Struggling mentally - covid information overload! Could do with support please

[Littlemiss74]

I’ve felt awful today. Posted on another thread that I have been advised to shield again & so have been worried about DD9 going back to school. Have now agreed with the Head that she will stay home this week & do home learning. I will be wfh as will dh & ds is secondary so will be home learning too. Although I’m glad they will be safely at home I am dreading it as today has been a nightmare to the point I don’t know how to cope with us all being cooped up together anymore.

My condition has flared up and I’ve been in agony today & exhausted as I haven’t been sleeping until about 1.00am recently. My mind just can’t switch off from thinking about this virus & all the bloody implications it’s having.

We are all starting to crack I think. DD has literally moaned all day about how bored she is. DH has spent time with but has been doing house stuff too to help me. I’ve never seen her like this. She’s been crying & moaning about everything, almost toddler tantrum like & talking in a baby voice (which is driving me nuts!). Nothing is right or the way she wants it. I know she’s probably crying out for attention but I have just felt so unwell I couldn’t give it. She talks non stop & is so loud. DS is becoming an increasingly angry teenager and they just argue all the time. I’m drained and it’s getting me down to the point I hate being here but there is nowhere else to go!

I feel so anxious and down - I feel like i’ve become obsessed with social media & forums like this one, needing to know the latest developments. The rise in cases in my area makes me not want to go to supermarket & so apart from dog walk I’m here all the time. Wfh started off great back in March but now I’m sick of it and I miss going to the office & having another life, wearing nice clothes & seeing my colleagues to talk about anything other than coronavirus!

I know this is nothing compared with what a lot of people are going through right now but I thought there might be others here feeling the same?
Maybe we could share ideas to keep going to get through this. I’ve let myself go as I never go anywhere. I look awful, wear the same clothes, eat too much comfort crap, don’e exercise properly apart from dog walk & am going to bed far too late. I am a mess. I need support if anyone’s up for helping each other? DH doesn’t really get it and things are a bit strained as we are together 24/7. Thanks in advance.

I was really anxious during the first wave, not helped by DS catching Covid!

My suggestions, get out for a walk every day, the dog will help with that, don't watch TV news and limit time reading news reports/ forum posts about Covid.
Get into a regular routine, very important at night as it will help you settle down to sleep, start morning with shower and a healthy breakfast.
Do you have any hobbies? if not start a new one.

I think you've got the start of a solution there op. Social media is unhelpful for you ( and me) and news is best limited to once a day. You need to focus on what only you can put right; the behaviour you're modelling for your child.
Get up at a decent time and plan and eat simple meals together. Read a book, share a jigsaw, watch TV together that will make you or her laugh or have something to talk about, go for a drive, sit in the garden with a coat on if you can't go for a walk, set your daughter up with an activity and be present ( mentally and physically).
If you want to get fitter maybe come and join us on the Adriene yoga thread in chat. It's only for January and by February the days will be longer and brighter. Making an effort now is tough but it'll make things better in the long term.
Oh and be kind to yourself. Everyone is having to dig deep at the moment. One day at a time and focus on the fact that you're loved and have family around you. You have a plan for next week. Well done.

My advice is to hide any threads you feel make you feel anxious. In fact hide the corona board completely and stick to TV, gardening, style and beauty whatever you enjoy and makes you feel ok. Or just read the good news corona thread.
As pp said, stick to news once daily only and something like the bbc or another news source with information not opinion.
You’ll feel better instantly

Thank you @Tickledtrout yes you’re right, the social media etc is not helpful but I seem to have become also hooked on it which is awful I know. I do need a better routine as I have let all that slip whilst wfh & it’s too easy to log on to laptop still in pj’s! The summer was so much easier as we were outside all the time. Now I’m just finding it so hard to know what to do with them. The last few days I’ve offered to play games but she either doesn't want to or they’ve ended in someone having a meltdown! It just feels so monotonous.
I like the sound of the yoga, I will have a look for that.

@NK346f2849X127d8bca260 thank you for your suggestions too. I do need to try & get a routine going. I’m ashamed to say I haven’t been showering as much I used to as not going anywhere sometimes I just can’t be bothered!

This might seem daft but I have been collecting second hand things off ebay that harp back to gentler times. For example a bedside clock that needs me to wind it everyday or it will stop, a record player that needs me to turn the record over (and still brings the temptation of speeding records up so they sound silly), a tapestry kit that I can sew a bit each day. They may be tiny acts of nostalgia but they are also small comforting routines I can follow.

Teacher here, I'm back at work on Monday. Also feeling anxious as I have vulnerable grandparents who are my child care. But as I suffer with anxiety even before the pandemic this feeling is normal for me. Some things I do when I start feeling bad are:

Come off social media
Don't watch the news
Ban certain talk with family for 24 hours
Have a long hot bath, listen to a book on audible.
Eat some healthy tasty food.
Drink more water and less caffeine.
And one thing my counsellor taught me to help my thought pattern was to ask myself three questions. What's the worst that will happen? What's the best that will happen? What's realistic? This seems to help me a lot.

I don't know if any of that helps, but as for home learning. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. The fact you are worried about it is a lot more than most parents I deal with. Maybe tell the kids they have to work from 8:30-10am then have a 20 min break. Then 10:20-12. Then let them have the afternoon to themselves. If that isn't doable....an hour on maths, an hour on English. That will do to keep them going until they return. Let them have screen time, sod it! Do what you need to do to get through this time. All bets are off at this stage. We parents just need to survive!

Ok it's hard. Get outside before noon. Set up a garden chair somewhere and some bird feeders. Agree a dog walk route for tomorrow. Plan breakfast now. And the pyjamas... Buy some black joggers ( h and m sale on now) and colour coordinated t-shirts. Socks too if required. Do your makeup if that helps, spray of perfume. Fake it til you make it.
I'm tapping from my seat in the garden btw. Was hoping for meteors but it's too cloudy. Can't hear the tawny owl tonight so listening to the neighbours boiler firing up. Teenagers pop out to join me or chat from their bedroom window. Middle child on trampoline .
Plan for a little of the good stuff every day. Don't stress the sibling fighting. It's what they do. Move on. Look after yourself and see you in chat