Is anyone else still living in strict lockdown?

[laura081008]

Just that really.

Since March I’ve lived in lockdown.

My baby was born in lockdown and we haven’t seen anyone.

Even now the restrictions are relaxing, I don’t want to leave the house.

I’ve had friends asking me to go for a socially distanced walk, I don’t want to go.
Our parents have asked if they can come to our garden, or we go to theirs. I’ve said no.

I suffer terribly with anxiety and ocd and I just cannot face the world again after living in fear :(

It’s just too hard for me.

I can’t imagine going out to a clothes shop / supermarket and feeling comfortable.

My OCD means I doubt myself a lot and I know I would worry that I’d touched something, or forgotten to wash my hands.
It’s just not worth my mental health and the worries it would cause me by getting back into the “real” world, especially since it’s so far away from what I will remember before DS was born.

I feel like my life now will be confined to my living room and garden.

I’m being supported with my mental health but I really don’t think it will ever truly help, as my worries are the virus and until that goes away I will never want to leave my house.

I’m absolutely petrified of catching it and leaving my baby 😔

When will it ever go away.

How does everyone else feel?

I’m not ignoring posts which tell me to speak to my GP. I HAVE spoken to my GP and HV.
I am having therapy every week. I’ve stated this on a previous reply.

It’s so hard having OCD & Anxiety.

Everyone I know is worried about this situation, and I question everyday if my responses and worry is normal” or if they are infact anxiety driven.

I’m so scared. I’m missing my mum so much but I’m too frightened to even sit in her garden.

I have a small baby and if myself and my husband were to get sick at the same time and be in hospital, I worry what would happen with the baby. 😞

We go for daily walks, we’ve just come back from one now.
But I will spend the next few hours worrying I’ve touched something. Even though the only thing I touched were my little door handle, gate and pram.
I used alchol gel on our walk and washed my hands when we got back, but I still worry so you see, it’s easier to stay in!!!! 😞

Probability more than most - definitely less than some!

I am a keyworker and do some WFH mixed with some working on site due to nature of the role.

I only did supermarket shop for us and shielding parents during height of lockdown (but loathe to say full!).

Also during this time walked daily solely around the local area but I'm lucky to have miles and miles of farmland on the doorstep.

Since lockdown released a bit I've driven 5miles to beach for walks (not spent day on it etc) a few times. I've been to 2 DIY stores. I've also visited a country park locally - again just walked.

I didn't ever have a sneaky socially distanced garden visit etc and still haven't since lockdown ended had one.

But I am a LP with a disabled child and am looking forward to meeting with my friend in same situation in our formed bubble on Saturday.

The number of infections and deaths continues to fall slowly but steadily. Everything is going to be fine.

DH and I are still practicing stringent social distancing. I have asthma too, but moderate rather than mild and at one point I was only one preventer puff a day from the shielding list. I was very ill in November from a chest infection which made my asthma worsen so we're not taking any chances.

We have been at home since 16 March and have done one walk a week. All food and prescriptions have been delivered. I have other disabilities so am used to keeping full cupboards ready for flare ups when I can't get to the shops so we've been fine when we've had 3 week gaps between deliveries.

My parents live 3.5 hours away by car, DH's 4.5 hours by car and his Mum is shielding due to chemo. I haven't seen my family since early Feb and DH his since Christmas Eve. Fortunately as we live far away from them we're used to not seeing them much, but MIL and my Mam were both diagnosed with cancer during lockdown so it's a shame we've not been able to visit.

Although only a small number of asthma patients have severe enough asthma to shield (clinically extremely vulnerable), anyone with asthma who is entitled to a free flu jab, which is most asthmatics, are clinically high risk and should be practicing stringent social distancing.

Apart from one 'exceptional' digression when PILs stayed over mid long-distance house move (logistically impossible for them to not), we've only been out for walks and the odd shop errand (ordering vast majority online). I'm nervous about going to garden centres even (as well as not liking idea of queuing for ages).

@CaffiSaliMali

Although only a small number of asthma patients have severe enough asthma to shield (clinically extremely vulnerable), anyone with asthma who is entitled to a free flu jab, which is most asthmatics, are clinically high risk and should be practicing stringent social distancing.

This is what I also thought. But I’ve heard so many mixed reviews.

[quote laura081008]@CaffiSaliMali

Although only a small number of asthma patients have severe enough asthma to shield (clinically extremely vulnerable), anyone with asthma who is entitled to a free flu jab, which is most asthmatics, are clinically high risk and should be practicing stringent social distancing.

This is what I also thought. But I’ve heard so many mixed reviews.[/quote]
That’s what I thought too OP. You’re going out for walks, so I think what you’re doing is perfectly sensible.

@laura081008 - Imagine the worst case that on your walk you had touched a gate that had a trace of covid on - as soon as you got home you washed your hands thoroughly. Therefore the trace of covid has been washed away and it no longer matters that you touched the gate. The only danger would have been if you touched the gate with your bare hand and then touched your eyes, nose or mouth before getting back and washing hands. If this doesn't reassure you maybe you could wear gloves on a walk and take them off and keep them in a bag in your porch..then you would know your hands had not touched anything.

How do you think that you could catch covid in your Mum's garden sitting two metres away from her? All the evidence suggests it is very hard to catch it outside.

OP I totally understand how you feel. I also have anxiety and OCD. I don’t have the added worry of a young baby as well though.

I have been to my parents garden about 6 times recently, I would say that you definitely need to go. You will feel so so much better for visiting loved ones and having some normality. Sit far apart, sit 4 or 5 metres so you know in your head that you have no risk. Stay for only half an hour or an hour the first time and build it up next time.
By going to see them you will break the long stretch of seeing noone and feeling terrified. I didn’t leave the house for a month and by the end of that month my mental health was really suffering. You have to force yourself to do this, like exercise, the thought of doing it is exhausting but when you do it, you will feel better. Good luck OP XXX

My industry has shut down completely, and all my friends live at least a couple of trains away. Apart from stupid stuff like being allowed to go to Primark (which I don’t do anyway) I don’t see how lockdown will be changing for me anytime in the future anyway.

I still am, not been out beyond my driveway since mid March (mild asthma too). The DCs have gone out for bike rides & walks with their dad. Tbh I'm a bit of a hermit anyway and it's actually been nice to have our own family time. I am thinking of starting to do walks in the park very early in the morning when the weather picks up, purely for exercise.

The only thing I am really missing is swimming. Would be wonderful to swim in an open air pool

orangeblossom
I second that! Miss it so so much and travel...

The mental impact this is having on people with be more deadly than the virus itself.

Humans are social creatures we need physical touch and social interaction with people. Take that away....

This might be of interest here committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/408/default/

@laura081008 I'm staying at home too.

I don't fall into one of the shielding groups either, but I also have some risk factors, and I've decided it's not worth it for me.

I'm lucky enough to be able to work from home, get groceries delivered and be able to video call my friends and family on a regular basis.

I'm acutely aware that I'm developing a phobia of going outdoors, but it's not negatively impacting on my life that much right now (I'm a natural introvert, so enjoy my own company).

I'm hoping a vaccine will be developed before I have to confront my fear of not staying at home.

My FIL has been shielding since the start of March. He has been going for a 20 minute walk each morning at 6am but has otherwise stayed in his house. All his shopping, collecting of prescriptions and other errands have been done by my husband.

He is terrified of leaving the house.

I don’t see how things are ever going to change for him because the longer he shuts himself away his fear will just increase.

It’s a real shame for a lot of people.

I’m sorry you are having to experience this OP - I have some experience of anxiety and I know how consuming and intrusive some thoughts and fears can be