What scares you about Covid?

[Nomorejumping]

I’m 34, first time mum this year and I’m absolutely petrified of Covid.

I know others will be or will have been in the same position but I just can’t seem to get past the way I feel.

I haven’t done things like go for coffees, go to the hair dressers, out for a meal since January.

Even when restrictions were eased in the summer and we were allowed to meet indoors, I chose not to.

I spent most of the summer outdoors, socially distanced walks, going to the zoo etc.

I’m petrified that Covid = death for me.

I’m due back to work in April and I’m honestly considering not going back.
My son will have to go to a nursery and I’m
so worried about being in an office with people all day.

DH works from home but I don’t have that option with my job.

I struggle to manage what my risks actually are.
I have psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
I’ve never been on medication and always managed with painkillers and steroid injections when needed so I wasn’t on the shielding list.

I don’t know what risk category I fall into but I’ve convinced myself I will be hospitalised and ventilated if I catch it.

The thought ever leaving DS breaks my heart.

I’d love to take him to local baby classes that have just opened up again (all socially distanced)
I’d love to take him to the local garden centre that have a fantastic Christmas display there, but I’m to scared.

How do other people manage?

I see people just living normally, using public transport, eating out, going to supermarkets and I genuinely feel so envious and wish I could be like that.

I’ve never been like this before. Covid has literally changed my life 😭

OP it sounds like your anxiety is getting out of hand if its making you miserable and you can't rationalise how low your risk is even when looking at risk data like that qcovid tool.

Like others Im worried about my older relatives, I worry about people being isolated when they have legitimate reason to stay out of society. Also my heart breaks for people losing their jobs and how hard life is becoming for them in the coming years. Plus the enroachment on our personal freedoms that might never be fully removed.

I dont know what counselling options are available but maybe try a mindfulness app.

Counting your blessings is a really great tool. If a little twee, its true! We won the lottery of life to be born into a wealthy nation with good education and life chances and expectancies far above many in the world. Plus you have a healthy daughter and your own health. I could go on.

Also might be worth checking in with your doctor: you are perfectly normal it's just this year and your rollercoaster hormones are rather doing for you. As the saying goes: be kind to yourself. The first step to recovery is realising you have a problem. You don't want to pass on anxiety to your dd.

Being hospitalised or ending up with long covid scares me. Using that tool my risk of death is 1 in 72641 but I’m not even sure if that’s low or medium risk?
Anyway, my parents are both under 70 and have no health issues and both have normal to low BMIs, yet I lost my uncle who had no underlying health issues either and was 54. I fear my school age kids or I will pass on the virus to my parents.

I guess more than anything I’m scared of the unpredictability of this virus.

Giving it to my parents. Or other vulnerable people. But honestly, mostly just my parents.

@ZenNudist

OP it sounds like your anxiety is getting out of hand if its making you miserable and you can't rationalise how low your risk is even when looking at risk data like that qcovid tool

The thing is. Someone has to be the 1.

Even if my risk statically is low, someone always has to be the 1.

Also, who are all these hundreds of people that are the daily Covid death?
Vulnerable? Old? Or are they just the 1’s?

I was fairly okay about it all then a child in my daughters class got it and been hospitalised with long term covid, not appearing to get any better. She is 12. 😔

@Poorlykitten

I was fairly okay about it all then a child in my daughters class got it and been hospitalised with long term covid, not appearing to get any better. She is 12. 😔

@Poorlykitten

Oh gosh, that’s awful 😞

@itssquidstella

The only thing that scares me is the damage to the economy and the government's creeping interference in every aspect of our lives.

Honestly this for me

It really is. So now my anxiety for my daughter is through the roof. I honestly thought young people were very unlikely to get it but it just seems such a lottery.

I guess it's whether you feel you are lucky.
I dont feel i am
Dp and i both had infertility. So likely something underlying there.
Pcos so high blood sugar even if not diabetic.

The risk with covi d is a bit like downs, higher risk if you are older BUT moe younger people have downs babies due to the number of them. More younger people are catching covid now. if say 50yo are vax and 40 are nt over long term more 40yo could die (especially i f you get it mulriple times)

I was not at all scared of Covid, my parents had it at the beginning of lockdown ist the end of March and were both fine (they live in a country where testing was commonplace). Six months later, in October, my mum was diagnosed with very aggressive high grade lymphoma, it quickly spread to her central nervous system and she died on Friday. Probably just a coincidence, but blood cancer preys on weakened immune systems and she was only in her sixties, and very fit and healthy.

So I’m worried about unknown health implications - I guess it will take some time to see if there’s a link.

I’m cv but young so I don’t feel I’m much at risk. My other household members aren’t cv. I’m more scared of passing it on to friends and family unknowingly then us getting it. I’ve been very careful all year to avoid passing it on.

I think that you are probably more anxious than others your age @Nomorejumping because you are a new mum. That can often be an anxious time when you want to do everything in your power to protect your new baby. It can also be a time when you can feel a little isolated and separated from your previous life due to maternity leave and perhaps lose confidence . Perhaps making you more worried than you would have been otherwise .

In answer to your actual question what scares me is the idea of gasping for breath, not being able to breathe. And also long term health implications . I'm late 50s, so quite a bit older than you but not at an elderly age where it has a much higher chance of being fatal.

At the moment I'm not really going out anywhere apart from walking and seeing close family outdoors at a distance . That's because cases are high where I live at the moment . I was a lot more relaxed during the summer and went out quite a bit, shopping, for meals and on holiday so I expect that when cases fall again I will become less worried and get back to doing other things . (Actually given we're tier 3 there's not a lot we can do !)

@itssquidstella

The only thing that scares me is the damage to the economy and the government's creeping interference in every aspect of our lives.

Same here

That the changes in society will become long term.

Worried that my mum might catch it and react badly.

Otherwise I feel fairly chilled about it, I think i'm just desensitised from working all the way through the lockdowns in a job where social distancing is impossible.

I am worried about the health implications. Noone can tell how covid will affect an individual. I have had deaths from covid in my extended family. I know healthy people under 35 years age with no pre-existing conditions who have been hospitalized. I also think that there is so little known about long covid and long term health implications in children even if they are mostly asymptomatic now.
We have been taking precautions, staying home, homeschooling, going out for walks but not meeting people.
Most people around me aren't even bothered to wear a mask. They were having playdates even in lockdown. I just don't think that's right.

I am most scared for ds. He is 10, and has a rare genetic condition. He was shielding, and is home from school now, but it is like walking a tightrope

I’m scared of getting long COVID. I’ve got health anxiety and I’m terrified of getting a chronic life-changing illness.

Nothing

I’m very scared my parents, especially my dad because he has an underlying health condition, gets it and has a horrible death.

I’m terrified for the economy globally and all the people who will lose jobs and homes because of it.

I’m worried about my children’s education as we’re in an area where all schooling is 100% online and I can’t see them therefore not falling behind despite the teachers managing as best they can with zoom school

I am frightened by the damage to the economy and sweeping removal of our civil liberties and freedoms

@tortoiseshell1985

I am frightened by the damage to the economy and sweeping removal of our civil liberties and freedoms

I am frightened that people like you and others on here who are so worried about the 'sweeping removal of our civil liberties', 'so done with all this', and 'won't be obeying any lockdowns' have forgotten that there is actually a point to disease-control precautions.

@lljkk

I'm scared of the 'new norms' and the (so far) huge hidden future costs.

I'm scared that the Draconian civil-rights-limiting powers will be normalised for "public good".
I'm dismayed by the risk-averse views becoming predominant, and the moral high ground some people claim due to their high risk-averseness.
I'm depressed by the divisiveness between those who insist that they themselves are good people and the majority are covidiots or 'world gone mad'.
I'm scared that our bodily autonomy & ability to choose own risks has been put aside (a new horrible norm).

I'm personally scared that my work opportunities may be damaged because I seem to have minority views.

I'm scared to discover I'm such a coward about stating my own views, Trying to make peace with that, but wondering if I would turn blind eye to something deeply awful like ethnic persecution, I may lack the courage or good moral character I thought I had.

The economic scars & upheaval will take years to recover from (if ever).
Poor people will have been worse hit by the economic damage & this inequity will undermine societal cohesion.

I'm glad I'm old so I may not live long enough to see the bad things all play out. DC seem to be resilient & I strongly suspect that they personally will be ok. The vaccine progress has been amazing & may open doors to new technological breakthrus.

What lljkk said. I’m not physically worried, why would I be? The risk of catching it is minute and even if I did most likely it would manifest as flu at worst. I have financial stress that is actually happening, I can’t stress about hypothetically getting ill.

I do find it very worrying how much easily people have been made to feel fear and how they’ve given up normal everyday life so willingly and how many have appointed themselves policemen of their neighbours’ behaviour.

I'm not frightened by it, or any of the economy or political aspects. I'm young and healthy enough not to be concerned about the health implications, and so are my parents.

My main concern is for my toddler DD and having her development affected by lack of social interaction and access to experiences, so I registered her at nursery (although we don't need the childcare) and have been taking her to lots of attractions (indoor and outdoor) since things opened up in the summer. Use public transport almost every day as we don't have a car. I hear about mums who are keeping their dc at home and not even taking them to the park and I feel really sorry for the dc, they sound terribly depressed. I'm being careful enough to use a mask when required and wash hands when eating or coming home, but life isn't much different for us, except we have the hassle of having to prebook for everything, and fewer things are open.

@Nomorejumping I had pnd after having my first child and it manifested itself as severe health anxiety (fear of dying and leaving her without a mother). I know many of us are struggling with stress and anxiety the moment, but if you feel that your mental health has deteriorated since having a child, I would speak to your GP. Covid is worrying in many ways but it does sound like your fear of dying from it is very much out of proportion to your risk.

I'm not scared of getting it, just as well as I work in a huge inner city primary school, in a high risk area!
I'm oldish but slim, female, healthy and so I think I'd be ok.

However I'm actually petrified of my Dad getting it (72 and a cancer survivor) My best friend (extremely vulnerable to covid) and my dh who I haven't been able to live with since schools reopened, as it's highly likely he would be extremely poorly if he caught covid, or worse

So, yes, I'm scared of covid for very significant reasons.