Mental health

[Deblou43]

Is anyone mental health taking a severe dip during this ? I feel like I don't want to live like this I don't feel suicidal but I am not sure I will stAy sane if we have another year of social distancing and I know I will get worse . I am working from home , have 2 young children and my partner a key worker. I feel bad saying this as I have my health but I think the fear is worse than the virus

I know a lot of people (myself included) who are feeling exactly the same x

Yes, I have reached breaking point.

Luckily my GP was able to put some mental health support in place.

I think it is getting harder and harder for people as the weeks go on. The worry, lack of human contact and normal coping strategies is a toxic mix for mental health.

The one thing that is helping me is driving with loud music blaring and going to the beach (it's quiet and only 15 mins drive away but still against the rules in Scotland).

Same.

For the first several weeks I was up and down - feeling cautiously optimistic one day and very gloomy the next - but for the past several days I've been feeling very depressed. I just burst into tears all the time. The little things that used to give me pleasure - a nice cup of coffee, a hot shower, an ice cream - just don't anymore. I'm not motivated to exercise, do DIY or even read a book.

I just feel that all the joy has been sucked out of life. I had so many things to look forward to and now they're gone. Which wouldn't be so bad if it was only in the short term, but all this talk of the 'new normal' is really getting me down. I don't want to live in a world where people sit at home and 'interact' via Zoom. I dread the economic toll this crisis is going to have on shops, restaurants, hotels etc. I hate the thought that even when my swimming pool opens we'll have to rush in and out and no lingering in the jacuzzi. Sounds trivial but just one example of how so many of the joys in life are being destroyed.

Part of me is optimistic that we may already be coming to an end of this horrible time and that in a year we'll look back on this as though it were a nightmare. Just like our lives from just 3 months ago now seem like a dream. But it's hard to be optimistic when everywhere you're surrounded by gloom. Objectively I know I'm much better off than so many people, but frankly that doesn't really help on the mental health level.

Yes, back on ADs here to get me through. I know I am lucky compared to many as have a garden etc, but the lack of social interaction and going anywhere other than house, shop, mother’s house to care for her is really starting to have an impact on me. All trips, both work and family have been cancelled, my mother’s 85th birthday party cancelled, trip to visit seriously ill friend cancelled etc etc. Everyday just runs into the next one and the next one and the next one. I feel I’m going crazy

Yep. Nearly got sectioned a few weeks ago. Brought back all my ptsd symptoms, I'm now on hyper alert all the time. Can't sleep, don't want to eat, nothing to look forward to.

Honestly you're not the only one

It's just everything really. I was always an anxious person and prone to getting a bit down, but life kept me going, looking forward to things, routine, structure, human contact.

Now I'm at home all day on my own with my dc, I'm wfh and I'm worried about my job, I'm struggling to juggle everything. The dc are starting to get really fed up, it's a battle getting them to do school work.

You're not alone.

It is brutal ... I am fed up with the words "social distancing" and fear we have to do it forever which we won't .. even going to work and having to sit 2 metres apart from my colleagues /wearing a mask to go to the toilet I would rather not live like that !!! I am getting worse as time goes on 2

It's just everything really. I was always an anxious person and prone to getting a bit down, but life kept me going, looking forward to things, routine, structure, human contact.

Same.

I have a tendency towards anxiety and occasional melancholy but it's usually short-lived as normally there are distractions and things to look forward to in life. Not anymore. I also live alone and usually like that and wouldn't have it any other way, but that's balanced by contact with others, whether through work, friendships or even just casual interactions on the train or at the bus stop. Again, all gone, and who knows when or if it will be back?

My work is gone online so at least I'll be getting paid - and I know in that sense I'm much better off than so many - but I fear this could be a long-term thing and I would hate that. Sitting at home 'interacting' with people on a computer screen as a way of life? That sounds miserable to me.

Lockdown not an issue as I am agoraphobic anyway and hadn't left the house for years until being rushed to hospital a few weeks back.

My anxiety and depression have been bad for years and years but this is something else.

I hate the phrase new normal. It feels like we will be like this forever. I have lost weight over the last year but not on purpose, just because I don't eat much due to anxiety. Was weighed the other week in hospital and have dropped another half a stone since. So that's 4 and a half stone. Just don't know what to do.

Have been waiting weeks for mental health support.

Same here.
I have Borderline Personality Disorder, and my symptoms have been exaggerated immensely. My anxiety is bordering on delusional, and although i’m not scared of catching coronavirus, i’m scared i’ll get something else and not be able to get to the GP. I’m nervous all the time, jump from one mood to another constantly, and feel sick with sadness with there being nothing to look forward to. Our concert, for October, was just rescheduled for next October, so it really feels like all is gone. My sleep pattern has died a horrible death too; I either sleep too much or have no more than a few hours.

I appreciate im lucky - I have a wonderful DP in the RAF so no money nor job concerns, a terraced house with a tiny garden (but a garden no less) and i’m one year off finishing my degree. But I feel defeated lately. Flowers to you all

I have long term mental health issues, on a mix of SSRIs and venlafaxine since 1998. Currently on sertraline for the past 6 or so years. I’ve had various attempts at tapering off, but I always end up having to go back to the original daily dose (currently 150mg sertraline). I’ve tried CBT and other sorts of counselling, but none of it seemed to work. So I’m lucky as my illness is managed by medication, but it’s still there in the background and I’m susceptible to the odd bout of feeling down, uninterested, sad, worthless, etc.

I’m wfh and likely to be for a while yet - I also have a mild underlying physical condition and my employer has said that those in at risks groups will not go back to work initially. As I qualify for the flu vaccine, my employer has categorised me as being in an at risk group as qualifying for the flu vaccine is one of the criteria they’re using. So realistically I’m thinking it’ll be very late 2020 or even 2021 before I’m back.

Since lockdown started I’ve been having a daily walk of 1 to 2 hours most days. On the days that I don’t go out, I feel worse and feel like I’m starting to slip into a negative thought pattern if I let this go to 2/3 consecutive days. So I force myself to do it most of the time. I’ve also introduced an informal routine for Monday to Friday and am finding this helpful.

I know that my approach won’t be for everyone and that those with dependants may not have someone to look after them. But I’d urge folk who are able to exercise to try it. Brisk walking whilst listening to music and getting the heart going for an hour or so really helps. And I always feel better after I’ve returned home, even if I’m soaked to the skin.