If you are upset/frustrated about restrictions, why? anyone else not bothered or become numb to it?

[grette]

I get some restrictions are a bit rubbish. Can’t travel, limited numbers to places etc.

But people saying they can’t cops? They’re upset? I don’t get it and starting to worry maybe I’ve become numb to life?

I suspect it’s because I haven’t really felt the impact of say, not seeing an elderly relative for example (none in close family anymore).

But aside from that, I’ve enjoyed working from home, the quieter roads and traffic, the limited drinking hours and even the restrictions on big groups when at dinner! I say this as an employee of the corporate world and who spent lots of time in bars and restaurants and socialising...and I enjoyed it very much but I don’t yearn for it back. Maybe I’ve forgotten what it was like? I read posts saying people are at breaking point and it just seems like a quieter way of life with small inconveniences? Am I some numb shell of who I was and have forgotten life pre covid?!

I'm a key worker my kids are at school. We see friends for permitted play dates. I don't like hugging people and I don't like meeting in groups of more than 6 anyway (that's too many got me ) as I have selective mutism. So the social set up for me at the moment is how I choose to live. I have Chronic illnesses that sadly dominate our family life so we are used to balancing out risks and cancelling things.
My husband now works at home permanentlyand sees the kids more
So our family are pretty happy.
Well were isolating currently so my kids wish they were at school
I follow the rules but I am happy
I've also had much more horrific things happen in my life
I understand that I may be in the minority and don't wish to belittle anyone who doesn't like the situation but in answer to this question I feel fine about stuff

I was depressed about life mid-summer, but feel more like ho-hum now.

But there is no denying that lockdown is harder for some. Sounds like you have no health concerns at the moment which are being delayed, no financial worries, no concerns about children in essential educational years. I mean you might have these concerns and can just ride them out.

Our household at the moment now kids both back at school have almost no difference in our lives, we haven't had a change in finances, no one is ill (fingers crossed it remains that way), kids doing most of their activities, young enough not to have huge impact on their education. We like each other in the house. But life is still boring.

I am just saying it's easier for some.

The main thing I’m struggling with is that I have nowhere to take my toddler. None of the groups near us have restarted, and as I lost my job due to Covid I can’t afford soft plays etc (most of them haven’t reopened here either). We don’t have friends with children a similar age and DH works 12 hour days so it’s just me and him, all day (older DC at school). He’s nearly 2 and hasn’t been able to interact with other toddlers since early March.
Also as a 5 person family my parents can’t visit together, which is shit.
Pubs/restaurants etc I’m not bothered about personally as I’m doing anything in my power to keep my children at school so limiting any social activity (also can’t afford it, see above) but I can see how it is absolutely devastating for those who work in the industry.
We also can’t visit close family abroad, our last trip to see them was cancelled due to illness so we haven’t seen them for well over a year. That’s tough.
All the nice events we had to look forward to have been cancelled (DC’s dance show, SIL’s wedding), the kids extra curricular activities haven’t restarted, so it feels like a long exhausting slog with no light at the end of the tunnel. Plus job hunting in a recession. That’s why I’m struggling.

I am with you OP probably for the same reasons.
I am an NHS worker and my husband has continued to work, our children have gone to school/usual child care through out. If anything the pandemic has brought positive changes to our home life.
My only loss I feel is the pub/nightlife does not/will not have the same buzz and also we haven't had a holiday this year. All really first world problems that are totally manageable.

That being said I don't have relatives in care homes or hospitals that I can't see, my family size isn't at a point where you have to choose how and when to meet because of the 6 rule. I can imagine having the children home since March was a huge strain on those affected and also the threat of being self employed or running a business that will be affected by further restrictions must be torture.
The fact I have empathy for those affected makes me feel I am not numb to what's going on, I just fully appreciate what this situation has brought me/my family.

I miss my family, miss being able to visit people indoors, increasingly hate WFH, miss my church and singing in the choir, miss being able to make plans for even smaller things like toddler classes and children’s birthday parties. I’ll cope but I’m really fed up feeling like my life is perpetually on pause.

It depends.

Some stuff people get worked up about is a bit silly. OTOH, I can understand people being upset about (for instance) not visiting elderly relatives in care homes, that’s different.

I miss travelling and going out with friends to bars and restaurants care free. I miss not having to wear a mask everywhere and avoiding going near others.

I don't miss working in an office FT, but I wish there was a mix as I've surprised myself recently and missing being around others in the office. Would like to do a mix of WFH and office in future.

I'm also tired of cleaning every single thing I've touched and scrubbing the floor in the gym when the class is finished

I’m ok now that the kids are back in school but thinking about the things they have missed /are missing out on makes me sad-parties, school plays, sports clubs, events etc.
I am sad to be missing these things too but for the kids, proportionally, it’s a large chunk out of their lives that they won’t get back.

And the things that we can do are still with the spectre of the virus in the background.

I’ve felt the impact of it but realised early on that the general populace would fuck it up as the rules weren’t strict enough Or enforced

The restrictions on my life personally don't actually affect me that much. I didn't have pre Covid, and don't have now, the time or funds to do things like eating out, holidays and days out etc with any great regularity, so I don't really feel like I've lost anything.
I coped with losing 20% of my income because I've always been in the situation where my income has fluctuated, so although it was hard, I managed through it and have managed the other side now I'm back earning again.
For me the hardest part was going back to work (and not because I didn't want to or because I'm work shy!) And the attitude of the general public towards restrictions and rules put in place, and then eat out to help out. The reaction to things like a one way system were so over the top and blown completely out of proportion. The new systems in place doubled the workload and I have never experienced such nastiness, bullying and downright rudeness as I did from July 4th onwards. To the point where it has driven me out of the industry. Being shouted at multiple times a day, every day, called names, threatened, called stupid etc - and for what? So people could enjoy themselves! And the excuse? We're all so stressed because of Covid. Yet when we explained a procedure or rule it was all "Stop using Covid as an excuse"
It really wasn't worth it at all, it wasn't life changing work I was doing.
I've moved into care work, it's hard, very hard and there are parts of it that are very saddening, however this is worthwhile, it's doing something positive, I can see the point. I couldn't see the point to being constantly belittled and abused for the pleasure of someone else basically.
So other people's behaviour through this have affected me negatively, but all the things that are restricted aren't things I do very often anyway, so I personally don't get it either.

I have two sisters who I usually see a lot. Between us we have several children. It is a huge part of my life for us all to be together regularly.
We are a family of 5. Not allowed to see any other couples as a family or any other family’s even if it’s just me and the kids because everyone I know has more than one child.
I love being spontaneous and getting up at weekends and school holidays and deciding what to do based on how I feel and the weather. The enjoyment in my life is going out, taking the kids out and having adventures. It’s what makes life enjoyable for me and I do it most weekends and every school holiday. In the summer it was a bit easier because I went to many many woods and parks.
Now everything has to be booked Way in advance, so no deciding on the day and if it’s pouring rain, finding something inside.
I find wearing a mask restricts my breathing and gives me a bad headache. I used to love browsing garden centres, antiques centres and Large shopping centres on colder days. I avoid them now because after 20 mins with a mask I start to get a headache.
For introverts maybe much has not changed, but I am an extrovert, I thrive on social interaction and new experiences, I love to be out of the house far more than I am in it. It’s what makes life for me.

I'm struggling. I nearly got sectioned in May because I was so overwhelmed. 2020 was meant to be a brilliant year after finally finishing therapy and being considered "recovered" from ptsd.

Dh is working from home. Dc2 (2) has no 2s group, no toddler groups and no activities. We're managing play dates in the park but the weather is rubbish. Our soft plays are shut. We can't visit either set of grandparents. I never get a moment to myself.

Due to what caused my ptsd I find masks traumatic and it turns out I wasn't recovered at all. I couldn't attend my beloved Grandmother's funeral or support my mum.

Its a atage of life, family set up thing. Im a boring middle aged person whose child has a disability so life was very limited anyway, plus i have a job outside the home. Ive hardly noticed it. Be dreadful if i was living alone, young, no job or elderely and everything stopped. All sorts of terrible situations - people unable to vist their spouse in carehomes.

I’m upset and fed up.

We have been in local restrictions since July, no household mixing allowed so I’ve not been able to see my parents, my dc are home educated and none of our regular groups have resumed and we are not able to meet with others to socialise,, our local library is still closed so no new books(obviously I buy some but not enough to keep my dc reading as much as they would like). There is more but those are the things that are bothering me right now.

The restrictions don't affect me much, but they do affect my PILs and my teenage children and so I hate them for that reason. I'm not sure that we aren't gambling with the mental health of our teens and young adults.

Same my kids are in school and nursery I’m working from home my husband is back working in his office my sons football is back up and running weekends we go out for dinner we get out and about to local places

We see the in-laws just in smaller groups I haven’t seen my family since Christmas as they’re on the other side of the country which is frustrating and the kids are increasingly upset at not seeing their grandparents and their cousins but understand

The biggest frustration at the moment as we cannot see a lot of our friends as we are friends with couples with two children which would be eight if we got together

Making plans to socialise are no different I go for breakfast with some of the school mums I meet for lunches with some friends getting babysitters and going out of an evening is just too challenging but it is what it is

Numb is a good word.
I've been wfh since March. I hate it and it makes my job much harder. Also become somewhat isolated from friends (who I tended to meet through activities that aren't now running, or who live at a distance and can't now easily meet with, and as I'm on teleconferences all day for work, I really don't want to do remote calls with friends).

However when we hit 6 months since lockdown, something in me pretty much gave up. The children going back to school so at least they have some normality was a big thing. Every day I get up, wander down to my work desk, work the day, count down to Friday. My life feels like some kind of weird limbo. Both my parents and in-laws are vulnerable, so conscious of the risk that secondary school children already pose, DH and I are actively not doing anything else that might increase family risk and stop us seeing them at all.

Don't know how to snap out of the numbness really. All the things I'd usually do to self motivate myself aren't available as options.

My mental health is really starting to suffer now. I suppose the things that are bothering me might be trivial to some, but a lot of the things I miss really relieve stress from work, home etc.

My mum, sister and I regularly hosted each other (and partners/kids) for meals/drinks. Rule of six means this can’t happen, and I can only visit my mum if my other sister is at work as she still lives at home and makes the number more than six. I haven’t seen my niece or nephew since Christmas due to all this.

I’ve had four gigs and two holidays cancelled this year. No live music even on a local level. My cinema is closing.

I regularly go out with friends/colleagues for nights out in different cities. Rule of six means we can’t, and even in smaller groups the 10pm curfew makes it difficult as I live extremely rurally so it’s hardly worth the taxi ride for a couple of hours.

There is no pleasure whatsoever in shopping trips etc due to masks.

It all just feels incredibly depressing with no end in sight. I work in an extremely stressful role and am seeing first hand the effects of lockdown etc (lots of suicides lately, or dealing with people in crisis) and I’m finding that I don’t have any outlet for this as all of the things I take pleasure in/use as light relief) have been taken away from me.

I’m probably just having a pity party, but I’m genuinely struggling to find any joy at the moment.

I'm okay right now. Bit mixed I think. It helps if you can progress your life in other areas, so that everything doesn't feel on pause. I've been sorting out my house and diet, so I do feel I'm doing something positive to improve my life.
But my husband is struggling. Work is harder now, for him. My parents have been waiting on important operations that have been stalled for months. My dad can't get a flu jab because the idiots at the doctor's surgery gave them all away and didn't reserve any for the truly vulnerable. I'm worried about my kids traveling into lockdown areas for college.
I don't miss shops or going out as much as I did at the start - if anything it's been good to break the mindless shopping habit.

I was doing pretty well. We got through lockdown despite both having to do our FT hours with DCs (7 and 4) at home which was grim. Got DC back to (or starting) school and DH is back teaching rather than doing remote lessons. But I am struggling. I feel enormously isolated WFH and we’ve been told it’ll be March before we will be back in the office, at the earliest. And I hate having to caveat anything the DC want to do ‘your dance classes are happening again, for now’ and ‘we’ll see Granny for your birthday if nothing changes’ and they’re good about it but permanently slightly disappointed at all the things that they’d normally see as annual highlights that aren’t happening. I’ve spent six months counting my blessings (good health, secure jobs, enough space) and it still seems churlish to be struggling when my life is infinitely easier than many other people’s but goodness it’s wearing thin and getting harder to cope.

Depends where you live. I'm north east and it's illegal for me to have my mam over or to visit their house. Or to see any family or friends for that matter....for an indefinite amount of time. I'm really struggling now.

I’m frustrated because we live in a local lockdown area but we live rurally and we do not have a high number of cases. They’ve locked down the whole county though. Then you get people on here saying why should the South lock down when it’s all the northerners fault for being so common and lower class 😡. Oh and calling for schools in local lockdown areas to be closed, so that our children are not entitled to the same level of education. Once places go into local lockdown they never come out so I guess this is us for the foreseeable future.

I am not bothered at all about restrictions. I am a hermit anyway. I'm quite happy I don't need to socialize, and my family is 1000s of miles away, so nothing new.

Though I am glad school is open, I can cope fine, but I don't think it's good for children.

I think a lot of it comes down to the extrovert/introvert divide.
We were already used to doing a lot of things at home, seeing friends in small groups, going to the park instead of indoor places. So the adjustment is much less.
We are also extremely lucky to have our health and our jobs (for now).
I'm also constantly thinking about all the people who are really suffering right now, it makes any inconveniences we have seem like nothing.

I'm not too bothered by the restrictions, as they are at the moment. I don't know anyone personally affected by Covid, except a few people who had it mildly (self treated at home) months ago and are fully recovered. I'm an introvert and don't have any friends that I've missed, and I haven't had much of a social life or time for hobbies since my toddler was born anyway. I'm not interested in late nights out at bars so the curfew hasn't affected me at all. No health concerns or financial worries. DH's family are overseas and I know they miss DD a lot, and my parents miss having bigger family meals together. But personally I'm fine focusing on just my household right now.

It was frustrating being locked down and not having any toddler activities, playgrounds or places like museums to go to. We don't have a car so being told not to use public transport restricted us a lot for a while, but we had plenty of parks and gardens to visit within the local area - I found loads of interesting places nearby which I'd never been to.

I'm in London where a lot of activities have opened up for families. We've got lots of museums and other days out which we want to visit at weekends. I don't mind booking in advance as I've always tended to pencil in or book activities anyway. Lots to look forward to in the next few months as we've got a list of all the museums and galleries which we've missed during lockdown.

We used to do a mixture of commercial toddler classes and free local activities to keep us busy through the week. The free stuff has still not returned (stay and play, cheap church groups) but most of the classes have returned and DD is enjoying them, despite the social distancing guidelines. We've booked for the term so no other planning necessary, we just turn up every week. She's also started nursery 3 days a week (no social distancing), so gets enough interaction and play through that. Swimming classes still haven't restarted, which we do miss. We have family swim sessions at the pool but haven't had time anyway since she started nursery.

I've missed not having an overseas holiday this year, but we've had 2 UK breaks which we enjoyed a lot, and we're hoping to have a short break before Christmas as well.