Cost of living / post pandemic blues?

[TopazQuartz]

I have mental health issues but they are specific to a traumatic incident separate to what I'm going to talk about.

I want to ask how people are coping post pandemic, with the cost of living, crime rates up, just the world changing. Is it me or anyone else affected by this? I feel like the world has changed radically in the last 5 years. Does anyone else feel it and if so, are you affected by it? How are you affected?

Well Covid put my daughter in a wheelchair with 3 major health problems... now she can't work...my eldest Grandson ( age 21) has MH problems from it.. and l think it's effected most of my immediate family in some way.. l had to have 24 weeks of intense CAT therapy.. . Youngest Grandsons stopped school altogether.. and were/ are HE.
A lot of my other family and friends all say things have never been the same.. we stopped going out as much to social gatherings and don't seem to have got it back like before the pandemic.. money wise COL.. eldest daughter is struggling.. the pandemic caused her .. her marriage.. and shes 3 adult / teenage boys to bring up on her own.
I always hoped things would go back to how they were before it.. but can't see it ever happening.. the NHS is still treating people..

I am so very sorry for all the direct effects you and your family have experienced. This is the thing there's been so much suffering I imagine some time in the future people will look back and see how long recovery (where it's been possible at all) took.
I had a family member develop mental health problems, another has lung problems after getting covid. I had CFS after a viral labyrinthitis infection in 2013, things seem worse since getting covid but how much of that is pre existing I don't know, was never as bad before though.

I don't mean everything is bad for me, but I do get low mood from time to time and I don't think it's always mental health. People have got very guarded and unfriendly. NHS services near me don't cope well even now.

What was your life like before Covid? Did you work? Did you have to go to work during Covid?

All my family had to keep working during Covid. Some of my colleagues died. It was horrific. There is a big difference between those that had to continue doing their jobs and those that could stay safer in their own homes!

I retired early and changed jobs because patients and relatives attitude to the NHS is shocking now and working there became intolerable because of the daily abuse from patients and their family. I work half the time now, often take long 6 week holidays and earn the same.

Most of my friends all highly qualified did the same in their 50’s.

Cost of living has definitely brought up many family break-ups, in my opinion. When money is tight arguments often flare up. Cost of living crisis has been truly atrocious. I can't even begin to imagine how the poorer section is society is coping when the price of basics doubled in less than 4 years

I wish that politicians were honest and called these price hikes Brexit Inflation. Labelling it as Cost Of Living makes it sound like some random miasma no one has any control over which I think makes it psychologically worse to deal with.

Many people are affected by it.

i worked in education. I made it through Covid because who the fuck resigns in the middle of a pandemic? It wasn’t fun but I did my duty.

my husband started drinking and didn’t cope. My son who was in first year of uni tried to kill himself. My husband attacked my DD and I had to call the police and we left with two suitcases.

I’m now divorced. My son is much better, but that time has left its mark in him, as it has on me. Trying to find accommodation in a lockdown was blt a fun experience.

my DD still has panic attacks around strange men.

i left teaching a couple of years after covid. I just couldn’t do it any more and had been repeatedly ill.

now I try to see the positives in life. I cuddle my cats, enjoy sunrises and play my recorder.

CoL is Brexit related? Unless you got long-term health issues from Covid, or your profession was directly impacted etc, I'm not sure that there are a whole lot of other issues that directly separate pre and post covid and are a direct result of covid? But I'm watching with interest. Obviously if you lost anyone due to covid then thats totally different.
Covid was an awful time for us, trying to work full-time whilst home schooling and also managing a toddler. I don't feel anything in my life now is a direct negative effect of covid. Luckily we had no long-term health impact and didn't affect career etc.

The prices skyrocketed after Russia invaded Ukraine. I don't recollect Brexit being much of an issue. It's an issue, but not in the same order of magnitude. I still remember times when sunflower oil cost 89p a litre

i think it suits the government and society to just sweep the effects of COVID under the carpet because it costs too much to sort it out. It affected so many people, either early deaths, relatives dying in isolation, long term health issues for people, children’s education and social development, businesses, isolation and mental health. Personally, the retail business I worked for had to stay open as classed as essential but I have an incurable blood cancer and people with blood cancer were thought to be particularly vulnerable so I had to work face to face with public and it was frightening, I was then furloughed on and off, isolated, then had to go back just as the next winter wave was kicking off again. Then my job was made redundant because the company had to change how they did things. My DH was self employed and had to close business. Even now we suffer the financial affects of the pandemic and I do socialise but I’m always thinking about catching an illness. On the surface we look like we are back to normal but we really aren’t.

This is so true. I gave up Nursing in late 2018 so just over a year before the pandemic and never felt so lucky that I made that decision when I did and in my new career was able to work from home. My dh was vulnerable ( severe asthma) and I have no idea how we would have protected him if I had had to carry on working in a hospital environment. I never stopped thinking about the nurses who had to work through it all though, I imagine many have been left very traumatized and like you say many will have left the profession after what happened.

I count my lucky stars I had my child in 2022 because he's a very active child. I cannot fathom how I would have been able to work and look after him; I really feel for those who had to work and parent. Some parents got really traumatised by it. I think about this at least once a week.

Covid didn't impact me at all. I did end up buying a home far away from the city, thinking everyone is going to move out of the city. I recently sold that house and made a loss. In hindsight I should have bought an apartment in a city centre. I could afford it then but I cannot now.

Oh and I didn't get to see my mother for years because of Covid (she lives on the other side of the world). But I think those are minor things compared to a lot of other people.

SO sorry to read the posts on here where people lost loved ones .

I split from ex just prior to lockdown (amicable, no DV etc ) which took its toll.

Tried to be brave for kids and bottled a lot up. I still do (meds help as has CBT)

I limit exposure to the news . I came off all social media too. This has freed up some headspace / anxiety/ FOMO issues

I try to be frugal with money (the year of lockdown I had SO many unexpected expenses and split from ex so ensure I have a pot for just in case issues)

I was a key worker and the structure helped somewhat

Prior to Covid I could shrug off colds etc easily, not so much now (age perhaps but immunity is not back to where it was)

Yes worked before covid and worked all the way through covid.

Sorry to hear what you went through and the loss of some of your colleagues.

No one should behave abusively in the NHS.