What a shit time to be alive

[Mylittlesandwich]

I know we're all supposed to be keeping upbeat and accepting the new normal but it's bollocks.

Obviously we're all being screwed in different and inventive ways, personally I had DS in November by the time I'd fought through my PND cloud and felt up to facing people we were in lockdown.
We had planned our budget for mat leave perfectly. Then DH was furloughed.
We had scraped through lockdown and he was back at work when the Scottish circuit breaker popped up and he was let go.
We are so skint it's unreal. I'm working from what should have been a nursery as many hours as I can get my hands on to try and keep us afloat and I can't even spend a couple of hours at my mums to re-charge.
Feel free to add the ways covid has screwed you over.

Oh do piss off @Readandwalk maybe things will look better in the morning but for now I'm up worrying about how I'll pay the mortgage and me and others need to vent. Scroll on by.

Why should I piss off? I'm.living in the pandemic too you know. And historically it's not a shit time to be alive.

Lol readandwalk, in a non-misery sentiment- I’ve two wee ones at home having a blast with slime fs - they are loving extended holidays.

This thread isn't for people who don't want to moan and want to tell us how it's not that bad and we should just get on with it so feel free to just keep scrolling. There are plenty of threads about plenty of things, you don't have to come in to this one and tell us all to cheer up. You just don't.

Readandwalk no, for you it's obviously not a shit time. Lucky you, no existential worries, just be careful what you wish for!

I don't think I've had as hard a time as many, but my mat leave finished in May, and my employers had already sent people to work from home but nobody knew what they were doing when it came to reintroducing me to the workplace. Nobody knew who my manager was. Nobody offered me any training. There wasn't any equipment reserved for me to collect or have delivered.

I also had such bad PPA that it took the full 12 month to work up the courage to talk to a doctor about it, and the advice I was being given was "make sure you ask your family for support" which was shit advice given they knew what we are up against.

My employers also ditched my flexible working plan which was agreed to so they've got coverage for their emergency covid plan, and now I work 12 hour shifts on the days my partner doesn't work so I never see him and he never sees me. It's doing a number on our relationship. We'd quit if there was guaranteed job security elsewhere because neither of our employers believe in a healthy work/home life balance.

I didn't think it would be possible for us all to be home together and have less time for each other than we did before.

I think people like readandwalk have maybe a narrow view.

All this stuff about being compared to wars. It's not a correct comparison.

I can do action.

My very short female self has walked in front of fists. Walked into bottling situations. And said STFU calm down go home. FFS. Before you get nicked.

I've walked into moving traffic to get them to stop when someone was on the floor.

I've walked in front of a bus to get them to stop. Because they were going to run over a kid. Who was too short and too close to see from the cab.

The idea that people who can't do this are weak. In an emergency I keep calm and march in. With little regard for my personal danger.

But this. I can't do this. I just can't. I mean what's the fucking point? To anything.

So readandwalk. You think I'm weak?

Nice.

@NiceGerbil

Right? We are not evolutionarily designed to do this, we are literally not built for it. That's why so many of are short circuiting right now, and I wish there was more compassion and understanding about that

Yeah
I've been short circuiting since the first week
I'm not even an extrovert

My work. Asked who wants to come in if the office is open. Answer. Just me :)

I miss people. And dancing. And.. walking around looking at new stuff. Architecture
Just. Stuff. I miss. Life.

Everyone seems happy though. Back. In a small town thing. I am literally back i was years ago.

If anyone needs me to be calm in a difficult situation. Ride out bomb scares. Do random first aid. Get in the face of a man who is armed..

That's ok. I can do that.

I can't go this. I can't. The people who say. Get over yourself. I would happily run into a motorway to save you. But. I can't do this.

Weak? That's what you say.

Do you know what.

I've been on MN for about 15 years.

These goady bastards. I mean. Fuck them.

It's ok to feel how you do.

All this at least you're not at war stuff... It's always war here.
Not oh would you feel like as a Muslim in Sarajevo.
Not oh how would you feel as a Tutsi in the Rwanda genocide

Etc etc

Short sighted... And... Well just crap tbh

It's the shittiest, and I am losing the will to power through it. I will but it'll only be because my family would be sad. I am single with a chronic illness and literally nothing to look forward to for the foreseeable. I miss touch. This virus can fuck off.

Furloughed in March, completely buggered my finances. Went through a tough break up. Now going through redundancy process. Can’t see the light at the end of this. Haven’t seen my family or friends in 7 months. It’s all so depressing. And now we are facing tier 3 lockdown. My job won’t survive.
Only thing keeping me hopeful is seeing family at Christmas but who knows if that will happen.

We will look back on this time with pride.

I can think of a lot worse times through history.

Yes throughout history there have been far worse times but that doesn't help those facing redundancy and not seeing loved ones, etc. We have to deal with what is happening now.

Life’s not easy OP. If this is your greatest battle then you should consider yourself blessed.

Yes it is shit. For me, keeping a sense of perspective has helped enormously though.

This pandemic is so divided for people and I often think some of those who are unaffected beyond a cancelled holiday and struggle to get bog roll really cannot understand how it may have decimated people’s lives and need to have more insight. for everyone who is struggling, it is perfectly ok to have a safe space to rant about it.

My friend is a new mum , baby born in June. She is literally out doing stuff every day, baby groups, sensory groups, swim class etc

Fab for her. One baby group has reopened in my area and they can only fit 6 people in with social distancing, and it’s fully booked.

Agree with nicegerbil. This existence is just passive.

It's no fun. We are OK financially, which I am beyond grateful for.

I am a full time carer for my DH and I am worried that what little mobility he has left is going downhill as he doesn't want to go to the gym because of covid risk (even though is very low). I do feel very isolated at the moment.

Also, I wonder what will be left of our high streets etc once all this is over. My heart goes out to everyone losing their businesses and jobs.

Everyone seems to be putting on a brave face in public, but I think in private many are struggling.

It's not going to last, because it can't last. People have lived through much worse wars, sending thier sons out to war, etc

Thinking this helps me. I also don't watch too much news. I also think there is so much hysteria and media need to show those who have had COVID mildly so people aren't so terrified! BUT media live to scaremonger.

I lost my job too, redundancy process went on p we lockdown after 14 years on my job. This last month I found another.

Things will get better!

@popcornlover

Life’s not easy OP. If this is your greatest battle then you should consider yourself blessed.

Well I am quiite old and have lived through a lot of shit times like most people my age, but this is in the top three of shittiest things to live through. You are probably being goady, though.

If you're finding this ok then why are you here? Literally to kick people who are down?!

Our nervous systems are critical to how we feel. So if this system's needs are consistently not met, we CANNOT be feeling ok. The same way that you CANNOT be healthy if you live on 900 calories indefinitely. Touch - good touch - is critical to how we function. So is social interaction. Critical. We may all have differing requirements in the quantities we need but the bottom line is if your needs aren't met in those areas, you're not going to be feeling ok. If there's no end in sight to that, it's going to be a psychological nightmare for many people.

And then add in worry about relatives, health problems, awful financial situations etc.

So instead of telling people that "if this is your only difficulty in life, you're lucky" consider that perhaps their experience is very different to yours. And right now, the fact you're able to come on a thread where people are suffering and say something like that makes you lucky - and not very nice.

I’ve been pretty upbeat all along, and I still refuse to let this get me down, as I’m prone to depression and I just don’t want to go back there again. Also aware that I’m very lucky in many ways - public sector job that’s relatively secure, small mortgage, in a loving marriage, nobody really close to me has been seriously ill or died - so I consciously count my blessings every day.

I have felt a bit flat and verging on down the last few weeks, though. I worry for my children. My teenager with autism was making real strides with independent travel, social skills, hobbies etc before lockdown, but lockdown set him back so much and is barely leaving his room at the moment and refusing school. Younger child transitioned to secondary school this year and it’s all so weird - no after school clubs, mask wearing, groups of kids self isolating. It hasn’t been the positive experience she had hoped for and she’s quite tearful and anxious.

My day to day life is strained. Busy public transport commute everyday makes me nervous at times. My job has changed completely, from people facing and lots of face to face team work, to back to back Zoom meetings and pretty much solitary days in my office. I used to se my Mum every day, but it’s not possible at the moment. My dad is in another country that has just gone back in to lockdown and he’s seriously ill. Lots of uncertainty.