‘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'm not expecting the economy to be the same. Who is?

@Pelleas

It reminds me of people saying in September 1939 that WW2 would be over by Christmas.

Sadly we are in this for the long haul.

I hate this expression 'in it for the long haul', almost as much as the expression 'new normal'. If 'long haul' just means a year or two then ok, but if it means decades, then it's an extremely depressing outlook. I am not one who thinks the best course of action would be to just go back to normal right now, but I am optimistic that science drastically improve the situation in the not too distant future.

Fairly certain Boris said we could turn this round in 12 weeks at one point so no need for some posters to be so snidey about people not expecting to live in this shit for so long. They haven't been honest with us at all.

@BabyLlamaZen

I used to say this to try and be optimistic to others, but I think it as around April I twigged how slow this damn thing would be. I still think it will slowly become less of an issue and we will adapt. This winter will be the hardest but we (the population as a whole) will get there.

This sums up my view, I think this winter will be the toughest bit.

I have faith in people and in science, but we can't expect high speed miracles.

Boris has shown terrible leadership imo. Why come out with boosterish claptrap?

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

This is me too (not with my DH). Sad to be right and frustrated others can't see it.

@QueenStromba

You've all got to get it out of your heads that the situation is changing any time soon and come up with ways of making the current reality bearable for you. Maybe that's moving to a cheaper area to get more space or a garden, redecorating, taking up new hobbies, starting a new business you can do from home, getting an exercise bike, taking up meditation, doing an online course etc. The people I know who are doing the best mentally are the people who decided early on that this is the new normal. Everyone I know who's constantly getting their hopes up about this treatment or that vaccine is living on tenterhooks, repeatedly getting their hopes dashed and doing really badly mentally.

I love how you say "Maybe that's moving to a cheaper area to get more space or a garden," in the same breath as getting an exercise bike or taking up meditation. Because yeah, permanently moving home on a whim is so doable for the average person, and such a logical response to what is a temporary situation (this will end sooner or later, as other pandemics always have).

And as for 'starting a new business that you can do from home', yup, real easy in what's looking to be the biggest depression in decades. Great advice. Not.

I think I’ve had fairly realistic expectations throughout to be honest, short of a miracle there was never going to be an easy year or two on the horizon.

That’s not to say I didn’t cry for the loss of my daughters comfy, carefree little life and it still hits me like a ton of bricks occasionally. That’s ok though, this is not something you can just stick your head in the sand over because it’s going to go the way it’s going to go beyond what any one person can control.

The sun will still come up every morning and there is still pleasure to be found in life if you don’t let it overwhelm you.

It's a pandemic they don't usually last 6 months but it's not as bleak as what posters on this form make out!!

People move home all the time, renters in particular often move every year or two. Most people have some scope to move somewhere that's better value for money without completely uprooting their lives.
Plenty of businesses do very well in a recession and there are whole areas that are either new or booming.
Ask yourself how well living in hope that things could improve any time is serving you if you're going off on one at strangers on the internet who was simply offering examples of things that people could do to make this situation more bearable in the medium to long term.
This pandemic is unprecedented. If it was a pandemic flu then there'd almost certainly be a vaccine by now and the end would be in sight. We've never made a coronavirus vaccine before and we don't build long lasting immunity to this type of virus. Yes, it's possible we'll have a vaccine next spring but it's also possible that it will take years or that there'll never be a vaccine.