Do you think there will be people who mentally struggle to recover from this?

[Blackisthecolour]

I'm just thinking about a couple of friends and one family member I know who have been so militant about reducing their risk of catching covid that they've pretty much been nowhere and seen noone since March, even when it's been 'allowed' or within the rules at various times.

One of these has asthma (though controlled and no attacks as an adult) and I do appreciate that catching C19 might be far more risky for them than someone with no health conditions, so no judgement whatsoever. I totally get that people have a right to protect themselves.

All this said, even with a vaccine, I wonder if some individuals have internalised the risk of 'other people' to such an extent that they will have a hard time adapting to the concept of being with others again even when they can safely?

I’m a bit confused about some of your post - when you say you don't understand why your friend is being extra cautious, but then add she has underlying conditions. It's hardly strange that somebody at increased risk of hospitalisation, death, or long term disability is concerned!

The OP hasn’t said that she doesn’t understand it?

I am severely struggling and I don't see it changing anytime soon. We have had the worst time possible, and now I have lost my very much loved career. I am now going to have to work nights in a supermarket to pay the bills and during school holidays stay awake all day to look after my child and survive on 4 hours sleep a day while then doing a 10 hour night shift. I have had suicide idealation numerous times over the past week, last night I even started to get tablets out and then in a sheer twist of fate my child cried out to me and it brought me back.

The vaccine will bring relief to many (and I am on a vaccine trial) it isn't going to bring my loved job back. It isn't going to stop me feeling like a complete and utterly failure, it isn't going to stop me wanting to end everything.

Yes, there are ICU nurses (probably doctors too) who I know with PTSD from the first wave. The burden of caring during the first wave was horrific for some people and relatively underreported.
Plus I know people with ongoing health problems after having caught Covid.

I know many people will ditch their masks as soon as they can, but there is an argument for wearing them if you have flu or a cold, like they do in Asia in normal times, to prevent spreading unpleasant viruses to others if that can be prevented. Just a nice thing to do for others, rather than a draconian regulation like now.

Hi all,
We're really sorry to see that so many of us are struggling right now, it's been a very weird time.
Of course there's our usual webguide, if you would like to seek help off board and we've heard good things about this resource in particular if you would prefer another support system.
Wishing everyone the gentlest of landings once we are over this particularly bumpy period.

@ramblingsonthego

I am severely struggling and I don't see it changing anytime soon. We have had the worst time possible, and now I have lost my very much loved career. I am now going to have to work nights in a supermarket to pay the bills and during school holidays stay awake all day to look after my child and survive on 4 hours sleep a day while then doing a 10 hour night shift. I have had suicide idealation numerous times over the past week, last night I even started to get tablets out and then in a sheer twist of fate my child cried out to me and it brought me back.

The vaccine will bring relief to many (and I am on a vaccine trial) it isn't going to bring my loved job back. It isn't going to stop me feeling like a complete and utterly failure, it isn't going to stop me wanting to end everything.

I just wanted to say i’m so sorry to hear about your job I really hope that 2021 is a much brighter year for you x

Bit contradictory sounding but I've had mental health problems on and mildly on (never really off) throughout my life and yet have been surprisingly resilient through all this. Possibly because of tools I've developed over the years and knowing how to cope with and come through crisis or simply having learnt to live with limitations when they are present.

I think I'd compare the Covid crisis with an episode of severe clinical depression in terms of the isolation, the inability to enjoy your usual pursuits, the lack of personal power etc. There's a journey and process to coming out the other side of that including a reordering of your values and what you need and don't need or want and that will be the same for many people coming out of the Covid crisis.

There are a lot of people, and perhaps it's our culture, who place a lot of value on being completely in control and that will have been shaken. Some might challenge that control issue and grow and change their understanding of control, others may have doubled down on their control issues and maybe that's what all the wiping down your groceries, quarantining your post or even reporting neighbours stems from.

Maybe that's been the history of mental health problems advantage ie already having come to terms with things sometimes being out of your control and sometimes just having to roll with it and wait for the light to return 🤷‍♀️

Sorry if that's too navel gazing but I've been reflecting on this quite a bit. I personally think depression can be a gift in terms of the reassessment and reflection and reordering of one's life and values and capacity to adjust. Maybe Covid crisis can be that for some people in the same way. Like I say though some may just double down on control and rigidity

I found myself having somewhat of a MH breakdown the last couple of weeks. I'm not traditionally an anxious person, but my ability to be resilient just went POOF and I have struggled to get it back.

But when I think about it, I've had my daily dose of support removed. The clubs I went to multiple times a week, and the friends I see at these clubs and outside of them no longer within reach, that human contact from someone other than DH & DC. I'm a hugger, not being able to hug my mates has been awful.

Add to this a job that only got more demanding due to covid and I guess it's amazing I lasted as long as I did..

I hope to get back to "normal" but I think that feeling of waiting for the executioners axe to fall will be very difficult to get away from.

I have a diagnosis which to be sounds very similar to the C-PTSD ones above but for some reason they called mine recurrent depression 'with psychotic features' - I reckon it could be very similar though. I'm on anti-psychotics and antidepressants. Just continued with the prescriptions throughout getting them from the pharmacy. No medical checks as usual. It has been hard, DH is CEV for this virus and that has been stressful. Also have trauma from previous medical issues so it has brought back some of that.

I find being out the house helpful and struggled staying in, maybe that helped in a way as been out most days, even if just to the park.

i have felt the stuff like mask wearing, rules etc quite triggering in terms of MH though, all feels a but like being under surveillance...stressful and being scared of breaking rules...I don't like this feeling of people focusing on each other, watching and reporting them. Will be glad when all that passes...

The only thing which has helped was some of the stuff I learnt for MH has helped a bit such as CBT / mindfulness / self awareness / relaxation etc. Well it should. It does sometimes when I remember.

As Honeybadger mentions. Yes, stoicism / Buddhism stuff can be good for that control issue. Letting go of what you can control and focusing on what you can. Not so easy in practice though sometimes