Covid anxiety is here to stay, for many ...

I’ve just seen this thread so coming to it late. Last week on a sunny day I sat outside with my neighbour. I haven’t seen her to speak to for a long time. I was worried about how much she has changed in the past months. Out chat revealed how she feels about emerging from lockdown. She won’t stay outside too long in case she gets cold so outside meals etc are not going to happen. She won’t go outside in wintry weather. She won’t go inside anyone’s house even when it’s permitted. She won’t go into any shop. She won’t travel even within the UK. She won’t allow anyone such as a workman inside her house. I could go on ...... Fortunately she has a proactive husband who deals with everything. I feel so sorry for her. The change in her is dramatic.

I'm sorry you're feeling anxious because of your post Lillie but that is a million miles from someone suffering from anxiety and that was what the article was about. Those who are are certainly not the "lowest" in our society.

Oh dear i am not used to arguing nanna8 and like you say i certainly hope I never suffer from covid. I think you are mixing me with someone else as I have never even mentioned how Australia is performing.
I am feeling rather anxious about posting now as you misunderstood me. So maybe I do know how it must feel for those who want to withdraw from it all.

I think people just need to take a deep breath and think through what they are doing, the real level of risk, which is low for everyone and even lower if you are vaccinated. Plan a release strategy - and just remember to avoid all the other perils in our life that are more likely than COVID now is. M0nica Sun 25-Apr-21 12:06:52

This reminds me of the days when all and sundry thought they were helping by telling people suffering from depression to "just pull yourself together". I think it is useful for those who are anxious but the article was describing people with an anxiety condition triggered by Covid.

Lillie

I might be wrong, but i believe nanna8 lives in Australia which probably accounts for her sunny outlook. I hardly think her attitude will keep people locked away because they are scared to meet her.
What I don't undersatnd is why some people say we should work to the lowest common denominator. ie the most scared and anxious.

Who is saying we should work to the "lowest common denominator. ie the most scared and anxious.". I certainly didn't. Let's hope you never actually suffer from it. Some would say that it's logical to be afraid of things happening devastatingly and unexpectedly if it has happened like that recently. Most of us just try and get on with life but for those who can't it how about a little empathy?

What I do think is that we use these words very loosely. People are anxious and need information, not condemnation. People with anxiety will be suffering in ways that those who have never had it or seen it could know. They need help and may well be getting it but a little understanding would help not describing them as the "lowest".

As for a granny living in Australia not understanding that all countries are not in their position, I am pleased for Australians but again, a little knowledge of others other countries would go a long way.

This is a thread about anxieties caused by the pandemic so it's not suprising that's what people are talking about.

China eliminated SARS 1 by continuing to wear face masks etc. What’s the problem with people accepting that culturally in this country given that it will continue to protect vulnerable people from flu and viruses? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a culture in which people think about the health and safety of others from now on?

That's controlling behaviour though kalli and the rest of the family would need support with that.

For some, it is just wanting to do it nice and slowly and take a bit longer... and that is quite normal.

The article however, does not talk about them. But about those with anxiety and OCD traits- who will find it even more difficult, and will carry on with extreme caution way beyond common sense. And they are not older people either.

Lillie, in families where 1 person is affected with extreme anxiety, Covid OCD - then there is little choice but to 'work to the most scared and anxious- because they will not allow other members of the family to diverge and acti differently- for fear of getting infected by them. That is children, sibblings, grand-parents, etc- whole groups who have no choice at all.

Well said M0nica.

No, he’s not at all an anxious type, Maddyone, but it started at the beginning of the first lockdown and it’s just carried on.

Right from the start I have obeyed the rules, and made my own. I have worn a mask when out shopping since day 1, not so much to protect myself, as to protect other people. I have permanent hayfever and sneeze a lot, so I am protecting them from instant panic attacks as I sneeze in the supermarket.

I have also worn gloves all through, not to protect myself from the virus but protect my skin from the damage caused by constant washing am dousing my hands with sanitiser.

However, I have continued to go out to do the shopping, I have never washed, wiped bleached or quarantined anything coming into the house.

My attitude to the release from durance vile will be the same. I am not the least bit worried about going out meeting people not being distanced etc etc. I have been vaccinated, so have most of the people round me, so will most of the people I meet as I go about my normal life. The number of COVID cases is now very few and deaths even fewer. I am more likely to be hit by a bus than catch COVID.

I do understand for those who have been shielding all year coming out into the world again will be difficult. I have a friend who is currently doing this; starting with short walks and visits to uncrowded shops at uncrowded times of day and gradually building this up.

I think people just need to take a deep breath and think through what they are doing, the real level of risk, which is low for everyone and even lower if you are vaccinated. Plan a release strategy - and just remember to avoid all the other perils in our life that are more likely than COVID now is.

I might be wrong, but i believe nanna8 lives in Australia which probably accounts for her sunny outlook. I hardly think her attitude will keep people locked away because they are scared to meet her.
What I don't undersatnd is why some people say we should work to the lowest common denominator. ie the most scared and anxious.

Is it really unnecessary anxiety or are some people sensible to be continuing following basic precautions?

Just want to point out that a large number of people with compromised immune systems won’t necessarily develop Covid antibodies after having the jab and therefore, they remain...Completely unprotected!

There seems to be the misunderstanding that the Jab is a cure all and regardless of new Covid strains, some people won’t be protected from the current strains either.

My husband has a blood cancer and I’ve been reading articles from the blood cancer research charity webpages. They’ve been reviewing research carried out since the vaccine rollout and I would urge anyone who has or lives with someone with serious underlying health conditions, to continue to be cautious.

Fact is, you won’t know if you have developed the Covid antibodies following your second vaccination until you’ve had a blood test.

nanna8

Everything is back to normal here and we only have to wear masks on public transport, doctor’s surgeries and airports but I still feel wary because they have mucked up the vaccine rollout big time. Also there seems to be more and more news coming out that the astra Zeneca vaccine isn’t very effective and that is the only one available to most of us lucky enough to have actually had it. Having said that we have had some great Probus dine outs at local restaurants in our local area, mostly with around 40-50 people attending.

Everything is not "back to normal"; don't you watch the news? That sort of reply will probably keep a few people locked in their homes, away from people holding your views, for some time.

We have been "lucky" because we are wealthy but this has nothing to do with anxiety. It is still reasonable to be anxious and some people will be suffering from anxiety, they may have had issues before covid or this may have triggered their condition.

Just telling everyone you are ecstatic and it's all over will not help one iota but then, some do not want to help those who do not feel as they do, do they?

My son has OCD, and the covid has 'freaked him out' and he has the syndrome now described.Wont even entertain idea of a holiday in autumn, and we have 2nd vaccine next month! Other son was shielding so is reluctant to go back to outside world now..its NOT all the young ones who are out spreading it- some are living in fear of it still, thats true.?

I think people have made a valid point on this thread that we need to be able to change our thinking about covid. It is probably here to stay so we need to re asses how we are going to live.
Maddyone and Galaxy are to say right that it will depend on whether you have had the virus, whether you have been vaccinated, whether you are fearful by nature, whether you are risk averse and so on.
personally I like to hear about posters sitting in pub gardens, meeting friends, booking holidays.
GrannySomerset you are right. Let the young get out there and carry on. Any older person who cannot face the outside world can remain at home and will have to find coping strategies like online interests to deal with their loneliness.
Everyone needs to be individually resourceful.

JaneJudge
We cleaned our shopping at first too, or let it quarantine for a couple of days, but we stopped all that a while ago. We were very, very careful during the whole of last year, but despite that I still caught Covid and was really ill and hospitalised. I caught it from the bubble I was in with my husband and elderly mother (mother was hospitalised after a fall and head injury, and picked up Covid in hospital) and unfortunately I was the most seriously ill out of the three of us. When I came home from hospital I reevaluated the situation. I realised that all the cleaning shopping, masks etc hadn’t stopped me getting Covid, it was the direct person to person contact (despite wearing a mark at the time. I still comply with all requirements completely, I wear a mask, sanitise, socially distance when out at the shops etc but I realise that none of this stopped me getting a serious dose of Covid. It changed my thinking. I don’t clean shopping anymore, or fret about surfaces. I know I won’t get Covid again from a surface. I’m also vaccinated and have had the virus and I think it unlikely I’ll get Covid again.

I have stopped washing my shopping which I thought was a big thing for me. We were advised to at the beginning because my daughter is vulnerable but I also think it triggered some ptsd stuff about the death of one of my siblings. Anyway, I managed to stop.......

I think throughout this we have to understand that people react differently to the unknown, which certainly at the beginning is what covid was. As I have said I am not frightened I have worked face to face with children throughout covid (except for the very first lockdown) but I dont want to return to supermarket shopping, or going into the office for admin tasks, because I have learnt that for me these are a waste of time. We just need to accept that people think differently to us, and offer support when needed.

I know quite a few people on antidepressants since Covid mostly because of no communications with family. I had quite a few tearful days initially but it was the fear and the unknown about the virus.

Now things are slowly getting back to normal I think people with anxiety will improve I hope so for their sakes. Getting back to reality but still being a little cautious is the way forward.
We have been to our DC homes and sat with GC in their gardens. We went to friends sat in their garden had a few drinks and snacks it’s just nice to be in good company again.

Yesterday we walked through the local woods to a pub a mile away we sat outside with drinks. Everyone was complying to distancing rules masks etc. The staff couldn’t be praised enough very attentive and glad to be back at work. It was a lovely couple of hours watching people enjoy themselves in the sunshine.

dh still wants our daily paper ‘cooked’ for 10 minutes in the oven before he reads it.’

This would concern me. Is he normally this anxious?

The theory of catching Covid from surfaces has been dismissed. From what I have read/seen it has been made clear that it was highly unlikely, if not totally impossible to get Covid from surfaces. The virus is airborne. It doesn’t survive in a viable form on surfaces, nor would there be sufficient viral load on the majority of surfaces to infect. The reason Covid was reduced in the population was obviously vaccination, but also because of social distancing and lockdown.

Really good news about a malaria vaccine Franbern
I’m so pleased to hear that. Will the WHO roll it out worldwide?

People in malaria areas live with this anxiety all the time !

I must admit I thought this might be an article about me but even I can't be arsed to clean my house for hours with bleach

I am limiting what I do though and part from going to the village co-op and post office I really haven't done much else the year or so. BUT I have a school age child still, one at college and one at uni, my husband has to go into work, I have to meet clients etc and I see my daughters care staff - so that is quite a lot of mixing anyway - that is how I feel at the moment and I'm not sure it is fully rational.

My Mum and Dad have worked full time throughout and my Mum said she doesn't know how she will be able to pack a suitcase and go on holiday again as it feels overwhelming and I was quite surprised by that tbh as she has just 'got on with it' iykwim

Like Franbern I have done a weekly supermarket shop - couldn’t get delivery slots at the beginning and gave up, and prefer to choose my own produce and see what’s new. And it’s an hour and a half out of the house! I haven’t disinfected my shopping before putting it away either.

We will have to learn to live with the threat of COVID and modify our behaviour though I will rejoice to see the end of mask wearing. I want my grandchildren to live a normal life so accept some level of risk. And at least we the elderly have the choice of staying at home if we are really nervous - the young don’t have that luxury.

Oh dear, the site, or internet is playing up. I didn’t mean to post just that one sentence, I wrote a whole post, but it wouldn’t post.