‘When this is all over’

[dolliemixture]

Remember when everyone used to say this back in Spring when there was the initial lockdown?

I think I had this naive optimism that we’d lockdown for a while the slowly return to normal and would look ahead to Christmas thinking it would all definitely be a distant memory. There was a post on Facebook doing the rounds about ‘this time next year’ when we’d all look back at the lockdown and they’d be a baby boom and a load of sentimental rubbish.

Obviously now I realising my thoughts made no logical sense and I’m being realistic when thinking ahead to Christmas, to next spring, summer and so on.

I still say ‘when this is all over’ on a fairly regular basis - with no real idea of what/when that will be.

I know. I’m just hoping it’s over enough for a holiday next summer. I’m not expecting much change before then unfortunately

Yes, to be honest I thought it would be well over by now and we'd all be back to normal, how naive 'March me' was.

Seeing at the rate is flying up again, we're probably not that much closer to the end that we were a few months ago and things like Christmas, and even abroad holidays next year when we were sure everything would be fine are becoming uncertain.

@TokyoSushi yep same here, looked ahead to September thinking everything would be moving along as normal, didn’t even consider whether winter/Christmas would be any different. It’s starting to just sink in now, the enormity of what’s going on :(

I remember DH & I were going to book flights to Iceland for January 2021 (we didn't eventually) earlier on the year and laughing, 'Well, if this is still going on in January, we'll have more to worry about than losing a couple of hundred ££ on some flights to Iceland, ha ha!'

And now, it would be likely that we wouldn't be able to go, what a bloody nightmare this whole thing is.

Yeah, I know what you mean. I always thought that Christmas would be different this year but assumed we'd be over the worst of it by next spring. Now I'm not so sure. Don't know if dd will be able to take her GCSEs next summer or do any of the stuff that she had planned.

It is hard for everyone but worst for the young people, I reckon. They are missing so many milestones. I feel for the elderly, too, living out the ends of their lives without any real contact with family or friends.

I remember watching it progress in China and thinking it would probably be a non event for the UK. Then the assumption that it would be over quickly after a lockdown. Wrong again, how naive I was. Now I can’t even put a timeframe on when I think it will be over.

Some days I can’t believe that we are living through this shitshow with a story line that should be reserved for a movie.

Oh yes ‘March me’ genuinely thought it would be ‘over’ after 3 weeks...

Was planning for a holiday in June 2021, now I’m not certain that will even go ahead (without masks / quarantining / social distancing etc.)

Indeed 😔 back in April we had the option to move our wedding to this Autumn or early next Summer. We opted for the latter thinking it potentially would mean waiting longer than we needed to but at least should be past the uncertainty. At this point I'm not optimistic it's going to be materially better than now from the perspective of being able to comfortably have more than a small handful of people. Probably need to just forget the idea of a traditional wedding "best day of your life" business and get on with the legal stuff.

I think I thought this would be ongoing for 12 to 18 months so I'm not to surprised that we are headed for another lockdown of some sort, and I don't think it will be the last. As a result I am not too upset by what is happening but I'm not enjoying it and finding it pretty restrictive but I also accept that it has to be this way for a while longer.

If it goes on beyond this point next year then I will really start to worry!

When I went to my booking in appointment on March at the midwives. One of them jokingly said don’t worry this will all be over by the time you are due in August. I wasn’t convinced but hoped she was right.
I keep hoping things will get better but so far not working.
I’m feeling fed up, rather isolated with two kids although I can see my parents, bored and if I’m honest a bit down.

I still say "when this is all over" just because I hope it will be eventually. The alternative is unbearable.

I need this to be over soon otherwise I'll be seriously considering suicide. I can't live this way anymore.

I’m sorry @kittensarecute. Is there something you can do to make it more bearable for you?

When this all started I remember saying to H that they way world governments were reacting it must be very bad and there were things they weren’t telling us. Not sure if I still feel the same, I try not to think about it too much. We do our part and get through the days

I thought this when restrictions started. People were talking as if there would be a specific end date. As if "the end" would be like the day peace is declared after a war - people reading the news and running out on the street hugging and cheering.

Hi, I was actually feeling so positive and optimistic when I saw numbers of cases and deaths were going down. I was very happy and thought great, everyone's abiding to the rules. Things could turn around. There were reports also of a vaccine coming through. Things seemed to be on the up.

Then...

Cases started going back up.
No one cares about social distancing.

My Instagram is chocker block with everyone going to parties, illegal street parties grinding on each other. They are then arranging baby sitters to go outand thencoming home to their children. People going to weddings and christening and hugging and holding all the babies and family members. Its ridiculous. I understand and respect that you want to attend your brothers wedding or your nieces christening, but really. Theres even pictures of them all standing literally millimetres from the priest too conducting the ceremonies. It winds me up.
I'm expecting a baby due january and at first I was feeling happy that by January, numbers could be low, baby could be born in a better situation. Husband can be present all the way through the birth and help me in postnatal and bring the other children of ours to visit, but oh no.
I wish this was bloody all over
No one cares about social distancing. Well only a handful. It's sad really. I've been trying to look up more information on swine flu of 2009, how long that lasted. I cant believe I dont even even remember it. Only vaguely. But this is much worse.
A bleak winter indeed.

If we look back to the spanish flu that lasted 2 years without the type of suppression we have going on today, which if we end up relying on herd immunity could drag it out longer because we keep squashing it back down. Or we could have a vaccine in a few months. Who knows!

I think we're all quite lucky in a way this is the first time in our lives we've been majorly disrupted by something collectively that's beyond our control. But that isn't the norm globally, how many people struggle for food and water, have to deal with diseases we don't even worry about for their whole lives. I'm not diminishing your feelings op, I'm fed up too. Just makes me feel better to think even though we're in the middle of a shit show we are still pretty fortunate.

Sometimes a little pessimism is better because if you’re wrong, you’ll be pleasantly surprised and that’s easier on the system than disappointment.
I’ve got a time frame of 2-3 years in my head to allow for research on treatment and vaccines to be developed and tested. I won’t pin my hopes on vaccines, because there’s likely to be some sort of problem initially. I pay attention to developments in treatments.
I figured that lockdown would be the easiest part, when it was all new and fresh and everyone was pulling together and the rules were clear.
I was expecting this period to be very hard. No clear consensus on what to do, schools open, and having to rely on our own judgement.
The winter flu season is always terrible in hospitals and now with covid, a terribly demoralised health service and the public efforts to return to normal, it’s likely to be bad. But I think this winter will be as bad as it gets.
I’m hopeful for next Spring and Summer, expecting a smaller surge in November 21 and by 2022 better outcomes in hospital and a reliable, safe vaccine.

I’m a “realist”. My husband says it’s pessimism. But it’s not - I just see the bigger picture better than him.

A lockdown over summer when flu cases are low was always going to be a disaster. This was abundantly clear. There would never have been a vaccine ready for winter.

So we are in this for the longer haul until - as we now have to - we let it go through whilst helping the elderly.

I look back and wonder how I didn't see this coming after it started to take over Italy.

@Enrico

I still say "when this is all over" just because I hope it will be eventually. The alternative is unbearable.

This, the "new normal" isn't a life worth living

One of the things that's surprised me about this is that it hasn't made people more aware/appreciative of vaccines.

Measles is extremely contagious - and kills children. But we rarely give it a second thought because of vaccines.

Back when this started I can distinctly remember saying to my boss that there would be further lockdowns in the autumn as the cold & flu season started. He didnt want to believe it then. Given the edicts at work about coming back into the office I think he still doesnt want to believe it.

Once a vaccine comes available things will be able to open and stay open but until then lockdowns will be necessary.

When this is over, I will need a kidney transplant. The list will probably be twice as long, the NHS may be in tatters. Spare a thought for the people who don’t even have the end of this to look forward to.
A good tip is to try to focus on the here and now and find joy in the simple things. Reading is my salvation, getting lost in a good book or a game with my little ones. Easier said than done for sure but helps pass the time in a happy way (although the stomach lurch when it all comes rushing back is more than shit).
Wishing everyone having a rubbish time some peace today praying for those amazing scientists working around the clock to put an end to this shit show.

I never thought we would see the back of it until after the winter virus season, but if people ever said anything along those lines it was the pillory for speaking doom and fearmongering.

I think that did tend to give too much free space to over-optimism.

And I'm not sure we will be 'back to normal' next year either, but we shall be considerably more experienced in using social distancing measures to contain it to acceptably low levels.