Anyone else scared

No - not overreacting at all. It is a normal response to an adverse situation.

Hope you get all you need at the shops. xx

My concern is not for us, we live on the outskirts of a village where there is a whole network of support - I know we are very blessed, but we have been supporting a Syrian refugee family in Greece do a number of years and I worry for them terribly - life was impossibly difficult for them anyway - and today I’ve just hear from our ‘Ethiopian son’ ( not really our son or any relation, just a lad we try to help from afar) all public places there are closed down and retailers are profiteering. Hit running water is something most don’t know about and medical services are in such sort supply at the best of times.
Phew - I’ve got that off my chest now. I think we are incredibly fortunate that we have the NHS and a government who are doing the best they can with the incredibly limited knowledge of a brand new virus. Obviously they’re not getting everything right, but .......

You're not alone travelsafar. I had to walk into town to go the chemist yesterday and felt exactly the same. It was thankfully quite quiet which is itself unnerving.

I don't worry about taking the dogs out but you know there'll be people around when you need to go the shops.

Follow the guidelines, keep your distance and wash your hands thoroughly the moment you get home.

x

I got enough in & cooked dinners for freezing to do me for a while. Can drink black tea, etc, so no need to go out to the shops. Yesterday an elderly lady I know asked me if I could get her milk cos she forgot it in her home delivery. I wouldn't see anyone stuck at all so off I went. My nerves were wrecked by time I got to the shop. Then to top it all, as I stood back waiting to get to the milk a lady(called her worse in my head) swung around on the aisle, ended up facing me & coughed, didn't even cover her mouth. I can't believe how stupid some people are. I couldn't get out of the shop quick enough!! I dropped milk off to my friend, rushed home, washed myself & my clothes. Maybe to some a total overreaction, but it has now put me off going out altogether. Why are people not understanding this is serious.

I'm so sorry for all the elderly people who feel scared and frightened. I am fortunately not one of them. After 46 years as a nurse, I've seen most things. I started nursing as an infectious diseases nurse, nursing scarlet fever, meningitis, typhoid, measles, whooping cough and Tuberculosis and never ever was infected. So sensible precautions are what I'm practising, with good regular hand washing. Please try and keep positive. Even the worst things pass eventually.

I have health anxiety, and have moments of complete panic. I also have diabetes. I am trying to take my mind off it with jigsaws and gardening. Not always successful.

Franbern
You are lucky having a park to go to.
Around my area, they have all closed.
Grandson nowhere to go much, like thousands of others.
I feel so sorry for parents with children cooped up.

Anyone else wash their coats after going shopping?
A bit OTT I think.

I'm in the high risk group so have been in solitary confinement for nearly three weeks, from before the lockdown.
I'm managing to get a supermarket delivery and a kind neighbour is picking up odds and ends which he leaves on doorstep and I put the money in envelope on doorstep when he rings the bell.
Yesterday I was scared though as I had to go to the eye clinic for an injection for AMD. Not allowed to drive so booked a local taxi, well known to me. I usually sit in the front but this time sat in the back, masked and gloved like a bank robber.
The clinic waiting room was well organised, only six people waiting and the chairs placed about ten feet apart. I kept the mask and gloves on throughout as it involves almost nose to nose contact with the consultant as he peers through his machine at my eyes. Same with the girl doing the scan, administering drops etc. And of course the injection.
All went well as usual but I'm now on tenterhooks for the next week to see if I develop symptoms.
Shall feel paranoid until then.

Not scared, but very very cautious and careful.
This situation needs to be taken seriously, one must behave appropriately, but l can't find it in me to be actually scared.
I do find the whole situation, in a nutshell, to be unreal.
I feel like l am living a film script. Odd, very odd.

Yes I'm scared ,not so much for myself and DH we are lucky so far have had food deliveries,but my 3 sons are on the front line and I worry all the time for them and there families.

We used to have LBC on all day, now just an hour in the afternoon and it helps.

Alioop how awful. You were very good going. I'm afraid I would have said no, I'm avoiding shops at the minute. Yes, I know, not helpful.

I think if you hang your coat up for 3 days it will be ok to use?

Gaga1950 I agree with your perspective. I think we are incredibly fortunate: I have been following the government's strategy since the daily briefings began. I find the increasing press hysteria really unhelpful, always looking for a sensational headline with partial truths which undermine confidence. The BBC SoundBites More or Less programmes are very interesting and, moreover, reassuring.
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p087x9sf

It is a scary time and if you watch the BBC too much they put the fear of God into you - it’s a fine line mind you trying to get people to behave sensibly and at the same time it would be nice to get a bit more of the good news . Of course it’s dreadful for families losing loved ones and I don’t mean to take anything away from that but lots of people have recovered, some of whom were really poorly. I have to try and keep a lid on my anxiety - I don’t like going to the shop but mostly people are being sensible. Take the necessary precautions, plenty of hand washing and do some relaxation exercises if you can. Stay well everyone ?

I do a weekly Tesco shop, they are very well organised, I feel pretty safe there actually. Their CEO sends e mails asking those who can to go to the shops to free up online slots for those who have little alternative.

I wear gloves, wash my hands well when I come in, unpack the shopping, wash hands well again. I don’t isolate the shopping, and don’t wash my coat or clothes that I’ve worn.

I have always washed my hands thoroughly before handling food or cooking, and just carry on doing this. There’s only DH and me in the house, he hasn’t been out anywhere since lockdown, just the garden.

I plan to attend a blood donor session tomorrow, I’m sure they are taking every precaution and blood is still needed vitally.

SillyNanny, if you have been told you are on the Sainsburys priority list, you will still be on it. We had the same email as you, saying that they would no longer be emailing us regularly to tell us that slots are available, but that they still would be. They are. They’re regularly releasing priority slots for just the next few days - you can’t book a week or more in advance, but just keep looking on their website and you should get one easily enough. Perhaps look in the morning, as they will be taken during the day. Take care.

Completely agree Travelsofar, can't believe how anxious I've got over the past week: I am concerned about what the virus would mean for me as an asthma sufferer of course, but much of my anxiety has been exacerbated by constant news bulletins/advice and I feel better avoiding these. I'm horrified by accounts of people phoning the police to report their neighbours for allegedly transgressing the lockdown rules.

I seem to have an illness, some of cold/ flu symptoms overlap with coronavirus so when you have some its hard to know ! In bed still, had a bad sore throat in the night and a cough, but also sneezing, so maybe it's a cold. I expect things will get clearer in a while, bound to wonder .

Yes. I was a bit blase about things until a close friend died of the virus and now another admitted to ICU yesterday, so yes, my stomach is knotted, I should be working now but hey, there si more to life, hopefully, stay safe everyone

Yes, I’m very anxious about shopping....it’s stressful and yet it is within our control to a great extent, if we just keep a distance etc. I’m more anxious about how people will suffer when the crisis point is past. I think there will be mass poverty, mass unemployment and a long recession. I feel that our lives will change forever and even as I write this, I am crying for my family and all the lost opportunities now. My two sons are working day and night to help keep their employers afloat amidst no sense of security on any level for them or their children. I hope my fears are proven wrong.

I feel a little anxious before each shopping trip these days as I just don't know what to expect.
I must say that on the whole Sundays are quieter than Saturdays and after the special first hour they've been bearable. It was very busy about three weeks ago but I feel that the panic has died down now, it's been very comfortable and I could get round easily.

I have stopped watching the news and listen to Classic FM more. Cut down my LBC listening to Steve Allen. I set my alarm for him ! Distraction is working. Most of the time anyhow, but as a natural worrier anyway that’s the only way to cope sometimes.
It’s brought out the best and worst in people that’s for sure.

The times are of course scary, and there are health and financial issues in my family that keep me awake in the night. But we just have to be sensible and follow official guidelines. I took the decision at the start of all this not to spend too much time on social media, including Gransnet. There is a worrying amount of fake news and hype doing the rounds and I feel very sorry for those being sucked in. It’s important for our mental health to try to stay positive, and not to dwell too much on what ifs. It must be dreadful being alone at this time.

I get occasional moments of fear but force myself to keep going and see why I am so lucky compared to many thousands of others across the world. My greatest fear is of dying and leaving the dogs to go hungry and without water so I have arranged a lot of self-feeding devices and similar for water plus messaging my children daily to say I am alive!

I am so lucky to have some wonderful young neighbours who pick up food for me and I get milk delivered.

In terms of food etc I can easily cope. I am also not unhappy being on my own. But I have one child working in a Hospital and naturally I worry about her. I also have a SiL whose job ended just as the Virus began so I worry about my DD and their family. He is having online interviews which sounds promising though.

I go on Twitter and keep abreast of the situation. I try to support people there. I am following the Virology lectures and the university lectures I have always followed. I try to keep up to date with the science and with what our government are doing. The latter worries me most of all.

I am not afraid of actually dying itself. I nearly did die once before and it was so lovely. I just do not want to leave problems for my children.

I think fear itself is a true enemy and if we can overcome that we shall feel so much stronger and in control.

Good luck everyone! We shall certainly look back on these days and be amazed at what it was like. Let's try to be proud of how we coped, frightened or not. To all who are scared, I send love and wish I could comfort you. Often we fear something more than we need to. Usually there is a solution. Try to put your mind on more positive things and if fear does take a hold, get up and do something active, make a cup of tea, walk round the house, do some exercises, start knitting. It doesn't matter what you do but just do anything even if its a silly thing.
Love to all, Elle x

I went to ‘the oldies hour’ last Friday, which was absolutely fine, but now that the death toll is rising I am much more apprehensive, and still don’t have a delivery slot for my online order places nearly 3 weeks ago. If all the supermarkets have so many orders why are we not seeing ‘fleets’ of delivery vans all day long?