'PTSD' from the past 2 years?

[PolkaDot456]

PTSD may be an exaggerated description of what I am identifying but reading how angry people are regarding the No.10 drinks party, I feel we're collectively having a moment of reflection.

We're now all thinking about what we were doing in May 2020 and the passage of time since, we have actually come really far but this whole situation I think had made a lot of us begin processing the last two years would you agree?

I do feel as though I've been through something quite traumatic, and I had lockdown super-easy but struggled with anxiety triggered by the pandemic so I followed the rules and then some.

On reflection I feel I've done well - WE'VE done well as a society - to have come this far and kept moving forward in our lives in difficult circumstances.

But I get a heavy feeling when I think back, it's almost overwhelming and I can't seem to go there, its like a mental block. I'm in a good place aside from the pandemic so I'm not sure why I'm struggling to process it!

Reading back on some of the rules, before they came in, I'd never have believed they'd happen(parks locked up away from the kids for one ), at the time we realised it all seemed far fetched and now thinking back, I can't believe we were manipulated into the extreme behaviour and had so much taken away from us!

I realise this may be a bit of a self indulgence post! But I am interested to hear if other people are feeling similar during this collective reflection!?

@BigMoan

These are all traumatic experiences. But surely the biggest trauma is a person unnecessarily losing their life? So if restrictions prevented 10000’s more people losing their life, then I would say they were necessary. But now with the benefit hindsight, we look for much better ways to handle a pandemic in the future…. Restrictions were being imposed across Europe, this was happening to children across Europe. I can’t think that every country in Europe was getting it incredibly wrong, nor can I see a shining example of country worldwide where restrictions weren’t enforced, where there was no lockdown - and where the whole country came through the pandemic unscathed.

Some of the measures were ludicrous.

And also we had to go hard because the Tories had gouged the NHS. If we had more nhs capacity, we would have been in a better place.

I’d love to see a detailed comparison of the measures that different countries had in place.

@BigMoan

The fact that I spent Xmas with her, and all my family did too (we were thankfully all well) - just is immeasurable. Three months of my children not socialising is a small price compared to my family member hopefully having another 20 years plus of being alive.

I’m really glad things turned out ok for your relative. But it is worth noting here that the price was not just three months of your children not socialising. At the time that you were frantic with worry about your relative, the restrictions imposed that may have saved her are the same ones that have had a lasting and damaging impact on me and my children. That is one part of the price paid - I have by no means the saddest or most difficult experience from that time. I am absolutely sure that from your point of view it is still worth it - it would be for me too I expect. But if you are viewing the price paid as purely that experienced by your own children then that is short sighted

[quote BigMoan]@VikingOnTheFridge I did try and clarify, it seems to indicate data is from Nov 2020 - I just don’t think it would have been possible to have drawn the graphs with less data - or data only from Nov 2021.
Still think on a global level - we’ve been pretty much the norm.

And I don’t like our government, yes they’ve lied and been atrocious. But are we deeply in the red across Europe for getting it completely wrong? No - I think we are pretty much in line.[/quote]
Again though, even if this were correct it's the wrong barometer.

I think we’ve had it pretty hard here in terms of restrictions/ lockdowns, maybe comparable to some other European countries.

Although I think on these threads people should just be able to express how they feel or felt without being corrected by others. Our experiences are individual and equally valid.

And to be specific I’m talking about posts re dc earlier on.

@TheChip

I said this the other day. That I think this is being used because its time for Boris to go. Its not coming to light because we as people deserve to know. Its more like its being used as a tool to once again manipulate us into behaving a certain way. Such as, shouting to get Boris removed. The question is, why? What comes next...that's what scares me.

I agree with this - we were manipulated and gaslit during the lockdowns and we are still being manipulated. No one is effectively challenging the Government and their cronies. I doubt Cummings has an altruistic bone in his body.

My heart goes out to those who lost loved ones during lockdowns. I actually find it difficult to imagine what it's like to lose twin babies and not be allowed to go into the hospital (or have very restricted access to the hospital) as that MP Guy Opperman did.

I know it's a position of privilege compared to those who lost loved ones, but had a really hard time at home trying to balance a demanding job with homeschool. I'm miles behind delivering on a work project due to this and a colleague being off for a prolonged period, and it adds to my stress every day. I also had to go on anti-depressants for anxiety.

The rage I feel about government parties is not only centred on the aprties themselves, but the despicable way that Boris and colleagues have denied and obfuscated in such a blatant way. It's that contempt that I find most corrosive and hard to deal with. It would have gone better for them if they had just come clean and apologised. I don't see any way back for this government and I feel this whole mess has damaged our democracy already as trust in all MPs will be hugely eroded by this.

We have a ruling class who couldn’t give a shit about working parents, bereaved families and the importance of socialising on mental health. They also created a climate of fear around the virus (which they clearly didn’t believe themselves) and encouraged us to self police ourselves and others. No wonder mental health has suffered.

Personally I have cried every day since lockdown. The stress of working from home and home schooling, seeing an impact on my children, losing my parents to covid, cancelled holidays and the constant headspace taken up by risk assessing every activity we do and coping with constantly changing plans and rules.

I see we have one poster who's now decided they need to control the narrative and tell everyone why their experiences and feelings are wrong. The attempts to rewrite history happen every single time people try to discuss how badly the last couple of years have affected them.

@CoffeeWithCheese

I see we have one poster who's now decided they need to control the narrative and tell everyone why their experiences and feelings are wrong. The attempts to rewrite history happen every single time people try to discuss how badly the last couple of years have affected them.

It has been utter shit for some. Not so shit for others.

There’s been times where it’s been shit and other times not so shit.

Overall, I think it’s been so unsettling and is probably why people call for “living with” covid. But it won’t change the reality.

I'm so sorry @RichTeaRichTea.

That's what I meant with my post that we should recognise the toll those restrictions have taken on so many people. The sacrifices weren't distributed equally, some were expected to make much bigger sacrifices than others compared to the risk they were running of dying of covid, and we need to validate people's experiences.

And I agree that some of the rules were bonkers. We knew from summer 2020 that the virus was airborne and yet were I live playgrounds remained padlocked (!) all year. Midwives and health visitors were redeployed for covid or no longer allowed to do home visits, leaving new parents to fend for themselves, cue increase in MH issues and child neglect etc.

My neighbour whose daughter had a baby continued to visit them because daughter needed the support as a single parent. Neighbour was terrified someone would see her go into the house and report her. Just mad.

Ptsd? No, absolutely not. I've had ptsd previously from someone choking to death right in front of me (not just someone but i still cant bring myself to say who) and it was horrendous. Reflecting back over the pandemic and acknowledging that it's been tough for a lot of people is not the same as ptsd.

@CoffeeWithCheese

I see we have one poster who's now decided they need to control the narrative and tell everyone why their experiences and feelings are wrong. The attempts to rewrite history happen every single time people try to discuss how badly the last couple of years have affected them.

I agree, it’s a shame people can’t just express how they feel or felt without it.

That's what I meant with my post that we should recognise the toll those restrictions have taken on so many people. The sacrifices weren't distributed equally, some were expected to make much bigger sacrifices than others compared to the risk they were running of dying of covid

Absofuckinglutely. And some of those sacrifices were not only pointless but did harm.

I remember sitting in the corner of a sports field with a dc (remember the weather in Spring 2020 it was insanely warm and sunny for weeks) and people marching past, doing their "1 hour! staring at us, and even commenting because we were sat down on the grass and that was banned.
I am more traumatised by realising how many people had a stasi mentality to the whole thing, shopping neighbours, bullying on facebook, than anything the government have done. I expect politicians to be cunts, I thought better of my fellow citizens.
I too remember "let the cabbages die" and thinking wtf?!

The lockdown, at least in spring 2020 was needed, of course it was, but nearly 2 years on I want to see proper overhaul of the NHS, I want to see proper frontline funding and a real improvement to services, because if that it was it was all for then FFS, we need to do something about it! The current shower of shite in government are concerned ONLY with feathering their own nests and making money for their mates and the worst is we all know that, and they know we know!

YANBU. We have had an awful 2 years with missed hospital appointments, not being allowed to visit my 12 year old in hospital after he tried to commit suicide (because dh brought him into a and e as he is the calm one and younger dc were upset and wanted mummy, then we weren't allowed to swap places). Home learning hell, support groups cancelled, dh earning less money, having to put a swab up my autistic child's nose daily because his brother has tested positive. The list goes on. The worst part is having to listen to my FIL go on about how great it all is, how it's made him appreciate the small things, given him time to think etc. It makes me want to throttle him.

@elliejjtiny

But that’s what I don’t get -why are some people ‘allowed’ express their experiences and not others? I’ve just been slammed by various posters for sharing my experience and told I’m short sighted? Why should you father in law not be allowed to express without you wanting to throttle him? Surely it works both ways - and this is what we need to be accepting of - perhaps.

[quote BigMoan]@elliejjtiny

But that’s what I don’t get -why are some people ‘allowed’ express their experiences and not others? I’ve just been slammed by various posters for sharing my experience and told I’m short sighted? Why should you father in law not be allowed to express without you wanting to throttle him? Surely it works both ways - and this is what we need to be accepting of - perhaps.[/quote]
Didn’t you talk about some posters sounding us for them? And more posts along those lines.

It’s not useful or correct, that’s why people have responded with let people express views.

If you had just said your own experience without doing above then fine.

not being allowed to visit my 12 year old in hospital after he tried to commit suicide (because dh brought him into a and e as he is the calm one and younger dc were upset and wanted mummy, then we weren't allowed to swap places).

Oh my God I am so sorry, that is just barbaric. I hope he is doing better now.

@MarshaBradyo
Because it does sound ‘UsForThem’. It’s very much that.
Am I not allowed to express that?

I do think for some people it's been traumatic. 2/3rds of people after a trauma will bounce back 'normally' and the other 3rd will develop PTSD. I wouldn't be surprised if that is the same as the Percentage of people who have lasting mental health difficulties after the pandemic. Of course lots it those people will already have mental health conditions, so it will never be recorded that way.

Fucking hell, talking about traumatic birth experiences and PND makes me sound “us for them”. I don’t even have school aged children. I stand by shortsighted. You didn’t even read my post properly.

It is not ‘UsForThem’ to object to it being illegal for children aged 5-12 to meet a single other child, for months.

This is UsForThem’s tag line - and it’s exactly the same as expressed here.

School closures and lockdown restrictions have disproportionately burdened harms onto children and young people. As a society, they must now be made our priority.

[quote BigMoan]@MarshaBradyo
Because it does sound ‘UsForThem’. It’s very much that.
Am I not allowed to express that?[/quote]
I think it’s not the right place. On a thread where people are sharing how they feel or felt

Even if you think their experience do not match yours why is it important to say that? Or imply they’ve got it wrong.

It’s a shame people can’t just let people express how they felt without someone posting against it.