How long do you think we can tolerate this lockdown?

[TeethingAgain]

I know it's necessary and for thy e greater good, but how long do you think society will tolerate it before (more) people start flouting the rules? Are there psychologists who the government are consulting about how long humans can be expected to live like this? I know people say we are just being asked to sit on our sofas but that's a very simplistic way of looking at a gargantuan change in lifestyle and social habits which are engrained within us.

I think people could manage 8-12 weeks and I think the toll on mental health will start to outweigh the physical health benefits.

It's essential and I am glad we can protect ourselves.....but it's a really difficult situation.

Today things have felt harder. The more days my kids are home with no end in sight the guiltier I feel. I feel guilty because they are 2 and 5. Not old enough to understand why things have changed so much! Everytime my daughter asks to do a simple thing like go to the park I feel like a bully for saying no. I'm scared in her eyes she is thinking mummy won't let us do anything. I'm scared she's missing her school and friends. I'm scared she's wondering why I'm not letting her live her life. I'm worried so much about the damage this will do to her. Ofcourse she's loved, happy and safe at home. But she's going to eventually want to leave this house and be normal. After a few months of saying no to everything how will she feel? Will she loose confidence. Will she have anxiety? Will she be unhealthy from the lack of excercise? Will she have forgotten how to be at school without me. Will she get clingy? Will she feel the world's no longer safe? She's already paranoid about germs. The schools had them scrubbing their hands until they were red raw.

I don't want this to last more than 6-8 weeks. I hope in 3-6 weeks we can at least go out to parks and visit family and friends if we have no symptoms.

I also think we will see alot of suicide, anxiety and depression. Awful,!

I think it's times like this you can tell who smokes weed and who doesn't. To think all this is some sort of conspiracy is ludicrous, and I cringe every time I hear someone suggests it.

@roov I’ve pmd you.

I will stay home as long as I am told to . . . If it makes a difference to one life it is worth it

I just find this attitude bizarre. We could spend all our money donating mosquito nets or HIV meds to African countries and save thousands of lives but we don't. But we're happy to live under constant house arrest to make a difference to one life at risk from coronavirus? Why is life so cheap in some places and so valuable in others?

I can do it for as long as it is saving lives.

I’m sort of ‘in the middle’ I suppose

I live alone, have underlying health conditions and am terrified of getting it & dying alone. I wish ‘being bored’ was my only concern.

I don’t have a garden & I live in a small flat. I could live with how things are now for quite some time, but if people can’t be sensible and the GOVT is forced to put a hardcore ‘NO leaving your home’ rule in place, I will struggle because it makes my heart race just thinking about it and I already have high blood pressure. I’m fine ‘choosing not to go out’, but being told I can’t at all would put my health in danger.

I guess feeling pretty sure you’d die if you got it, makes ‘please stay home’ seem perfectly reasonable.

If ‘being bored’ is your only issue,try to appreciate your position.

@HuloBeraal. I’m so sorry about your friends Dad. 🌷.

...you must be very young, to think 65 is old!!

I could happily live like this for another 4 - 6 months. I am quite enjoying it really

@definitelygc exactly.

In India, Lockdown could cost more lives than it saves.

We coped by driving to the hills and climbing them, or by driving to the seaside

You can still do these. If you need to do it for your wellbeing, then go ahead.

I'm wondering whether this has made some people reflect on their luck. Many people have suffered illness or injury that has meant they become jobless, housebound etc virtually overnight with no end in sight.

People's attitude to this is often informed by how much their life has been impacted.

I'm one of the (very) lucky people whose family income is entirely unaffected. What was a fairly frenetic 2-income family lifestyle (commute, kids, all that chaos), has actually become incredibly simple.

No commute (I now work from home). No endless school laundry. All the kids clubs are cancelled. Whilst I miss seeing my family / friends and the freedom to go places, I also see the upside of this less complicated life.

But mostly I feel genuinely lucky and grateful, because I know many people are totally struggling due to this. So whilst the lockdown has had unintended upside for me, I want it to end as quickly as possible because I see the havoc it is causing to many good people's lives.

I am in a vulnerable group but I’m fucked if I am doing more than 4 weeks. Especially when the science behind it is so weak.

I think the “I’ll do it for as long as it takes for people to stop dying” attitude is really interesting. What restrictions would those of us who are comfortably off have accepted previously to this to stop, say, people dying of poverty?

Anyway, so much of this depends on your circumstances. If on my own I would “enjoy” lockdown in terms of occupying myself as I have lots of hobbies that I can do at home that I barely have time for now, if I didn’t have a toddler to entertain. I am fortunate not to have money worries but for anyone who has lost their job any “sitting on the sofa” time must involve worrying about how to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. I heard three family rows going on inside houses that I passed as I went for my daily walk yesterday. The roads were quiet but things felt very tense.

I am about to give birth when the NHS is under the greatest strain ever and services are being ever restricted - who knows where I will be permitted to give birth, with whom, and with what facilities available. Many on MN will tell me I shouldn't be so feeble and should be grateful for whatever is on offer but to me it just feels scary and out of control not knowing from day to day what to expect.

It’s honestly not bothered me so far although I have been WFH so far (furloughed from tomorrow).

I’m an introvert, my home desk setup is actually better than what’s provided at work, I can cook healthy meals, have time to exercise and clean the house, no need to spend ages sorting hair and make up. DH has found time to start his long list of DIY jobs.

I fully appreciate why others might be struggling and it’s been annoying fighting with the panic buyers to get shopping but really it wouldn’t bother me if it went on for a few months.

What does bother me is thinking of the amazing key workers that are on the front line risking their own lives. Full of admiration and appreciation for you all.

I will tolerate it for two more weeks,no longer,I have already done two weeks.

Not been in any shops at all and finding it OK but only for now,but I am someone who cannot understand the present way of lockdown at all.

Some people can work ,some can’t.Some get paid some don’t.

Furious that Cheltenham was allowed to go ahead,there were loads of Coronavirus infections from it..

So two more weeks for me.

I'd be coping a lot better if I wasn't in a situation where I have a small start up business where all future work has been cancelled, yet I've fallen through all the cracks of government support - I'm not eligible for a penny.

Thankfully I've been able to pivot my business from selling my wares at events to selling via local delivery (and being at this stage of the business, the CEO is also the delivery driver...), but it remains to be seen how well that goes. My business is highly seasonal, and I need to make a year's income during the summer months if I'm to survive the winter; right now I don't know if that's possible.

I'm bitter that all my carefully laid out plans for the business have been obliterated in the space of a week, and there's no help on offer at all. I can't even get UC because I've been scrimping and saving for years, so now I have over £16k of savings, whereas if I was a spendthrift I'd at least get that.

It feels like the newly self employed have been left to fend for themselves. I've absolutely no option but to continue working as best I can, and hope I don't catch coronavirus. If you give people the choice between near-certain homelessness (even if that is in three months) or a tiny chance of death, they'll probably pick the latter. My fear of being unable to keep a roof over my head outweighs the fear of death.

The stories of little hitlers and curtain twitchers who seem keen to create their own version of the Stasi do make my blood boil though. I can't stand people who are petty enough to start reporting others to the police for things like going out for two runs in a day.

I can already feel myself starting to rebel a tiny bit. I had a friend over for a cup of tea, and we sat 2m from each other in the garden and nattered. I went to Tesco not because I really needed anything, but to see if there was anything in the reduced section actually that was also because I'm skint. I took DDog out on the delivery rounds and took him to a park that was on the way but isn't the closest one to home.

I predict that the death toll due to suicide and austerity will be, ultimately, higher than the death toll from the virus if this goes on too long.

FFS. You do it because you need to. You stay at home because if you don't you risk either catching this dreadful disease or passing it on to your loved ones who may die. Is that what you want?
The more people who are admitted to hospital, the more the NHS and the heroic front line staff will be overwhelmed and at risk on contracting it themselves and then there will be nobody left to look after you.

Hmmm.

Hand on heart I'm not sure how long I'll be able to cope with this.

Two kids 5 & 9 who need to be homeschooled.

I've always worked from home, self-employed so if I don't work I don't eat. There is work to be done but sales are dropping and I'm struggling to find the time and the motivation.

We live in a small flat with no garden.

I'm a single parent although had a long term partner of 4 years who I've just split up with because he wouldn't move in for lockdown. Not the only issue but the final nail in the coffin.

I just feel really lost. I'm very close with my mum, auntie, sister, and grandma. I don't really have friends and they're my support network. I'm used to seeing them multiple times a week including every Saturday morning for coffee and missing them.

I've also realised I think I have some "issues" leftover from when I had my youngest. I was hospitalised for over a month and because I was in the maternity ward I wasn't allowed to leave (even to go down to the costa for coffee or the shop). That took a HUGE toll on my mental health. It feels like the walls are closing in and you aren't actually living, merely just existing.

That feeling has started to return more and more (it's been 3 weeks for me). If we get to the end of this stint and Boris announces another 3 I don't know what I'll do.

We will have to accept it. We have no other option. So there isn't much point rueing it or kicking against it. Acceptance is key and living in the here and now and appreciating simple pleasures. Watch the birds, the trees, the weather. Take exercise - whilst we still can. Find yoga, pilates or meditation on youtube.

And yes we all dislike it. But we have to dig into our reserves of patience and calm. Bemoaning it won't make us happier so we have to take care of our own wellbeing. And work on it.

If you give people the choice between near-certain homelessness (even if that is in three months) or a tiny chance of death, they'll probably pick the latter. My fear of being unable to keep a roof over my head outweighs the fear of death.

Avocado you pretty much summed it up for me.

We don't even know the statistics surrounding the death rate.

1/100? I'd probably go homeless, because I have children.

1/1000 tempting.

I agree with @Michelleoftheresistance. For many of us this has been our reality for a long time, maybe years, maybe decades, maybe intermittently like me. Before this started I'd been out about twice since December due to illness. It's really hard to take people talking about how bored they are and how we as humans have to go out and socialise etc or it will ruin our mental health, when for many disabled and chronically ill people we have no choice but to live that way and thus have to build resilience.

I have much sympathy though for those struggling with young children in a flat or worrying about money. I too have lost my income for the time being even though I WFH as my industry is hard hit. I also worry a lot about those with existing MH issues and those stuck somewhere with an abusive person.

But there is just no other way.

I'm struggling because I'm shielded even within my family but I do try to find the positive in the days. Probably easier for me as I'm used to weeks and months on end locked down like this. I'm so grateful for technology and the ability to connect with others. If this had been 20 years ago I can't imagine what it would have been like.

“ If you give people the choice between near-certain homelessness (even if that is in three months) or a tiny chance of death, they'll probably pick the latter. My fear of being unable to keep a roof over my head outweighs the fear of death.”

Absolutely agree with this. No amount of “simple pleasures” or “appreciating the birds and the trees” will stop people feeling sick to death with worrying about how to feed their children when there is no money coming into the household, and it is really insulting to imply that they should try

@IvinghoeBeacon

I think the “I’ll do it for as long as it takes for people to stop dying” attitude is really interesting

It is really interesting, worthy of a while thread on its own. As I said upthread it’s impossible as well, some people will die from this virus whatever we do, just as they die from other things they catch. Should we be on constant lockdown for fear someone will die of flu, which many do every year? Those dying from CV in this country aren’t doing so because of some lack of care.

If we follow Germany and start issuing certificates of immunity for those who test positive on the antibody test once its available here (i.e. have already had it) I hope to catch it on the first relaxation of the lockdown. I'll then self-isolate, get tested and certificated and be able to get back to normal life, including seeing my parents, again. Realistically I can manage about 3-4 weeks of this.

I think the government is likely to ease restrictions and then reapply them a few times over the next few months to allow as steady a flow as possible of infections to build immunity in the general population whilst attempting to keep the likely numbers of people needing hospitalisation within the NHS's capacity to cope.

That is assuming continued consent by the general public which may break down if the power-crazed over-zealous example set by some police (looking at you Derbyshire and Warrington) is repeated by other forces.

@Fev11 if that happens I can honestly see "coronavirus parties" becoming a thing.

If that meant you got your freedoms back, could earn a living again, send your kids to school and go back to a normal life... I'm sure there would be a percentage who'd take their chances - especially those who aren't in a high risk category anyway.