Anyone else feeling really fed up?

[wobblywibble]

Before I start pleased don't reply with "but we've got to save lives" I get it but this isn't what this thread is about!

For the last week I've been feeling a deep sense of bleugh and couldn't put my finger on why. I've started running again in a bid to cheer myself up and healthy eating but nothing has helped. My husband and I have good jobs and touch wood, we're not at risk losing them thank goodness. DS is back at nursery and loving it. So all that combined I should be happy, but I'm really not.

I woke up today and really thought, what's the point? Whilst in a good job, it's pretty stressful and I'm at my desk from 8-5 with barely any breaks (I'm trying to stop that but hard when meetings are just shoved in the calendar). I'm used to travelling with work but won't be doing that again....great!

The weekends are a write off because everywhere you go there's a queue and even the joy of a trip to the supermarket has been taken away because of bloody face masks.

So what is the point? We're basically turning into some kind of socialist/communist society where we work but can do nothing else and are dictated to about what we can and can't do. This wasn't what I signed up for.

I thought the whole point of lockdown was to flatten a curve but now we seem obsessed with eradicating Covid, how bloody long will that take? Why can't we now just use common sense? If you want to shield and stay away because you're vulnerable then do so. But what about those of us that just want to get on with their life and take the risk?

Probably more a bit of a rant but feeling in a very dark place and can't see a way out of it.

If we continue like this then more and more people will lose their job. Who picks up the bill?
Is it acceptable for those who have worked and paid into a pension to be told they will lose out, I don't think it is. Is it acceptable for schools to keep going into lockdown and parents losing their jobs because employers cannot be that flexible. Would you be happy to be told, actually your doctors appointment is cancelled because the staff have to go to look after their children?
Or your dentist appointment is cancelled?
Are people really that forgiving?
And for what?
I think we will have to let people make their own decisions, isolate or take the risks. We cannot continue like this.

@emilybrontescorsett

I know but how long do you think this situation should go on for?

My personal view is it would be foolish to take risks before spring 2021 - my hope would be that it doesn't get worse over winter and we feel we've had a boring winter.

People who have money to spend should spend it in ways that don't create extra risk for themselves, everyone doesn't have to stop being economically active to avoid taking risks.

Unfortunately, for the first time since ww2, the UK is in a situation where 'how long do you think it should go on for' is the wrong question. The real question is 'how long will it go on for' and we are not in control of the answer. All I can do is do my bit to shorten it whilst also supporting the businesses I used to use before lockdown.

Lockdown has seen my ds lose his job. It's very well saying well get another job but where? Due to lockdown I have had to change work location which is having a negative impact on my finances. I'm sure I'm not alone.
Id be quite happy to go back to working where I used to work, I'm happy to take that risk. Other colleagues say The same and have clearly stated they Are not prepared to swallow The financial hit we are key workers so leaving our jobs would quite frankly be a fuck you to the general public who would suffer. The choice has been taken away from me.

Part of the problem is that some people have not stuck to the rules whilst those who have are getting fed up.
Like I said seeing fighting in a local pub doesn't help. No social distancing there.
It's the same old story. Put pressure on those who will comply whilst leave the rogues of society to do as they please.
Everyones experiences have been different.
I've worked my arse off during lockdown for no personal gain.
I'm entitled to start feeling pissed off.

@emilybrontescorsett I'm sorry your son lost his job. My DH has also lost all his income, for the foreseeable.

This situation has been really shocking and complex.

But what control do I have if a local outbreak means my doctor's appointment is cancelled? There's nothing I can do.

I'm frustrated, very very frustrated that the UK government has made a mess of handling it, but the only thing I feel I can do is not take unnecessary risks whilst still spending when I can.

@labrynthloafer - I disagree that it's judgemental. I was responding to the OP where she said that she feels no joy in life. Nothing to do and that life is dull. Quite understandable. But she isn't shielding, hasn't lost her income and has childcare during the week. I responded to that.
I've started ignoring the posts which are thinly veiled versions of 'why is the government ruining my life just to save some over 60 year olds?' We had so many of those posts. Let's make the best of our time this summer, longer days, transmission rates are lower, no travel restrictions.

[quote DianaT1969]@labrynthloafer - I disagree that it's judgemental. I was responding to the OP where she said that she feels no joy in life. Nothing to do and that life is dull. Quite understandable. But she isn't shielding, hasn't lost her income and has childcare during the week. I responded to that.
I've started ignoring the posts which are thinly veiled versions of 'why is the government ruining my life just to save some over 60 year olds?' We had so many of those posts. Let's make the best of our time this summer, longer days, transmission rates are lower, no travel restrictions.[/quote]
It is judgemental.

It is dull. This virus is shit and it is entirely normal for people to feel like it is shit.

Not everyone deals with things the same way, try to understand other people, rather than telling them they are responding incorrectly.

Feel exactly the same very flat, the thought of six weeks summer holidays with my dd when we can't do a lot makes me sad, I want to get the summer over and get into autumn.

The past few months have passed in a daze of existing instead of living. That really resonates. And it really sums up how bleak everything feels. My family are starting to do more again, but as DH lost his job we are being bound by both social restrictions and fear of when our savings will run out. “Existing” feels like the only thing on the cards for a while.
I hope your DH can find something soon @Alongcameacat... mine also spends all day every day hunting.

For me the problem is the where does it end. Even if a vaccine is developed in record time, the roll out of it will take time. The economy is fucked and we’re heading into the deepest recession in living memory. I miss leaving my house to go to work, not having to bloody queue for everything and having even a tiny bit of spontaneity.

I booked a couple of UK breaks to give us something to look forward to and that helped a little but I’m still feeling very trapped and negative.

I think it doesn’t help that I’ve got a small child and the focus nationally has been on things like pubs and theme parks which I couldn’t give a shit about, while I’m still walking past chained up playgrounds, closed soft play centres and none of the museums in the city are opening until September.

Husband came home from M&S yesterday frustrated by the large volume of elderly people without masks and not practising social distancing. The risk to he and I and our child is minuscule. The risk to them is far more significant. Why the fuck are we bothering?

I'm Christmas obsessed now because summer seems so blah right now.

It seems like we are chasing our tails with this thing !
I lost my job in travel and tourism, which I thought was understandable really , but now even the retail sector is in trouble. The shops are very quiet and now mask wearing is going to make people just not bother .
There are still some very naive people thinking this mask wearing will prevent a " second wave " ( I hate that phrase!)
No matter what we do there will be a resurgence in winter, that is why Australia has had an increased number of infections lately, because its winter .
I don't know what the answer is because I'm an unemployed travel agent , not a scientist, but I sometimes feel that if the government said stand on your head and sing the alphabet to prevent a " second wave " , there would be people doing it !

@SnuggyBuggy I am also already Christmas planning as it feels like that can be more normal, whereas for summer I can't do many of the things I normally would (we go into our local city by train a lot usually, but anyway the things we would do there are not open yet!)

I might buy a new tent for the back garden today, my DH said not to but I am so bored I think I will end up doing it compulsively! Big thrills!

@AccountAntsy outdoor play parks are allowed to open now. I fear for the long term outlook of soft play.

@Dontforgetyourbrolly
but I sometimes feel that if the government said stand on your head and sing the alphabet to prevent a "second wave" there would be people doing it!
😂 I agree!

It’s not so much this government saying things - they always say them too late in any case - it’s other governments around the world all saying them too. I trust a lot of them far more than ours, so am happy that we are doing what for them has been de facto for ages now (for example mask wearing, if it reduces the spread even a little surely it’s worth it).

Totally agree that it is illogical to allow so many people into pubs - don’t understand that.

@Babs709 I know they are, none of the ones in my council area have opened yet though. Likewise at all the country parks we visited this weekend. Same as the museums. They’re not prioritised so even though they officially can, they aren’t.

[quote AccountAntsy]@Babs709 I know they are, none of the ones in my council area have opened yet though. Likewise at all the country parks we visited this weekend. Same as the museums. They’re not prioritised so even though they officially can, they aren’t.[/quote]
Most of ours are not open yet, meaning what is open is more crowded than normal!

I think a lot of people feel 'bleugh' just now as it's part of a normal response to months of constant stress and tension. You can only run on adrenaline for so long before it runs out - and well done for sharing how you feel as lots of people would deny it or pretend. I hate looking at social media's 'look at how happy me and my family are' photos as I KNOW it is not a true picture. And yes, we can now go out, have a coffee and socialize and we can still feel rubbish because it is a normal response to months of things being far from normal and the uncertainty of what will happen and how long will it take. I feel lower, demotivated and more anxious than I was 2 months ago - I think it's DP's job insecurity, constant 4 month childcare exhaustion and months of stress that are causing it for me.

Another one who is cheesed off here. Working a FT job at the dining table every day, dp (builder) is off out to work 7am-5pm and everything seems normal for him. Homeschooling the kids in between meetings is soley down to me, but due to their age, however it’s less of home-schooling and more like intermittent nagging in between meetings. Once home schooling is done for the day the kids stare at electronics while I continue. Dd(10) has got so lazy, she can sit and not move, staring at you-tube for 6hrs + if left to her own devices (I left her as an experiment once).
School summer hols will be more of the same, working and meetings for me, too much electronics for the kids.
On the positive side, we are fortunate to be working and have saved lots of money on activities and childcare. Savings have taken a large boost.

I feel the same, I wouldn't go as far as 'depressed' as that's a serious psychiatric label (or should be) but I'm certainly low in mood.

And i know I'm not the only one, the psychology team I work in thought we'd be working mostly with people anxious about the virus but it's actually more people who are feeling flat with no joy in life and nothing to look forward to.

At some point I'm sure I'll have to wonder whether it's work sticking around.

A vaccine is at the very least 18 months away. Likely 36 months by which time the virus could have changed. It would take minimum 2 years to vaccinate the population. The economy would be annihilated if we were to lock down until then. Lock down was to give the government time to prepare. We did that and now everything should be open for business. It is up to each individual to manage their own risks.

A vaccine is at the very least 18 months away

I don't know why people keep saying this when at least one of the vaccine development teams has gone on record as saying that they are cautiously optimistic that their vaccine could be ready by the end of this year.

I'm in Scotland. For me the thing has has recently made me feel a lot better is that kids under 12 no longer have to social distance here. So having kids over, going to the park, say about with other families have all been possible and felt quite normal.
Travel and going out is possible but just with extra precautions.

That should read *days out with other families

The one thing me and some friends have been doing is investigating in some decent outdoor stuff for our children so we aren't as weather dependent when it comes to meeting up.