Anyone feel like no end in sight to this lockdown?

[Hapixmas]

I really struggled with lockdown 1. I would say I was probably spiralling in to depression and developed extreme health anxiety (media panic) i thought my parents were going to die. Despite them not being as worried as me! I knew 1 person who had covid from working on a covid ward. They recovered well, barely even noticed they had it. The summer came and life felt 'normal' nice weather, able to meet people outside, able to drive to see people. Since that point I've been fairly positive. I've had a niece who I've been unable to visit due to tiers/ lockdowns but despite all that, I've felt relatively positive. I know loads of people who have had covid this time and I now know loads who have had the vaccine. So with the vaccine I was feeling optimistic that some sort of normality will resume. But it just feels like there is no end in sight to lockdowns and even when there is, it will be back to tiers. And tiers may as well be lockdown as far as I'm concerned because only on tier 1 you can meet friends/ family indoors.
I don't know why I'm posting really. I just feel I need a place to get it out. I'm just feeling fed up. Anyone else?

I've found it hard from the start. All the stuff I do was cancelled mid-March and that's left life very vacuous... apart from the aggro of "home schooling" with two very reluctant children.
I was concerned about the virus in the first place, not to an anxious level. My immediate family are low risk in lifestyle and of comolications and there's no such thing as safe anyway.

We struggled by June. I broke a bit the week it was clarified that my DCs weren't setting foot in school until September. July-Aug were better and we made the most of a better range of outdoor things to do. In September, I just kind of went into a live in the moment now. It was likely that the usual winter respiritory illness season and Covid would not be a happy mix. I bought bulbs in winter bedding for the garden. Since October, I've been focusing on Easter as a point where life should feel better. Definitely seasonally, but regardless of developments in vaccines (which are impressive) rates should naturally plummet off anyway.

I'm not a winter person at the best of times. This is not the best of times. But I do generally feel better once Feb gets going and into March.

am totally struggling too. But I do think partly it's to do with the short, cold, grey days and these things WILL improve and as it stands cases ARE Coming down. The vaccine can only help this though to what degree I don't know.

But although the spring and summer are likely to be better than right now, I'm not convinced at all that that will be the worst over. We're going to be living with this in some form for several years at best.

I'm finding it very talking to DH about it as he is far less bothered by restrictions than I am. He wfh anyway and is a bit of a hermit and not particularly bothered by not getting out and seeing people generally. Whereas I have a business which normally involves travelling all over the place and seeing different people every day. Clearly that isn't happening right now and instead I am stuck at home all day every day trying to homeschool 2 kids that hate homeschool. Is fucking grim.

on the plus side Daffodils in the garden are trying really hard to come out and will be here within a week. Am focussing on the small stuff like this.

@imamearcat

If you were ever going to be worried it should be now because there are more people dying than ever! I don't get it when people were shitting themselves back last spring but now very blasé.. doesn't make sense!

Anyway, this summer should definitely return to some sort of normality. Cases are dropping so things are improving. We just need to hang in there.

I'm a lot less worried now than in spring. In the spring I was pregnant and asthmatic, so assumed i was higher risk. There were numbers being bandied about like 3.4% mortality rate.

Now we know so much more about the virus. I know that my risk of death is 1 in 250 000, and that asthma is not a risk factor. The vulnerable members of my family have been vaccinated. I'm not worried at all now.

Every time I’m tempted to ‘go for a stroll at the range’, I remind myself how I’d feel if a trip to the range caused my husband or one of my kids to die. Yes, that is absolutely brutal but it could happen and the range is absolutely not worth it
What an odd sentiment. A trip to the range could cause someone to die anyway. You could get in a car crash on the way there, pick up an illness from another customer etc. You do know that covid isn't the only thing which kills people? And unless your husband and kids are extremely vulnerable and/or elderly then the risk of death is tiny... and if they are they presumably they have had the vaccine.

It's hard to stay strong but we've got this.

No offence, but trite Americanisms aren't really helpful.

What does 'we've got this' even mean?

@IcedPurple

But it is...offensive... to make judgemental, sniffy, 'holier than thou', comments at someone's perfectly reasonable observation.
What happened to 'Be Kind'?

[quote pallasathena]@IcedPurple

But it is...offensive... to make judgemental, sniffy, 'holier than thou', comments at someone's perfectly reasonable observation.
What happened to 'Be Kind'?[/quote]
It was shown up for the hypocritical and passive aggressive nonsense that it is?

I think this lockdown is just harder all round.The first one was a chance to do DIY and take stock from my 12 hr days shop for dm and enjoy the sun and we has no idea how long it would last.
Now Xmas lights are packed away it has been pissing with rain and muddy and grim milestones of the death toll are quite rightly saddening us.Also people are becoming more spiteful on here and in RL.
Spring is on its way.Brighter days and a chance to get outside.Evrryone is struggling with loneliness and frustration I think.

I don't. I feel optimistic. So many more vaccines coming on the market. UK as doing well in vaccinations.
It's just a couple more months and we will be free!

I just desperately hope not too many people die in the interim due to people ignoring the restrictions and not thinking of the consequences.

@ChocOrange1

Every time I’m tempted to ‘go for a stroll at the range’, I remind myself how I’d feel if a trip to the range caused my husband or one of my kids to die. Yes, that is absolutely brutal but it could happen and the range is absolutely not worth it What an odd sentiment. A trip to the range could cause someone to die anyway. You could get in a car crash on the way there, pick up an illness from another customer etc. You do know that covid isn't the only thing which kills people? And unless your husband and kids are extremely vulnerable and/or elderly then the risk of death is tiny... and if they are they presumably they have had the vaccine.

God, finally, someone who speaks a bit of common sense around here.

Dying because of going to the range? Jeez Louise! What's the difference in going to a supermarket for food?
People like myself are still working with members of the public, risks everywhere, every day.
We risk our lives when we step foot in a car, how many people die in car crashes?
All logic seems to have disappeared when this virus reared its ugly head.

I think that this time, the government is being much more careful with Saint Boris's overt optimism. This time, he's not spouting trite like "we can turn this virus around in twelve weeks": someone's finally told him the public are noticing the U-turns. Hence, they're being especially careful not to talk about easing things. At the moment, they're trying to keep us distracted by as much doom and gloom as they can throw at us, while the public is still lapping it up.

I'm sure the government know that public anger and despair is about to boil over, that the public are becoming increasingly sceptical and restless; I think the government knows that the game will soon be up. Surely somebody in government realises that while we are bored at home, we have plenty of time to brood on a future of recession, unemployment, mental health at rock bottom. They are saying NOTHING about this because they don't want to distract from the "stay at home" message, but I'm sure they are thinking about it; even if their only planned action is for lots of resignations just before this really starts to be felt.

They've mentioned a "road map" or some other drivel for 22nd Feb, which no doubt will be as clear as the mud some of us have been trudging through.

We have to keep putting pressure on the government. Point out that their lockdown has caused people to gain weight, and become unhealthy: these are things they have preached about before, to save the deified NHS. Make it clear that the ball is entirely in their court about how they intend to deal with lockdown-ravaged Britain, and that we DO NOT want this to be happening every winter. The consequences of lockdown must be POINTED OUT, again and again, no matter how much the government (and Mumsnet) tries to shut this discussion down.

@wanderings

I think that this time, the government is being much more careful with Saint Boris's overt optimism. This time, he's not spouting trite like "we can turn this virus around in twelve weeks": someone's finally told him the public are noticing the U-turns. Hence, they're being especially careful not to talk about easing things. At the moment, they're trying to keep us distracted by as much doom and gloom as they can throw at us, while the public is still lapping it up.

I'm sure the government know that public anger and despair is about to boil over, that the public are becoming increasingly sceptical and restless; I think the government knows that the game will soon be up. Surely somebody in government realises that while we are bored at home, we have plenty of time to brood on a future of recession, unemployment, mental health at rock bottom. They are saying NOTHING about this because they don't want to distract from the "stay at home" message, but I'm sure they are thinking about it; even if their only planned action is for lots of resignations just before this really starts to be felt.

They've mentioned a "road map" or some other drivel for 22nd Feb, which no doubt will be as clear as the mud some of us have been trudging through.

We have to keep putting pressure on the government. Point out that their lockdown has caused people to gain weight, and become unhealthy: these are things they have preached about before, to save the deified NHS. Make it clear that the ball is entirely in their court about how they intend to deal with lockdown-ravaged Britain, and that we DO NOT want this to be happening every winter. The consequences of lockdown must be POINTED OUT, again and again, no matter how much the government (and Mumsnet) tries to shut this discussion down.

I agree with this. That's why last week they emphasised how the 'new variant' was a lot 'deadlier' than common and garden Covid, even though the evidence isn't that strong.

I think with the one year anniversary of lockdown approaching, people will get increasingly restless, assuming rates are much lower then. I know that for me, the thought of another spring and summer with significant restrictions sounds awful. I think the govt hope to get as many people vaccinated as possible as quickly as possible, and know they need to keep the British public on side (ie frightened) as long as i takes to achieve that. Hopefully this will be the last major lockdown, though I've said that before.

Sorry you have been feeling depressed OP.

I have been more down in this lockdown than in the others. I think the vaccine good news is almost making it worse. I am on level 6 of the priority list, but I worry that lockdown will be lifted before I get my vaccine and there is only so much I can do to protect myself when my DC go back to school (which they really want to). So the anxiety about not getting the vaccine before the government decide life should resume is making me down.

Plus this lockdown is worse as it's during winter. I agree with the previous posters saying things will look brighter in spring. I am looking forward to spring flowers, but I'd like to be free to drive to the countryside to see spring happening properly (I live in a dreary crowded suburb).

@wanderings

I think that this time, the government is being much more careful with Saint Boris's overt optimism. This time, he's not spouting trite like "we can turn this virus around in twelve weeks": someone's finally told him the public are noticing the U-turns. Hence, they're being especially careful not to talk about easing things. At the moment, they're trying to keep us distracted by as much doom and gloom as they can throw at us, while the public is still lapping it up.

I'm sure the government know that public anger and despair is about to boil over, that the public are becoming increasingly sceptical and restless; I think the government knows that the game will soon be up. Surely somebody in government realises that while we are bored at home, we have plenty of time to brood on a future of recession, unemployment, mental health at rock bottom. They are saying NOTHING about this because they don't want to distract from the "stay at home" message, but I'm sure they are thinking about it; even if their only planned action is for lots of resignations just before this really starts to be felt.

They've mentioned a "road map" or some other drivel for 22nd Feb, which no doubt will be as clear as the mud some of us have been trudging through.

We have to keep putting pressure on the government. Point out that their lockdown has caused people to gain weight, and become unhealthy: these are things they have preached about before, to save the deified NHS. Make it clear that the ball is entirely in their court about how they intend to deal with lockdown-ravaged Britain, and that we DO NOT want this to be happening every winter. The consequences of lockdown must be POINTED OUT, again and again, no matter how much the government (and Mumsnet) tries to shut this discussion down.

100% agreed but how do we do this?

I have emailed my local MP this morning saying as such that the plebs arent been pacified any longer. With the rapid roll out of this vaccination, restrictions should be eased come end of March - and I mean eased by not planking us into tiers 3 and 4.

Save the NHS, when the fuck did it become the publics job?
We started this pandemic with 40,000 less nurses and now we're being guilt tripped into cutting our lives off to save an already crumbling NHS.

These people who go "we all have to follow rules and plod on" cant be home schooling and working from home, or lost their job, their business, their home.
Piers Morgan can sit there every morning with his suit on going on about Covidiots when hes fucking off to Antigua over Christmas for 2 weeks while people are cracking up, barely scraping by.

Boils my blood!

@DuchessofHastings1 I think writing to MPs is more valuable than we might think. Of course they're going to reply with a non-commital "but there's a pandemic on" or a thinly disguised "you know nothing, pleb", but if we keep writing, there's more chance of them saying in Parliament "my constituents are becoming increasingly concerned about the legacy of lockdown".

The government are monitoring the public response, as we have seen with their constant leaking of each fresh horror they have in store; and they try to use the media to influence what they want the public response to be, so they can say "the public wanted it". It's a kind of unofficial polling where they fix the result. The voices who shout the loudest tend to be heard; so I think it's our duty to keep voicing anti-lockdown sentiment whenever we can.

Some very odd sentiments on this thread.

‘The range is not worth the death of my loved ones.’

This made me laugh, in a black humour kind of way. The Range, no. John Lewis, perhaps.

@wanderings that's why he changed his mind on herd immunity to begin with once he got the public out cry.
They must know people are getting ants in their pants. Lockdown over winter, more people plunged into poverty and homeless, home schooling...coupled with the rapid vaccine roll out, people wont sit still for long.

@imamearcat

If you were ever going to be worried it should be now because there are more people dying than ever! I don't get it when people were shitting themselves back last spring but now very blasé.. doesn't make sense!

Anyway, this summer should definitely return to some sort of normality. Cases are dropping so things are improving. We just need to hang in there.

God you really are a cunt aren’t you? I always wonder the psychology of people who want to make others feel worse. Can you explain?

OP I feel exactly the same. I’m utterly miserable