The response to covid is killing me

[HannoK]

Its screwed my 15 yo childs education and prospects. We had worked hard to get him off screens and lockdown screwed that up. His athletics and school clubs are cancelled. Chances are this year's teaching will be disrupted.

My elderly mothers mental health has deteriorated due to isolation, lack of GP face to face time, cancelled hearing aid service.

I have gradually withdrawn from any type of social contact as it's all too stressful, the masks, the booking ahead, the not touching....I cannot cope anymore. I may not die of covid but it's going to kill me. Life has no joy now. The news is just depressing and I've had it today, can't see any light at the end of the tunnel.

I'm so sorry OP.

It's all shit. Let no one on here tell you it isn't, because it is. This is no way to live.

It can't last forever.

Hang in there

I think a lot of us feel like this at the moment & with my kids going back to school, winter months coming I’m struggling too. My anxiety is rocketing when I’ve managed quite well recently. However, I do believe things will be much better come spring time. My main aim is to do my best to keep the kids in school as much as possible for their own sake. Like the poster above says, it won’t last forever. Keep going. I find reading a good distraction x

I know the hassle for social co tact seems daunting, but when I push through I do feel better afterwards.
It won’t be for ever. Hang on in there.

I totally understand how you feel @HannoK
My DF is in a care home and we can’t get near him & have to wear masks - he no longer knows who I am😥
My DM is depressed & lonely and all her social activities are cancelled.
I was shielding & happily wfh but have now been told I have to go in some of the week.
My anxiety is rising daily as the dc’s have gone back to school and cases are increasing. I am vulnerable and am scared of catching it.
My head is spinning from morning to night

Thanks for the kindness..I suppose the prospect of a vaccine is the only thing keeping me going at the moment.

You are not alone. I'm broken and not sure how much longer I can hold it together.
Husband was diagnosed with skin cancer two weeks into lockdown, thankfully treated but took them 6 weeks to give the all clear.
Caring for my mil who was losing her mind and covid tormented her, Drs refused to see her and no way were we sending her into the hospital or a care home. Instead we nursed her ourselves for months before she finally slipped away.
Arranging her funeral has been awful however we are thankful that we can actually have a funeral and remember with sadness all those families who couldn't have a proper service.
Returning my child to an school and desperately wanting to keep her home knowing that the next shit storm is around the corner.
I go to bed physically and mentally exhausted, it's just like Groundhog Day.
Just remember you are not alone

I hear you OP. I've absolutely had it. I'm nhs and at the start we thought we just had to get through the next few months but now we are getting ready for winter and it feels like it could be months and months and people are so nasty - about the no appointments and the no visiting. And it's just all so tedious and anxiety provoking,

YANBU. I fear we will look back and say we massively overreacted. The fallout will be worse than the virus.

to all.

I'm 100% with you op.
Everything and everyone has been affected by this.

Most days I still can't believe whats really happening.

You don’t have to pin all your hopes on a vaccine - there are also massive improvements in treatments - and what I think could be a game-changer - rapid result mass testing.

I feel exactly the same, some days worse than others and today has been a bad day for me it the not seeing any end to it all, nothing to look forward to, anxious and scared
to everyone

I've hit a wall today too. I feel broken tbh. You're not alone

I feel the same.
Nothing to look forward to. Want to book up things for my DS’s 2nd birthday, but it’s in October (mid Oct) and I’m worried we’ll be back in lockdown by then or something. Meant to be meeting a long distance friend in a couple of weeks, no idea if it’ll go ahead.
I’m still waiting for a Covid test result, I think it’s a bad cold, but DS can’t go to nursery and DP can’t go to work until we get the results. Sent it off by postal on Thursday.

Life on hold constantly, it’s torture

Sorry to hear this guys (girls) , so tough

FWIW I think the 15 yr olds will go back to their old lives if/when they can

It’s a huge step they are at least back in school (fingers crossed) and seeing their peers again

As a parent you do what you can, you have not failed, ALL 15 yr olds have spent too much time on their devices. As have lots of grown ups. It is the 2020 normal

Social contact: I find meeting up for walks is great. No masks, it’s relaxed, and walking is good for you (mentally physically)

Get outside if you can

I hear you OP. The truth is that this stupid virus is at fault. Yes the response seems shit sometimes but we can argue that till the sun comes up.

Just do your best, and ask for help if you need it. I'm considering just leaving the tablets in my locker at work so there's no arguments or relenting despite my better judgement.

Sorry to hear how you are feeling OP.

My anxiety has ramped up the past week also. Not so much fear of getting the virus, but difficulty coping with the uncertainty of life. I have teenagers too and their lives are even more removed from normal. It's difficult not to feel sad for them as they will never again be this age, and the things they are missing out on won't be repeated.

I hope you have some social contact with friends /family at least by phone or messaging. One of the better things to emerge from covid restrictions is discovering who are my true friends and we've increased our 'check in' messages with each other which really helps to feel less alone. I've done the same with my mum.

It's good to be able to say how shit it all is sometimes and have a wallow. I hope you feel a bit better soon. Just take one tiny step at a time. We'll get there.

You're definitely not alone OP.

I'm sick to my back teeth of the absolute upheaval it's caused and as tragic as it is that there is a virus going around that has the potential to kill people, I just want everything to go back to normal and stop worrying about it. It's exhausting.

If we go back into lockdown I will break. I could not cope with that again, not after a reminder of what life used to be like recently.
I couldn’t cope with not seeing my parents for months again. I haven’t touched them in six months. I couldn’t cope with possibly having to work from home (hopefully won’t happen as there will be lots of key worker children). I couldn’t cope with my social life dwindling to JUST my partner all over again. No shops, no pubs, no restaurants.
I’ve barely been in shops really but have been to the pub and out to eat and it’s been amazing.

I just don’t think I would cope. I’d have to, but I absolutely hated how lonely the whole thing was. I’d do anything for it to just disappear. Sometimes it feels like this is just never going to end, it’ll drag on for years. And the prospect of Christmas... DP will go to his family regardless for a week and I might be able to see my parents for a meal, maybe even inside..... best case scenario at this point. I’d usually spend the week with them, I’m only 26 and no DC so it’s still a family time for me.

Fucking hell, someone slap some sense into me! I’ll be fine and chirpy again tomorrow morning but sometimes it gets to me.

I feel like this OP ....

@HesterShaw1 I hope you're right. I feel like the OP.

Your words actually mean a lot. It's nice to read just that.

I am so DONE in by all this.

There is light at the end of the tunnel.

Sadly it's a train called no deal Brexit, and it's going to screw our economy more than covid.