Are we getting a bit low?

I realise I am not alone in this but I miss my children and grandchildren. However, we have regular FaceTime meetings and lots of photographs. That aside, I am not enjoying lockdown but am making the most of the situation. Luckily I am a reader and can spend hours with a book. I have enrolled on a number of online courses, subjects I wouldn't ordnarily choose and I find them engrossing. My partner and I walk the dog on the beach every day. I only watch the 6 o'clock news and avoid the ministerial broadcasts. This is for my own peace of mind and it's working.

Absolutely Craftycat... yes... POSITIVITY. ☆☆☆☆

Yes, good always comes out of bad and boy oh boy have I witnessed a lot of good.... the list is endless and its absolutely lifted my spirits to see such kindness in these times of utter uncertainty, worry and fear.
We WILL get through all this for certain .....

I think what the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine at Oxford Uni are saying - that there is currently a lack of evidence but that trials are ongoing www.cebm.net/covid-19/does-bcg-vaccination-protect-against-acute-respiratory-infections-and-covid-19-a-rapid-review-of-current-evidence/

What do others think about this TB test/jab we all had at 13 years old being a "protection"? These theories come and go, and then we never hear any more.

We can change how we view things certainly, but overcoming mental illness requires far more than simply a change of attitude as anyone who has had an illness of that nature knows. Granny is right on that one.

Please - if you do feel as if your mental health is really suffering, seek proper support from your GP in the first instance- your health centre will be able to advise you on the best way to arrange an appointment to discuss the various options available to you. Mind is a fantastic organisation and has a wealth of evidence based information on mental health and mental illness, including an excellent section on COVID-19 www.mind.org.uk/

I think it would be fairer to say that some can change their mental attitude JenniferEccles. Not all

Well I think kelleensc was absolutely right saying that we can chose our attitude to the lockdown.

I didn’t interpret it as a dismissive comment about depression, rather that we have control over how we view the current situation.

Some might say they feel imprisoned by the restrictions, others would say they are staying safely at home.

We can change our mental attitude to our curtailed lives.

Far North, same here! I am thinking a lot more than usual about death and dying. Bereavement scares me more than anything.

GrannyLaine. I agree. If only it were true. A very simplistic assessment of mental health.

I think the prediction that "we will lose many loved ones" is likely to be true, despite lockdown.
It'll just be more drawn out, meaning people who need hospital care should be able to get it.

"All over by Christmas" - where have I heard that before??

I feel very privileged to be able to not have to worry about money, having to go out to work on the frontline and possibly lose my business etc. I miss my family and miss being able to go out and socialise and my solitude moments when I can do absolutely what I want when my husband was able to go out and do his sports activities. I seriously worry about the impact this lockdown has done for people’s livelihoods. I feel frustrated with the media the way it has dealt with the Coronavirus epidemic. I feel anger that when the media whip up heroism of people who are just naturally kind as if it’s not normal behaviour. I feel like the time being stuck at home with only my thoughts and mixed messages I am receiving in/on the media is damaging. I tell myself all will be well when they find a vaccine. This epidemic has frankly frightened me as to how we move on when life goes back to normal?

Chezzal wrote:

"I think that's what lockdown is doing so the NHS can cope with a few at a time its not to protect us and lifting it bit by bit is all they can do."

That is correct. Old people and other vulnerable people have to be protected , and protect themselves, as they are so very likely to need high dependence beds if they get it. The NHS can cope only with a limited number of covid patients.

I agree coronavirus could not have started anywhere. It comes from wild bats which are sold as food in China.

A highly infectious and more lethal disease would have started from most western farms but for antibiotics mixed with the animals' food .

We choose our attitude

If only managing our mental health were that simple, there would be no problems at all. A bit like saying " we choose whether or not to be poor"

@Craftyear. I'm with you, we're closer to the end than we were 8 weeks ago. Research and development are moving quickly. Anyone who is going out just needs to be smart and safe and not taking any risks beyond what they can bear. Sitting around winging our hands will get us nothing but more stress which increases our likelihood of getting sick (not necessarily CV, but stress related illnesses).

We choose our attitude. And, if you enjoy the lockdown, continue to enjoy it. If you're ready to very out and about, then do it wisely.

ExD
Due to illness I can't drive, and at high risk re coronavirus.
My husband is shielding, due to his health.
We would love to go out and drive somewhere, even if we stayed in the car.
The GPs receptionist rang to tell us to stay at home.
We miss seeing our family.
However we will stay at home, protecting ourselves and others.

So if we've had the virus and have developed antibodies, will we be branded so that we can go out without being told Stay At Home?
A friend said she was going for a short walk the other day. Police were stopping cars at the end of her road and quizzing the drivers about where they were going. Fair enough.
But then the policeman quizzed her and when she said she was going for her daily constitutional, he told her to go no further than a few hundred yards (about a 10 minute walk), pointing out how far she could go and back again.

You’re welcome

We’re definitely not nearly there and I don’t think blind optimism helps anyone but there’s some light at the end of this long tunnel.

There are so many theories going around, it changes every day. I am just trying to live as best I can with the current situation, and avoid too much news. One thing I enjoy, I work from home 2 days a week. I like the routine, and being useful.

I am very unfit, can hardly walk, and needed a hip replacement which is now on hold. But I have just started the Joe Wicks 10 minute workout for older people, and it has made me feel better. More invigorated, and happy. Must be those endorphins!

Thank you for that SirChenjin !

This might be cheer you up merlotgran - Prof Hugh Pennington says he wouldn’t put money on a vaccine being found any time soon but that “the virus could still be "seen off by Christmas" through social distancing, testing and contact tracing.” He also said he played down fears of a second wave. Fingers crossed

Don't you just love a cheery post? ?

Unfortunately I think there are only 3 ways out
1. We get vaccinated
2. We get it and become immune
3. We die from it

I liken lockdown to branding sheep. You know how they filter a few through at a time until all are done. I think that's what lockdown is doing so the NHS can cope with a few at a time its not to protect us and lifting it bit by bit is all they can do.

I am by nature an Optimist. I also enjoy my own company, 7 years since DH died, I'm only 64 so I hope for many more years to enjoy life. My worry is that I may never see my DM again, she is 91 & lives 300 miles away.

I am fortunate that I drive & I am doing my bit by helping older (I won't call them elderly & vulnerable) neighbours. I only go out once or twice a week & rarely go outside my small Town. I also resist using large Supermarkets more than once a month

It's most impractical to suggest boycotting Chinese goods, whatever you feel about the country.
Anyone using an iPhone or iPad here, or drive a Volvo car for example?
China has stakes in many UK based companies, as do many other countries.
UK have long outsourced manufacturing abroad and few companies are UK owned.
We live in a multinational age.