Anyone else just really struggling right now...

[Dickorydockwhatthe]

It just seems to be endless, nothing to look forward to not even Christmas. Weather has turned miserable and I just feel like I'm going stir crazy with it all. The kids are even looking forward to going back to school.

No, I feel much better. Getting outdoors and enjoying the summer weather.

The whole thing is shit if we had an end date I think people would cope better

@OpheliasCrayon thank you for the solidarity x

Feeling so low here too. Recurring breathing problems post covid at Easter sap my energy. I feel double my 42 years. The kids are bored and resorting to screens whenever I am not actively chivvying them off. I'm worried about this second wave and news about long term heart problems following covid. I could really use a hug and some good news.

Agree with existing not living. I feel close to tears a lot of the time and I'm incredibly lucky compared to many people, we both have jobs and we have a house with a garden. I spent a lot of time worrying about the effect this is having on the kids, to the point that I'm having trouble sleeping. We're constantly telling them to go away while we work and they just seem, well, sad. We're in Leicester so have been locked in for almost five months now, just wish we knew when/if there is an end in sight.

You're not alone OP. I feel the same.

I don't have any advice I'm afraid. Having things to look forward to can help, but be careful not to overwhelm yourself. It takes me a few days to get over social occasions now and it's so draining.

All I have is a handhold hopefully things brighten up soon.

where do you live? i find its easier to plan week by week and not look at the news so much. There is stuff open if you look for it and you can meet up with people outside. we have had so many holidays/festivals cancelled this summer but managed to plan around it and organised camping trips and days out to places like the seaside ( if you are worried about crowds go for sunrise or sunset)

we are using our holiday money paid back by love holidays to save with them and add to for a massive trip to look forward to maybe next year.

I am refusing to wear a mask and therefore shopping online - going on bike rides, planning outside things .

This is the good time. were over the peak . who knows what the winter may bring so trying to enjoy each day to the fullest. i too am devastated about the lack of family swims etc but instead looking at wild swims, the beach etx .

There are opportunities for normality if you look for it

I feel I've got used to it. I like wfh. We had a holiday (not abroad) and have a hotel stay planned. Seeing friends for dinner tomorrow.

as a nation i think we have become too spoiled - expecting to do things as we want to - eg just turning up to a restaurant or bowling.

yes bowling isn't opened yet - but you can make bowls out of paper mache and take them to an outdoor space. Restaurants are available to book. i spent 2 hours booking a 50 min paddling pool session last week- hey ho annoying but it happened and it was amazing in a way it wouldn't have been in a usual summer - we take too much for granted.

Life throws you a lemon sometimes you have to man up and take control. it isn't all terrible , it could be a lot worse

I'm enjoying life a lot more than a month ago. More choice to do things... gym, restaurants and bars. My diary is filling up nicely.
I've got over having no holidays.

Yes! Always been prone to catastrophic thoughts but managed to silence them for years. COVID is a living nightmare.

@ClimbDad thank you for your positivity on the thread

[quote purpleme12]@OpheliasCrayon thank you for the solidarity x[/quote]
No worries.
I've never known anyone else verbalise how I feel about myself but it's how I've always felt

Yea very much so. DH working from home, he is incredibly stressed as it is his busiest time of the year. DS has developed some MB issues so waiting for help from MAST.
Sport activities are all still not running so he is at home, very frustrated and lonely not seeing friends for weeks and weeks

#MH (mental health) sorry typo

I’m with you OP. I’m starting to utterly fucking despise this existence we are going through. I really don’t know how much longer I’ll manage. It’s simply not fair for anyone to be expected to live this way long term.

I'm really struggling now, from being very positive at the start of lockdown. Wfh is literally hurting me, my neck and shoulders ache all the time. I've had days when I can't get out of bed. I shower less and have to make myself brush my teeth. Eating too much, drinking too much. And this is the good bit, when we can get out while the sun is shining. I don't know how I'm going to cope with winter.

tearsandtiaras posted:

"as a nation i think we have become too spoiled - expecting to do things as we want to - eg just turning up to a restaurant or bowling."

I agree, to a point. We have become used to having a myriad of ways to entertain ourselves, but now many choices have been taken away, so it can leave people feeling a bit cheated. We still have lots of ways to entertain ourselves at home, but I think people have become bored and depressed, after months indoors with very little social interaction. Also, it must be so difficult for those who have been home schooling young children for months, and are now faced with weeks of summer holidays - it's no wonder parents are running out of energy and ideas to keep their children happy and active.

tearsandtiaras also posted:

"Life throws you a lemon sometimes you have to man up and take control. it isn't all terrible , it could be a lot worse "

It's true that there are many parts of the world that are pretty hellish compared to the UK, where people are already suffering from hunger, war and don't even have clean water to drink. In those places Covid-19 has added a new dimension of hell which is hard to imagine. That said, I don't think it's helpful to suggest that people "man up and take control". I think many people have done their best to adapt and put a brave face on things, but months of lockdown, isolation and uncertainty have taken their toll.

Yes I hear you OP and everyone else posting. I feel totally flat and lifeless. I already have depression and anxiety and at the beginning of all this my anxiety was sky high (not helped by getting the virus!)
But now it is just this constant low, wading through treacle feeling. Nothing cheers me up. I try supremely hard every day to be upbeat for my DS11. DH and I are always sniping at each other. It's all just rubbish.
Sending to everyone xxx

I do try to count my blessings daily and write a gratitude journal but it is not always easy

I know theres lots to be grateful for but trying to snap out of this mindset is really hard. Its like ground hog day 😔

I understand that 100%

I also feel like if by some miracle I wake up feeling a bit more positive it doesn't take much to knock me back. I feel like I have no resilience.
I think of it like I'm a ship sailing along on course and a slight breeze gets up and I am totally knocked off course whereas others go through violent storms and still seem to stay on their path and upright

Sorry if that was a bit deep!

@wildthingsinthenight You say you had the virus - do you feel some relief, in a way, because you are probably immune to it now? Were you badly affected by it? If so, maybe you haven't fully recovered yet?