Covid-19 Getting The Better of You Yet?

[DadAManger]

I am a fairly positive person usually. My approach to Covid so far has been to "get on" as there is "nothing else we can do" - which I know is still true, but WTF I am running on empty now.

I have worked from home throughout the pandemic - not furloughed. My work day is longer than ever - 12 hours is the new normal and you are constantly feeling on edge for what else you need to be doing. Between the increased work, the non-stop emails, the lockdown and home-schooling spurts, the zoom fatigue and the struggling to stay on top of your gam, it has been a hard hard slog.

Now it will continue longer. I was supposed to relocate to the Continent a year ago - this keeps being pushed back, especially now we are seen as the sick man of Europe again. I know my MH is not what is should be, but have not faced this before and don't know what to do on that front either.

I know many people will say I am "lucky" to keep my job and still be busy and to have avoided getting sick so far, but really - WTF - it is really a struggle at the moment. Is Covid getting the better of anyone else now or is this just me (and a few others I see crumbling)?

I'm OK but partly because it was obvious to me from the outset that this would be a long term thing and thus I adjusted my expectations accordingly.

@wonderstuff123 I can't wear one due to health reasons and no one says anything. Even travelled to two different countries which have mask mandates in shops and no one said anything when I would go into a shop without one

@fedup078 yes, do it. I will happily explain to a pub or restaurant that I don't have the app, but will provide my contact details instead, which I then do. Never been notified of anything. I think the tracking thing is pretty hit and miss tbh.

[quote Butterflyinglow]@Beebityboo I really relate to this, would love to know if it’s a recognised ‘thing’. I’m getting real memory blanks too, as in, I can’t remember entire months of this year, and I think it’s just due to functioning in some kind of weird extreme autopilot mode. [/quote]
I keep saying "last year" when I mean 2019. I think in all honesty my subconscious has blocked a big chunk out for my own sanity.

I hate Johnson and his bumbling patheticness - at every juncture, he makes the wrong decision and then slams on the barkes. And every time he rises ever higher in the polls.

@bollihigh

I hate Johnson and his bumbling patheticness - at every juncture, he makes the wrong decision and then slams on the barkes. And every time he rises ever higher in the polls.

tin foil hat on I have honestly started believing in the last year that the polls just show what they want the public to think, not what the public actually thinks. tin foil hat off

I've been quite positive and upbeat but my daughter's year 6 residential trip being cancelled this week has thrown me off and made me feel so bitter and angry about things like football matches going ahead.

I've cried a lot and today just stayed in bed with a migraine. Went out this evening with friends to a local pub garden and bumped into another friend there. The staff were more relaxed than this time last year about our kids sitting on the grass together away from our table. It was a nice evening and has cheered me up a bit but it was really quiet at the pub for a Saturday and I wonder how long these places can stay open.

I can't bear for this to be normal for my 11 year old, she already can't really properly remember life before Covid.

to everyone struggling in this dystopian nightmare.

www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/06/12/fears-restrictions-could-place-spring/

I'm ok until I have to go to the shops and wear a mask. If we can stop wearing them then life will feel OK again for me.

I don't wear a mask or social distance at work so working through the pandemic allowed me a slice of normality. It has been nice go on a few days out lately because I was finding it hard to leave the house - not because of any fear of covid, just because it all seems like such hard work.

I feel like I just exist day to day but everything seems a ridiculous effort simple stuff like popping in for coffee and cake now seems like a military mission . I also feel that I am so used to interacting with work and friends online that when I do talk to people outside of my household I feel like I’m overly conscious of my own voice and what I am saying as though I have lost the ability to have a decent conversation in real life .

Yeah, I'm done. I can't bear the world we live in any more. I hate this new normal, it's no way to live. I keep watching nostalgic TV programmes on youtube from the 80s and 90s. Life was a million times better back then. I'm totally devastated at the loss of the life we once had. I just exist these days, just go through the motions. I'm struggling with keeping on top of the housework. Every day I wake up and just want to go back to sleep but I can't as I have a child to look after, a job to hold down. I've been through some tough times in my life but at least during those times I had hope that things would get better. Now I don't feel there's any hope of life getting better. There's the constant threat of future lockdowns, new variants. There are so many people who want social distancing and face masks to become permanent and that frightens and depresses me in equal measure. I'll keep going for my child's sake but if it wasnt for her I don't know if I'd be here any more.

I’m ok, I’ve just come back from a week of visiting family, going out for meals and pub, I’m going to London today, boat trip down the Thames. I’ve never used track and trace, I’ve never had to self isolate. None of my family have been sick for about 3 years now. I’ve known since this all started certain people have not had their lives effected, they have been traveling all over the world. It’s one rule for the super rich and one rule for the rest of us. I carry on as normal as possible and make the most of going out now as I think we will be locked down again come winter, I did the same last summer, I went out with family and friends at least twice a week.

I am a bit numb. I feel this winter will have huge restrictions.

I don’t understand the risk and am fed up with it. Do we know if double vaccines stop you being seriously ill? I feel we need more treatments if vaccines aren’t the full answer

But I’m actually insanely bored of it all. The whole thing. The phrase “social distancing” makes me feel sad. I like people.

@MushMonster

You are not alone, it got to me too. I have developed a resilience to leave the house. Come the weekend, and I remain here, even now that we can finally go out! And I am mot sure of why, but I do not want to mingle with people. I do miss talking to people. Yet, even if I now can go out, I just don't. I am going to need a push to get back to normal!

I feel exactly like this! Not worried about Covid - I just can’t bring myself to be around other humans.

I read about this in a book (on parenting, randomly) when humans are ‘cut off from their tribe’ it actually takes a while to adjust to being part of it again. Something to do with protecting yourself from rejection. They’ve carried out experiments on other animals where they’ve segregated them from their groups and then tried to reintroduce them - they always hesitate.

We are, as a species, programmed to believe we are in grave danger when we do not have our tribe around us. Our DNA has not changed much since we were hunter-gatherers - we needed the protection of our tribe to survive and thrive. Being cut off as we have been is hugely detrimental to our mental well-being and general health.

Have to take a step outside of myself and look at the good things that have happened since last March, as it is pretty relentless at the moment.

I am worried about ds not being vaccinated as things open up and he is back at school...but have little control over that at the moment so just have to focus on keeping him as well as possible (and crossing my fingers)

I think the government are a bunch of shysters, but I don't think that means that restrictions arent necessary and that we have a long complicated path out of this, not least with trying to manage the back log of NHS treatment which was delayed due to Covid, and the potential for a hard winter with flu, respiratory illnesses and Covid.

I don't really do the whole dystopian thing, because life is just messy.

I'm getting on with my life. Apart from holidays abroad my life is now pretty much normal again

I'm going to let my teens enjoy summer with friends and hope no more lockdowns

I'm happy to comply with masks but at work
(Work in large tourist attraction). I'm giving up challenging rule breakers because the managers don't back us up and still allow entry anyway 😡

@Roonerspismed

I am a bit numb. I feel this winter will have huge restrictions.

I don’t understand the risk and am fed up with it. Do we know if double vaccines stop you being seriously ill? I feel we need more treatments if vaccines aren’t the full answer

But I’m actually insanely bored of it all. The whole thing. The phrase “social distancing” makes me feel sad. I like people.

I like people too and I'm fed up of all this "I hate people, I've been social distancing before Covid anyway haha"

I am worried as society has lost all sense of perspective and we are allowing so much control on the basis of so very little risk. We have vaccines , we have extremely low deaths, very low admissions to hospitals yet we have still have restrictions . We are vaccinating people with no long term data and going beyond what we said and any challenge around this is not heard or quickly shut down. We are accepting high number of side effects and everyone seems to think this is totally acceptable!!

We don’t question the hypocritical things we see such as no social distancing , no mask wearing , flying in on private jets to talk about sustainability . Crowds of people around a 95 year old grandmother but we still have to follow the rules and do this . I would say the behavioural team have done a fantastic job on us

I know it's difficult but if you haven't already then

1. Stop watching mainstream media
2. Do your own thing for the benefit of your mental health ie go out and about and socialise as normal
3. Delete your social media (I have found this to be the biggest benefit to me)

Oh and take off the masks. If the "leaders" don't need them then why do we?

3. Delete your social media (I have found this to be the biggest benefit to me)

....you know you're on social media now, don't you?

We don’t question the hypocritical things we see such as no social distancing , no mask wearing , flying in on private jets to talk about sustainability

Everyone is questioning it! Of course there is hypocrisy, there always has been and always will be....I do think it's a bit daft to say, 'well if they're doing the wrong thing, I'm going to do it too.'

Very little happening on here and by the media @HazeyJaneII

And who is saying that if they are doing wrong , I will?

I am only here because of my DC. One of my DC was in the shielding list and, when almost all kids were removed, was told to keep being careful. We are being as careful as we can but have to send them to school where there is nothing keeping them safe bar the masks they have chosen to wear but as they are the only kids in the school wearing masks, it's doubtful these do much at all. We are essentially dependent on the choices made by other parents, many of whom have told their kids that covid is over and are not sticking to any rules.

I cannot begin to express how scary this is or how lonely it is being the only person worrying about a child catching covid. It's a living hell each day.

I also have health issues which are being investigated. These are worrying enough on their own but having to go in and out of doctors and hospitals while cases are rising so much and knowing I could catch it and give it to my DC has pretty much tipped me over the edge.

I want to scream whenever people say that all the vulnerable have been vaccinated. They have not. Some of them are too young. But it seems they are too difficult for people to think about so society has decided they are acceptable collateral damage.

I don't want restrictions to carry on forever. I want them to carry on long enough that they are effective. No one likes this but it means remaining restricted until enough adults have been fully vaccinated, it means travel restrictions, probably for a long time, it means masks in schools and it means properly rethinking how we do all sorts of things, but it also means our kids stay in school, our businesses stay open and our day to day lives regain some balance without the constant fear of lockdowns. Other countries have done it and so could we. If we had done this last summer, this year would have been very different. A lot more people would be alive, we would all have been less isolated and livelihoods would have been saved.