Thinking covid anxiety is just as big a problem

[EeeICouldRipATissue]

I thought right from the start of the pandemic that all the lockdowns and constant stay at home messages would create a lot of mental health problems/anxiety and looking at some of the threads on here, and attitudes from some I know in real life, I think it's true.
Don't get me wrong, I have 100% stuck to all the rules right from the very beginning and always have (and will keep on doing so)
I know this isn't AIBU board, but AIBU to think covid anxiety and issues aren't being taken seriously enough or recognised?

I totally agree, the fear and panic created by Gov and MSM is appalling, I don’t think some peoples MH will ever recover.

I am CEV, I shielded on advice from GOV, never again, would I do this. Life is for living.

The last 18mths of my wonderful MIL life were totally blighted by fear of the virus, she locked herself in her home, terrified to even open her front door. She had an accident at home, had to go into hospital, where she tested positive and did not have any symptoms at whatsoever. She was elderly and a cancer patient.

This is why is an so angry about the parties at no10, telling us to stay home the creation of fear and panic that people sucked up, when those at no10 that attended the parties, were not fearful. This is something that should never be forgotten.

While I don't have a phobia of covid or germs in of itself I think the feeling of our family being left to fend for itself with two small children and no support whatsoever due to the restrictions has changed me. I feel it put our children at huge risk and I don't have any faith in the government or wider society anymore.

We haven’t suddenly gone from ‘ stay in or you’ll die’ to ‘ it’s fine to live as normal’.
We’ve had 2 years over which time restrictions have been adjusted as required and now that covid is relatively mild restrictions have been appropriately lifted.
I think half the people on this board are suffering from Stockholm syndrome!

It's a huge problem. When you look back at the very scary 'could you look them in the eyes' posters which were around at the same time as the government who signed them off were partying it makes me sick.

I was going to say the public campaigns (radio ads and posters) were quite hard hitting and very serious. I don't think I'm especially anxious but I called off meeting IL a couple of times as I was so worried about passing it to them unwittingly.

I have to say I missed the “you will die” messages etc.
But there’s a massive issue because our government didn’t handle the pandemic very well, they tried to macho their way out of it and then boom had to lockdown to save the nhs and created scary messages to ensure compliance.

And now they’re trying to macho their way out of it again and creating all this silly “oh just get on with it” type macho messaging, sweeping the whole two years under the carpet as if it never fucking happened.

I was not scared of covid, just respectful of a novel virus. I’ve noticed a lot of people using aggressive language and accusing me of being scared when I say we should ease out of this. Actually I suspect they’re talking for themselves.

I think part of the answer is to acknowledge we have a huge amount to learn from this pandemic and the idea of going back to “normal” is just shockingly naive. We’ve had two years of upheaval. We need to fix:

• our children lives, all those experiences they’ve had and not fully understood
• our NHS and the morale of its staff
• our low wage, high hours economy
• our woeful support structures
• the huge inequalities faced by our population

I don’t want to go back to normal, because how can we? Things have changed and things need fixing.

We need to learn and improve.

I suspect we won’t realise that until it’s too late.

I do genuinely wonder what witty etc think of this and imo can’t help but feel the all of a sudden switch is political. Don’t fancy Boris chances of getting a majority to pass further powers if or when a worse variant hits

If a worse variant hits they will re-reintroduce the measures, no doubt 🤷‍♀️.

I’m on holiday at the moment abroad
A woman who was on my flight refused to get in the lift with me -
A big lift & both wearing masks in the hotel as that’s what is required

But she flew on a plane with 300 people to get here 😂

Is it anxiety when it's well founded?

There are 500,000 critically vulnerable people, about 2m CEV, (comorbidity not age), plus the elderly, and perhaps you might also want to count in the CV

That's a lot of people who have good grounds for thinking they could be very unpleasantly ill

So is it 'anxity' when concerns have a medical basis? Or is that the rational response?

@nether so what’s the solution?

And this is the price that is being paid keeping the vulnerable safe. It’s appalling. What are your thoughts on this?
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/elderly_parents/4482328-No-hospital-visitors

The problem with anxiety is the more it's pandered to, the bigger it gets. The solve for people's Covid anxiety is to do all of the things that worry them: go into a busy shop, ride a bus, hug a friend, etc. You can do it gradually. Small steps. Take a friend if it helps.

Don't wait until you feel ready, because you'll never feel ready. You have to feel the anxiety and do it anyway. That's the only route out of this.

@Hotcuppatea well said

[quote Whattochoosenow]@nether so what’s the solution?[/quote]
Balance.

Right now the lifting of all restrictions is based on the political timetable and to save Boris from his U4T-type back benchers.

Look instead at Starmer - slower, phased lifting, essentially restriction-free over the summer (not now, when it's still the winter virus season, but in a couple of months), retain masks on public transport (like TfL) and in medical settings, and keep enough of the testing infrastructure that it can be rapidly resurrected shouid another variant come trotting along (until we know what sort of disease pattern it produces - as covid is infectious before symptoms, there's no evolutionary pressure to become milder, it'll be a toss up)

Also, I'd treat covid like other notifiable diseases and have isolation for at least first 48hours or longer if the person is still running a temperature (a bit like 48 hour exclusions with certain D&V in catering, schools and hospital, thought it wouid be everyone everywhere - like the measles instructions or CP until scabbed)

I think we’ll just have to agree to disagree then.

Right now the lifting of all restrictions is based on the political timetable and to save Boris from his U4T-type back benchers.

And once again. If that's true, why are at least 4 other countries doing the same thing. Is it all about saving Boris' ass?

The problem is that the WHO and the BMA don't think that lifting all measures at the current time is the right course of action. It's a political decision, which means that we either need to trust in the government to make the right choices, or feel sufficiently clear in our own heads that the mitigations (isolation when positive, masks on tubes, etc) are so onerous that they outweigh the risk to us and society. It's a matter of opinion and preference, not of fact. Removing all measures means that we all have to acquiesce to the preferences of some. I do agree that I feel that some people are extremely concerned and have chosen to limit their lives and interaction more than I have. My children go to school and extra curricular activities, my OH takes public transport to the office, I go to public indoor spaces (although I do wear a good quality mask), we will probably go abroad this summer. But I understand people who don't want to do these things. Long covid is real, the risk to immunocomprised people is real. The risk to everyone from vaccine escape is real. The government has put us in a position where it is harder to mitigate those risks and people will have their own reasons for being more or less concerned about the risk to themselves and their family.

@exhausted100

I have massive anxieties around covid, I'm cev. I won't socialise indoors. I hate feeling like this but can't seem to shake it! I look at friends getting on with life and going back to normal, I can't even go into a supermarket.

😔.

I've always been anxious around covid more so because I have a young DS and DP is CEV.

We actually ended up all getting covid on the Christmas break.
We were all fine and luckily had it very mild. We as adults are jabbed and had our boosters.

I know it affects everyone differently but I hope this gives you a bit of reassurance x

Look instead at Starmer - slower, phased lifting, essentially restriction-free over the summer (not now, when it's still the winter virus season, but in a couple of months), retain masks on public transport (like TfL) and in medical settings, and keep enough of the testing infrastructure that it can be rapidly resurrected shouid another variant come trotting along (until we know what sort of disease pattern it produces - as covid is infectious before symptoms, there's no evolutionary pressure to become milder, it'll be a toss up)

Are Starmer's views actually based on anything substantial, though, or is just the usual "opposition party has to oppose anything the government is doing, just because"?

See also Scotland. Nicola will no doubt try to come across as being as McDifferent as possible, as she has throughout the pandemic. Yet Scotland (and Wales) have had stats just as bad as England throughout.

What has shocked me is how our society has written the vulnerable off. All the people that were shielding are now expected to be back mixing in close contact and forget that they have been programmed to believe they will die from touching a door handle. I was shielding and I don't think I've ever felt so worthless. How many times I heard "bed wetter", "you hide behind your sofa and let the rest of us crack on". I felt like a burden. Whatever happened to #bekind?

I think that looking back, we were pelted very quickly into the mindset of “don’t go outside - you’ll die” and now equally quickly to “back to normal chaps” after a very very long time.

I completely disagree. I didn't see it like then, back then, and don't see it like that now.

Why don't people take responsibility for their own MH? Go and see your GP and get on the list, admittedly long for counselling. And in the meantime the NHS, which is struggling, simply can't supply the MH needs of these people with chronic covid anxiety. There is plenty of free advice and support online.

The nhs can't not afford to support them, and I don't think the nhs should. You will have to pay privately for private counselling. I believe that to be fair and acceptable.

@Oblomov22 my doctor said it was completely rational anxiety for me and to stay WFH and avoiding crowded places. So no counselling recommended
I do leave the house, just not to go anywhere with people!

It's going to be tough on people who've been sat at home for 2 years having to return to offices over the next month with all restrictions gone.

@Oblomov22

I think that looking back, we were pelted very quickly into the mindset of “don’t go outside - you’ll die” and now equally quickly to “back to normal chaps” after a very very long time.

I completely disagree. I didn't see it like then, back then, and don't see it like that now.

Why don't people take responsibility for their own MH? Go and see your GP and get on the list, admittedly long for counselling. And in the meantime the NHS, which is struggling, simply can't supply the MH needs of these people with chronic covid anxiety. There is plenty of free advice and support online.

The nhs can't not afford to support them, and I don't think the nhs should. You will have to pay privately for private counselling. I believe that to be fair and acceptable.

Compassionate response there !

@user1477391263

Look instead at Starmer - slower, phased lifting, essentially restriction-free over the summer (not now, when it's still the winter virus season, but in a couple of months), retain masks on public transport (like TfL) and in medical settings, and keep enough of the testing infrastructure that it can be rapidly resurrected shouid another variant come trotting along (until we know what sort of disease pattern it produces - as covid is infectious before symptoms, there's no evolutionary pressure to become milder, it'll be a toss up)

Are Starmer's views actually based on anything substantial, though, or is just the usual "opposition party has to oppose anything the government is doing, just because"?

See also Scotland. Nicola will no doubt try to come across as being as McDifferent as possible, as she has throughout the pandemic. Yet Scotland (and Wales) have had stats just as bad as England throughout.

Where is the science to support what Boris Johnson wants to do?