How long before we’re all disappointed with normal life again?

[Thewinterofdiscontent]

So we’ll all go out with friends and family ASAP and pop round each other houses. And go shopping. It’ll be fantastic.
How long before people start moaning again?

Those with no friends and family are going to feel even worse once everyone else has somewhere to go.
Everywhere will be packed and we’ll be pressured to spend a fortune just because we can and we haven’t seen each in so long.
We’ll remember how rubbish having to physically turn up for work is and get resentful of people who have been kept at home. And those at home will feel sidelined.
Crime will be back up again.
Hospitals rammed again and impossible waiting lists.

I’m sure there will be moaning about the small annoying stuff. Can’t wait for threads about children in cafes and queues in shops, parking. That is normal life. Yes that can be to excess, but the answers here will be as they were before - get a life, don’t be ridiculous

I actually feel quite sorry for you OP. What a miserable outlook. I for one always valued conversation, interaction, cafes, days out with my kids, and family. I also love my job (teaching teenagers) and am looking forward to getting them back in a classroom. Maybe you should look into mindfulness. It teaches you to value the good moments rather than focusing on the negatives.

I liked my old life. Desperate for it back.

It will take several years for me to take normal life for granted again and I certainly won't ever take foreign travel for granted again.

Just one year ago, if you said to people that it would be ILLEGAL to go on holiday, even in this country, and that all overseas travel would be banned unless for 'essential' purposes (whatever they are?), they'd have laughed in your face. And yet, here we are. The past year has been like living in an alternative reality.

I prefer lockdown! I have become introverted over the years and have an illness, which means I'm largely stuck at home anyway. I like life being quiet and not having to bother with people who aren't friends/family.

@Lovely1a2b3c

I prefer lockdown! I have become introverted over the years and have an illness, which means I'm largely stuck at home anyway. I like life being quiet and not having to bother with people who aren't friends/family.

So what has lockdown changed for you?

Also I imagine the moaning will happen quickly! It's like if you have a health scare where you're not sure if it's a life-limiting condition- for a short time life just seems perfect because you're scared of losing it; then when you find out it's not as serious (e.g. a lump is benign) you start noticing all the crappier things in life again!

Of course people will moan, that's just life. But they'll be living as they want, and will be free to choose eg whether to attend a crowded soft play or a busy event. I'll probably piss and whinge about public transport but I can't bloody wait to be there in the first place.

And I absolutely love going to my place of work. I miss it painfully.

@Fembot123 Mostly just having family at home, which is really nice! At the same time there are fewer appointments and things to bother with.

Also everyone now understands some of the more frustrating aspects of being stuck at home (e.g. feeling cut-off/on the outside of normal life, lack of mental stimulation); which I know sounds completely contradictory to my 'I like life being quiet' statement but somehow they co-exist for me! I still really enjoy seeing more of my family and I like the fact that some things like classes, which you can normally only attend in person are online just now.

[quote Lovely1a2b3c]@Fembot123 Mostly just having family at home, which is really nice! At the same time there are fewer appointments and things to bother with.

Also everyone now understands some of the more frustrating aspects of being stuck at home (e.g. feeling cut-off/on the outside of normal life, lack of mental stimulation); which I know sounds completely contradictory to my 'I like life being quiet' statement but somehow they co-exist for me! I still really enjoy seeing more of my family and I like the fact that some things like classes, which you can normally only attend in person are online just now.[/quote]
That makes sense 😊 you can definitely feel more than one thing about a situation and I truly hope that this lockdown has made people more aware of others in situations like yours.

@GalesThisMorning

Do you mean how long until my husband and I lie in bed on a Saturday night moaning that we're too tired to go out and meet friends? How long until we reach that point in a pub of thinking shit I should have just stayed at home, the hangover won't be worth it How long before we're sniping at each other over the length of queues at airports, being annoyed not to be able to get a reservation, going into shock over the price of a movie ticket, fretting about getting home late on a Sunday...

All those little inconveniences will seem such a luxury won't they! I even found myself missing early morning birthday parties at the leisure centre!!

Yes all this.

I liked my old life but did find being sociable costs a lot whether it be a coffee and chat or a night out. All that went away last year,
And work was so relentless last year I nearly cried when I didn’t have to in in March .Even better I got to go back in May but half the workload had also just gone away.

I ‘m most looking forward to not having to worry about being wrong footed by “ Covid” - queuing in the wrong place, some people being really strict, some making you feel stupid for being cautious. Having to check you always have a mask on you. That sort of thing.

@TwirpingBird

Ha. It wasn’t about me! just about the human condition really. I’m easy going and happy before and after lockdown. I work with teens too, I I’ve been back with them since May since mine are all vulnerable. It tends to give you perspective.

It was just the wails of everyone desperate for this to be over. I wondered when the “ do you remember how helpful we were to each other in lockdown”, “I loved having time for exercise/family/daily walks”etc, would replace it really.

[quote Thewinterofdiscontent]@TwirpingBird

Ha. It wasn’t about me! just about the human condition really. I’m easy going and happy before and after lockdown. I work with teens too, I I’ve been back with them since May since mine are all vulnerable. It tends to give you perspective.

It was just the wails of everyone desperate for this to be over. I wondered when the “ do you remember how helpful we were to each other in lockdown”, “I loved having time for exercise/family/daily walks”etc, would replace it really.[/quote]
Actually other than the initial rush of Blitz spirit we had in March and April last year, the lockdowns have shown very clearly the more selfish and miserable and mean attitudes of people. It's brought out the best but more often the worst of human nature. And just to make it clear, I am categorically NOT talking about "rule breakers". Grassing up neighbours, the awful actions of certain police forces, teenagers being sent home for daring to have a game of basketball, little kids being shouted at for playing in the street, playparks being fenced off, certain teachers describing the children in their classes as a "germ soup" etc, police waiting in beach car parks when it's known full well that the risks of catching Covid outside in the fresh air are entirely negligible. The list is endless.

I will very glad when people are able to resume a more normal existence and the fear factor which has made people act so horribly is scaled back.

I love being able to access on line events like NT and arts festivals, but I was going to local events before.

My kids will love having more activities back, and I will enjoy their pleasure.

The lockdown lovers / let's keep kids at home off school forever people on this site will hate normal life!!!

I think 'hedonic adaptation' (is that the right term?) will probably kick in quite quickly for most people. We all appreciate our health when we get it back after illness, but it's hard to keep that gratitude going consistently for months and years, that's the comparison I'd make.

TBH, I think 'normal life' wasn't that great for a lot of people. I loved my pre-covid life and felt very privileged, but I still remember looking around me one day in late 2019/early 2020 as I exited the station on my way to work. It was packed, everyone shuffling along nose to tail in silence, everyone wearing grey or black, not a splash of colour in sight. "Fuck me, this is Dickensian" I thought to myself.

So I won't be going back to 15 hours a week of commuting on dirty trains, wasting hours of my life on freezing platforms in delays, handing over £1,500 p.a. to a bunch of piss-taking privateer bastards. I won't go back to shopping in supermarkets - it's a time-consuming pain in the butt, especially if you don't drive.

As for the nicer things like bookshops, the pub, galleries, daytrips - yes I am looking forward to these, but I honestly think I might give it a year or so. I don't want to be crowded by tons of people and I want to see how well everything settles down public health-wise. Having had covid last March, (which I almost certainly caught in the office), I am not keen to go out among a load of partially-vaccinated people making hay, I'll leave that to the pensioners for now.