This isn’t getting any better is it?

[Heatheronthehill]

The last week I’ve felt so down. I knew things would be bad in the winter, but I didn’t think they’d be this bad.
When I heard the news about the vaccine I felt really hopeful at last, but things seem as bleak as they ever were.
I have a 2 year old DS to entertain and being in a tier 3 area we have no indoor places open.
With the weather as it is, I feel extremely depressed and my mental health is becoming difficult to manage.

@IrishMamaMia

While some of these suggestions are great, particularly getting an amaryllis, which I think I will do, I don't think the despair OP is describing can be placated by doing crafts. Well mine can't anyway. It's long term uncertainty stretching on for months, in and out of restrictions, plans cancelled and cancelled again, in and out of isolation, plans up in the air and the effects that this all has on our kids that are wreaking havoc with our MH. For crafts and ideas, I'm sorted.

Totally agree with this. This isn't something that crafts, thermals and hot chocolate can fix. Though they do make the long, boring weekends where it rains none stop more bearable. I feel the same OP. I'm at my whits end now and keep bursting into tears all the time. We made homemade Xmas cards yesterday and then went on a walk posting them, was nice, but I still feel hopeless

I'm at my whits end now and keep bursting into tears all the time.

Me too. I had a work Zoom call today - which I hate anyway - and was hoping that colleagues wouldn't notice that I was trying to hold back tears. Not because of anything they'd said, but just the seeming hopelessness of it all.

I'm sure all the 'Go for a walk/bake a cake/toast some marshmallows' stuff is well-meant, but it's really not helpful. I was so optimistic with the vaccine roll-out and while I do think it's the beginning of the end, it's still so unclear when that end will be. I can put up with a shit winter but I could not stand a summer like the last one.

Things have to be better by the summer. The oldies will be vaccinated by spring then as more people are vaccinated, bit by bit more normality can return. I am hoping!

A good set of thermals, coat and gloves make outside far more pleasant. Mountain Warehouse sell them in toddler sizing through to plus size and they make all the difference.

Yes this year is shit but being outside can be bearable if you're warm :)

@IcedPurple

Oh god I wish we had a proper, hard lockdown

Yes, that worked such a treat in Spain, didn't it?

Worked great until they opened everything up to let all the tourists in so it spread like wildfire again.

That's the problem with lockdown though. They work but only until you open back up again.

Spain made a mess of the summer as did UK and much of Europe for the sake of allowing the ruling class (and ergo the masses) their summer holiday abroad.

I feel similar. I found the last lockdown worse than the previous 7 months. Its so dark, damp and I'm physically alone 99% of the time, no other humans about.

Hang in there OP.
The end is in sight.
It might not be quite as soon as you had hoped but we will get there next year. It isn't that far away.

Worked great until they opened everything up to let all the tourists in so it spread like wildfire again.

The numbers of tourists were very low over the summer and most major outbreaks occurred well away from major tourist destinations. So...no.

Spain made a mess of the summer as did UK and much of Europe for the sake of allowing the ruling class (and ergo the masses) their summer holiday abroad.

Tourism was a fraction of normal numbers. The vast majority of those who would normally go abroad did not, however easy it is to blame it all on the 'masses' insisting on going to Benidorm for 2 weeks.

God, so much.

I've been pushing on since March with a frontline working DH, an 8yo and a 4yo. Made it through lockdown and home schooling (no keyworker childcare unless you had two keyworker parents here ) while working nearly f/t. Made it through the summer finding things to do for the 8yo, while working nearly f/t. Nearly cried with relief when the schools and nurseries opened properly.

But now it's just been going on, and on, and on. 4yo has had almost back to back isolations, 8yo's childcare had to close for a few weeks. DH can't change his hours or wfh so I do the bulk of it. About 10 days ago, when DC got told of their second isolation, I just cried and cried and cried and ended up begging the GP to sign me off for two weeks before I had some sort of nervous breakdown.

Some days it feels ok. Some days I think, it's just another few months and then the weather will turn and people will start getting vaccinated and things will get a little easier. But other days it's just so hard, and so depressing, and so fucking endless.

I don't know what the answer is. Probably not more crafts One day at a time and we'll get there, I suppose.