Coronavirus - our mental health

Sorry if a new thread is an annoyance.

I’ve felt for a few weeks that this is going to have a massive effect on the national psyche.

Emergency/keyworkers in particular are going to be more affected than the average person who has to stay at home. I have no doubt that there is now and will continue to be a need to support such workers long after this is over. I would not be surprised if there are many cases of PTSD or legal cases in respect of employers’ duty of care to their workers who may suffer.

Prior to Monday I found over 7-10 days I was getting progressively absent minded/scatty with an inability to concentrate as I tried to formulate plans/priorities for us as a family as a lockdown seemed inevitable. While you could still do things on ‘that list’ you tried hard to do them.

Since the lockdown, actually Wednesday as I was exhausted on Tuesday, I’ve felt a lot more focussed and generally calmer. Has anyone else felt the same?

The pandemic will certainly re-frame our priorities for the better - hopefully anyway.

Would anyone really be bothered if we lost Sunday trading, extended pub hours etc when you could have quality family time instead?

Suspect many are reading books/listening to audiobooks on mindfulness etc, something I have to get around to doing and have been meaning to do long before this.

Well i was listening to music on the couch. My daughter now cannot do her gym. So my wife and i have been doing a 5 mile walk each day with my daughter…tough at first. But feel physically achey, but mentally much better. For people in the city, perhaps not possible.

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It’s a nice day here, so we will be in the garden to clear our heads. Starting with a BBQ breakfast.

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Apart from dropping Mrs AC to work this a.m. by car, I’ve not left the house since Monday morning.

Kids have been a little irritable of late - it’s so nice to go into the garden and get some fresh air - hardly exercise but at least out of the house for a few minutes.

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Cooking BBQ food here in UK for other reasons.

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I’m not sure how things are going to change. Certainly lots of people can adapt to down time by immersing themselves in art and technology. Loss of sporting events and pubs is going to cause massive discontent.

In Waitrose today, some people were still filling shopping trolleys to the brim. People looked generally more glum than usual. Of course there are always exceptions, but the staff seemed really tense. This is a small market town with Police riot van patrolling.

Bored youths were congregating in parks and looking, well, up to no damn good. They will take advantage of the situation; no school, stressed out parents. It doesn’t seem like a holiday to me.

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There is the wider low level issue, but there are a few people who are much more seriously affected, and not specifically those in the ‘high risk categories’ for the virus.

People who have naturally high anxiety levels are being pushed to clinical levels of anxiety and people with existing mental health issues (particularly, but not limited to: some phobias, some psychoses, schizoaffective disorder (and to a lesser degree schizophrenia) and BPD / UEPD) are suffering even more than usual. This is then compounded by social isolation which further reduces their ability to cope with the resulting stresses.

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I cannot agree more Xanthe.

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I’ve spent most of the day playing Elvis Presley records - mostly on vinyl, but some CD rips

Had a bit of a panic when I couldn’t find my original LP copy (purchased in 1964 IIRC) of “Elvis Is Back”. Eventually found that it had somehow got hidden inside another Elvis gatefold sleeve.

Probably my younger grandkids pulling records off the shelve(s) and putting them back again. They think it’s funny to upset my orderly collection. :thinking: Missing seeing them for hugs etc, though we did wave at them through their window when I drove down to their house yesterday to collect the shopping our daughter had got for us.

Possibly my favourite Elvis album (showing my age!) :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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Earlier this week one of my neighbours was looking scared as we passed walking our respective dogs. Now, a few days later they were much more relaxed as we met in the field where our dogs roam.
It seems to me that us rural dwellers are fortunate; we can enjoy the great outdoors, and interact, albeit at a distance, with neighbours. The absence of social interaction is going to its toll.
I was surprised, yesterday, that a FaceTime chat with a colleague/friend in the States was almost as beneficial as sitting in the pub together.
It’s not all despondent - just have to be creative.

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I think the cat has a very valid point here
I’ve joined the lockdown tonight, I was very surprised my site closed, I was telling the 40 odd companies that I have a responsibility for that we could have the Black Death outside but we’d still be open
Because we hadn’t shut earlier and even yesterday the main contractor was planning meetings for the weeks ahead if pretty much resigned myself that I would get the virus and hopefully I would be one the 20% to survive ( of course with that in mind I was creating a plan B)

Now to the main point of mental health
This is going to be different for everyone, and there’s lots out there that’s never had this tested before, perhaps they’re at an even bigger disadvantage

I have a very good friend, we do lots of concerts and stuff, she’s only in her 20’s
But suffers from loads of anxiety stuff, has self harmed, she’s been off for a week now and so far so good, but I can’t help her with that, I just don’t understand
If she had a broken leg or something, then I can relate to it
This can affect anyone though, one of our project managers, he’s a great big 6ft strapping lad, you wouldn’t fight him but he’s been petrified the last few weeks he’s been driving in which takes ages so he’s up a lot earlier and a fortune to park but he’d rather do it
He was going to resign today, it’s now been done for him
That probably covers some of the initial concerns, ie still at work

The off work is another thing

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Now as increasing numbers of us are heading into lockdown if feel for many there needs to be government advice coming out with suggestions on how to handle it
For most this will be bizarre and after the initial couple of weeks boredom, frustration and rebellion will kick in
Realistically this problem isn’t going to end soon, just the UK alone, we might peak by the end of April, allow May to flatline, 3 months for the curve to start falling then another 2 months for those cases to have an outcome and now we’re at November

I would suggest to everyone to start a weekly plan
Called a look ahead in my industry

I’ve been planning for this, I’ve got loads to do on the house, I’ll be busier than when I was at work, in about 4 months I’ll be looking for materials, that’s when I’ll be in position to do the roof, double glazing and a new blockwork shed

Obviously it goes without saying I’ll be ripping up the floor and fitting a HIFI CU, a new Henley block and 7 10mm Radials

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I you want to have a dinner with friends or family, perhaps you can try the Houseparty app. You will not feel alone, or let some of your fiends or family alone.

Mr Rooster

Surely the reality is as we go into isolation, once we’ve isolated and not got ill we may as well go and have the physical BBQ
Right now for me, just finished work today just got off the tube,
So I could well be infected and not know it, I thought it was 5 days, mum said 7 days, the girl said 10 days
So let’s go with 10 and touch wood all is good for me
So what’s the issue with getting together with similar people

Lyndon

I would say that as long as you are complying with isolation requirements you should live life as fully as you can - after all, you don’t know what will happen tomorrow -it could be you, or a loved one. Just don’t do anything that adds a burden to those that are overloaded by CV, nor anything that you will regret if you get through unscathed…

Innocent Bystander

We can only catch this from another person

If I drove 100 miles tomorrow to a remote coast, had a walk, sat down, even swam in the sea and then drove home
Where is the risk in that ?

I have to scrutinise RAMS for a living !

Lyndon

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I will not give you advises but I think differently. Will not see my mother physically during that time. I can have catched the virus and not be sick, however can transmit it. So risky to see people.
Maybe in 5 or 6 weeks it will be safer.

Yes, but Lyndon was not talking about meeting anyone.

As long as the travel, or activity, does not risk injury requiring rescue or medical attention.

I understood differently

Rooster

We all have to make our own judgments

For me, I’ve just come from a very high risk environment, travelling on the tube at rush hour every day, on site with over 1,000 people and 8 toilets ( the sit down bit) a very busy site office ( where I’m based) and a ridiculously small site canteen
Before the close down today, I fully expected to get the virus or take a different action ( this weekend would have been pivotal on that but is no longer relevant)
So now I’m indoors other than a trip in the car to Sainsbury’s or Tesco’s and I can wash my hands in hot water once I’m back
The site I was on had no hot water so no way of killing the virus if my hands came in contact with it

Lyndon