Anyone feel like their head is fried over all the variants and media scaremongering?

[User135644]

I've got to try a media blackout. Between the news, social media, politics shows and newspapers (which I only dip in and out of anyway) my head feels battered by it all. Especially as not knowing what will happen now later in the month as a result, travel plans completely up in the air all summer, not knowing whether i'll back to the office or not, as my work are dependent on government guidance and the will they won't they keeps disrupting our plans.

I felt more relaxed when we were all locked down for months (although it's great having things open again). The uncertainty is just so crippling and anxiety inducing.

I much prefer this to lockdown! I loathed the second very much

I’m more ok with this also because I know the date for review. No point trying to second guess it

The uncertainty is a given for me. Uncertainty means you still have hope things might go well rather than knowing that things will get worse. Uncertainty is good thing.

I agree OP I hated lock down but my anxiety was a lot better during it and it’s the uncertainty and constant negative reporting at the moment that is causing it. The inability to plan and look forward to anything for fear it won’t happen. I have my little ones christening and first birthday in August and I know to some it seems like it’s trivial and un-important but after a shit show for maternity leave it was really getting me through hoping for a normal summer and the chance for my family to celebrate our baby before I go back to work. I really hope it can all go ahead. And on a bigger scale I wish more people would understand that we can’t live like this forever there has to be an end point and if it’s not the vaccination I wish someone would tell me what it is. The goal posts move almost daily and it’s destroying people mentally and financially.

A ban from any covid related news etc. works wonders I did it for a few days while we were away last week and you almost forget what a shit show it is if you step away from the phone! Am going to take my own advice and do it again this weekend!

I agree OP. I am stopping watching the news but I need to work out how to hide this board, it’s full of nutjobs who are loving the doom and drama. I keep seeing the posts and getting sucked in. Like picking a scab.

I stopped watching ages ago

The only downside is I go out into zombie land and get a jolt.

I’m not an anxious person & thus, no. Not personally. I’m thoroughly enjoying life to the max at the mo. I’m filling every bit of free time with my friends, my family & time with my children out & about. I’ve had the happiest few weeks I can remember. A wonderful half term holiday.

If covid has done anything, it’s taught me to concentrate on the present. Enjoy what I can do now. Not what might happen. Yeh, I’ll be devastated if we lockdown again but I’m not wasting time we aren’t kicked down worrying about it. That’s just a waste! Go go go & enjoy what you can 🥳

It’s a global disaster. Expect the least and enjoy the little we have.
I know so many people on nhs waiting lists waiting to get operated on or get seen but haven’t because of covid. Just be glad you’re not one of them in pain waiting to get seen.
Anyone booking holidays and then complaining because the advice for travel has changed gets no sympathy from me.

Everyone has been pushed to limits including people’s patience and mental health and general health.

My neighbours’ mum fell over the other day and needed an ambulance. The dispatchers said they are pushed past the limits. She had to wait at the hospital was 7 hours until she was sorted.

There is light at the end of tunnel, just hold on, and stop reading the news for your own sake.

I'm on a bit of a media blackout as it's supposed to be daughter's bat mitzvah, postponed from last year, in 3 weeks' time and everything is causing me massive anxiety. I was worried one of us would get it, especially as kids are at school, but perhaps more likely than that is a school contact/bubble closure forcing us to cancel again.

OTOH, we have organised a Zoom ceremony a few days before, so unless anyone in the household is desperately ill we should be able to do that at the very least - I've decided to be grateful if we can do that and see managing to do the actually ceremony (it would be pretty safe as is small numbers, distanced, well ventilated and masked) as a bonus if we get that far.

I don’t think the media is scaremongering. I don’t feel particularly anxious. At the start of the pandemic last year, I did feel anxious, but not now. Obviously, I wouldn’t try to have a foreign holiday this year or last year, but otherwise, life is becoming more and more normal. Vaccinations are continuing apace.

Block it out OP.

I’ve developed a knack of hearing and reading the news but believing none of it.

Everything is a surprise for me at the moment. Because of the uncertainty and because I believe nothing our government or anyone else says is a certain.

I’m no longer anxious. It’s sort of liberating being separated from reality and full of surprises rather than disappointments.

I haven't watched the news, or listened to radio news since the Brexit referendum. If I accidentally catch it (if I'm with my parents for example), I can't believe how emotive the language is, how manipulative it feels.

Instead I joined Twitter and chose to follow some useful cross party, cross opinion posters. At the moment it's mostly maths folks, since they 'report' detail and information, with little emotion attached.

I also subscribed to The Week magazine - stories from around the world, from across the political and cultural 'divides'. It's great. I'm informed but not panicked!

I have tried to avoid following daily news and analysis for a while: certainly since South African variant!
I caught a headline on my radio this AM. I try to let it go.
We did just cancel this year's planned summer holiday. What can you do?
If I want to watch TV I choose sit coms or rom coms. Keeps me cheerful!
This too shall pass may be a cliché but it's true.

I have deleted all news apps, deleted social media & I turn off the radio when the news comes on. If I see a coronavirus post on Mumsnet post, I immediately hide it. I only looked at this one because it had scaremongering in the title. I have no clue what's going on anymore, and it feels SO good. I hated the anxiety of it all, so now I just ignore it

No my head isn't fried. I am moving forward. I have had covid and 2 jabs. Going forward I will be doing everything I can that is 'allowed' within government restrictions and is therefore restricted by closure e.g. if cinemas close again I won't be able to go however I will be implementing my own 'rules' at home and that are in my control. My home is now open to groups of friends and family and this will continue unless I am reported to the police. I will walk with friends when I want etc.

If this government can let unrestricted people travel to a country ridled with a new variant, bodies piled high and allow them unrestricted to rush back in then they have lost any good will I had around covid. It would seem that many of the people who travel overseas also refuse the vaccine. This variant is now running rife within our young people. I can only hope that long covid doesn't affect them. We should all be up in arms, instead the focus is on holidays in Portugal. Well done for the government using the 'look over there' tatic.

@2021Vision

No my head isn't fried. I am moving forward. I have had covid and 2 jabs. Going forward I will be doing everything I can that is 'allowed' within government restrictions and is therefore restricted by closure e.g. if cinemas close again I won't be able to go however I will be implementing my own 'rules' at home and that are in my control. My home is now open to groups of friends and family and this will continue unless I am reported to the police. I will walk with friends when I want etc.

If this government can let unrestricted people travel to a country ridled with a new variant, bodies piled high and allow them unrestricted to rush back in then they have lost any good will I had around covid. It would seem that many of the people who travel overseas also refuse the vaccine. This variant is now running rife within our young people. I can only hope that long covid doesn't affect them. We should all be up in arms, instead the focus is on holidays in Portugal. Well done for the government using the 'look over there' tatic.

Completely agree with your comments

Government doesn’t give a shit so I’m done as well.

I find it all fascinating and I hoover up all the news I can!

2021Vision I agree with your post tbh.

I found I've come to the limits of my interest in virology.
I find many government / official authorities responses beyond ridiculous and against logic at this stage of the ongoing saga. I'm too appalled to be fascinated, just pissed off and resigned.

@QioiioiioQ

I find it all fascinating and I hoover up all the news I can!

I've avoided speaking to a friend who is so into it, that if you ask her to talk about something else, she says "that's not fair, there's nothing else to talk about, don't you find it fascinating?"

No more burials in the last year for each borough than there has been in any other year nor cremations. Food for thought. #plandemic

Oh god.

@daisypond

I don’t think the media is scaremongering. I don’t feel particularly anxious. At the start of the pandemic last year, I did feel anxious, but not now. Obviously, I wouldn’t try to have a foreign holiday this year or last year, but otherwise, life is becoming more and more normal. Vaccinations are continuing apace.

It's the mixed messages for me, or mixed reporting. One day the vaccines work well against the variant, the next they don't. One day we're on course for 21st June the next we're not.

The public are being epically gaslighted.

Or every varying opinion is given airtime via modern media churning stories.

No. My head isn’t fried and I say this as someone who had go on anti anxiety tablets last Oct as I was nearing breaking point. I’m now at the stage where I can’t believe every variant is going to restrict us & lead us to panic. They always said this virus would mutate as the flu does so surely that’s what’s happening. I just live within the rules and as normal
as possible.
One of my friends had covid symptoms & tested negative, her hubby had the same symptoms & tested positive a week later. There is no rhyme or reason & im over making myself ill for this situation.

There's no plan set in stone and no official body in the UK is organised or bothered enough to "gaslight" anyone imo.