone was doing on my uni friends group chat someone responded ‘I’m doing amazing- I have so much more time for me and my hobbies’... meanwhile I’m drowning in phonics and counting the minutes until bed gin time

Yep. As a keyworker I'm actually going to have to move in to one of services next week. Bad enough to have to do that but then to have everyone I know bang on about how great it is for them as a family etc etc...just feels a bit shit.

Well its not a walk in the park 'relaxing' either, since I don't know if I'll have a job in 2 months

Well nor me, and it's not a competition. I, like my colleagues, am working my arse off at home - trying to win new contracts so we all at our company still have a job.

I'm with you. It's driving me mad. I have an extremely clingy, teething 17 month old who wakes for the day at 5.30am and both myself and my DH are working from home and really busy. I have less time for myself than ever, and we're all stressed and cranky.

Yes I've cried a few times. I'm trying to do my key worker role from home with two preschoolers who are used to being out and about all day and are climbing the walls.

DH (another key worker) is working 14 hour days 7 days a week. We are both exhausted. The house is a shithole and I just feel scared and guilty and frustrated the whole time.

Awful.

I think I might be the predictable tosser!

I'm a single mum with 3 wee ones. I'd bludgeon myself to death but I can't be bothered.

I know I am lucky as dd is 14. Staying at home in her pjs, doing some school work, chatting to friends online and watching reruns of Star Trek - it’s a dream come true for her.
Very, very tough if you have young children.

🙄

And a big fuck off to the predictable tosser - you know who you are!
Or maybe it's me. Just trying to joke. Of course it's annoying. How can working from home whilst home educating give anyone more time? Obviously a joke.