Lockdown highs and lows

[Monkeybum]

High - working throughout and finally being able to sort out my finances. Appreciating the small things in life and knowing who my real friends are

Low - my Dad was taken to hospital in April, he first went onto a ventilator the night before my 40th birthday and since then my Mum was called to say goodbye and we've thought we've lost him numerous times. He's been in a care home for 4 months and may never eat again or speak without a valve (he's currently fed peg and has a tracheostomy). Dealing with all that in lockdown alone has been pretty shit

 

[Makaraka]

Realised I was quite vague on my highs and didn’t express my lows...
Highs: home schooling successfully - my eldest is so bright and she really benefited from my home schooling by doing the older years set homework.
spent a lot of time with them which was great but also contributed to my lows.
I realised that I’m actually a fantastic cook and so many people have told me I need my own takeaway or restaurant... something we’ve now been looking into but is it the right time?
I learnt Spanish!

Lows: mentally draining, I worked throughout with little support from my colleagues who really understood what I was feeling. My husband was stuck away for 5 months.
my girls being at home constantly it was like I couldn’t breathe.
Drinking didnt help
Having to rely on my mum/MIL to look after the kids and not seeing them for 3/4 days whilst I worked and got abused & shouted at..

I can’t wait for the day I can travel to meet my husband where he is.
this year I’ve seen him for a total of 11 weeks
It’s hard on me but also the kids.

 

[Sosig]

Highs - Being in a safe job that has allowed me to work from home ever since lockdown began.
Got a promotion while I’ve been at home so learning a new role remotely
Saved a lot of money and paid stuff off.
Booked my driving test for next spring.
Decorating the house.

Lows - Not getting to see my boyfriend since before lockdown until mid May because I had covid/support bubbles not being a thing.
Depression.
Not getting to go on our booked city break in March which is now (hopefully) Feb 2021.
Should have really tried to start running during lockdown 1. Im psychically fit and go to the gym but I have absolutely no stamina

 

[lemonlime]

Lows - Anxiety, hypochondria and OCD roaring back in. Endless worrying about my parents' and family's wellbeing. Stressing about careless people and a clueless government. Losing a coworker to COVID.
Highs - Working from home and not hearing the infernal ringing of the office phone every day. Blissful silence. No fluorescent lights. Being able to drink my own quality tea at home. Picking up crafty hobbies and getting back to writing again, albeit slowly. The lack of small talk.

 

[Bitofthebubbly]

Highs: having my partner and kids home a lot was lovely most of the time. My partner and I alternated lie-ins so that was nice because I love to sleep in. He’s been really supportive when I’ve struggled mentally too and it’s meant I can take a step away when I feel overwhelmed.

Buying a pool for the garden was a great investment and kept my kids entertained for hours when it was really warm but we couldn’t take them out anywhere.

Not feeling obliged to see people has been nice

Lows: Having the same holiday cancelled three times. Once just days before the first lockdown and was meant to be for my birthday, second time our flights got cancelled and the third time was meant to be over Christmas but France lockdown has caused it to be cancelled. I’ve just about given up at this point.

Home school, didn’t have a clue. Felt like I was failing my kids the whole time. Now they’re back at school they’re doing fine, I think. So I don’t think I caused too much damage with my shoddy teaching skills.

Just generally not having things to look forward to has sucked. Life just seems so boring and I’m constantly looking for ways to be entertained at home. I’ve been throwing myself into my video games of an evening more just for an escape.

 

[Mulholland Drive]

Highs. Still plenty of work both from home and customer site. Keeping fit by daily running. Money to pay bills and save for rainy days. Fly out to South Africa next month for three months. Tattle.

Lows. SAD. Depression, boozing, separated. Dark mornings and nights. Shit news day in day out.

Just to add a couple more lows - the announcement from Bubblehead Boris that "Lockdown Lite" is going to drag on until end of March at the very earliest. The crippling debt the country is in and will have to be paid for via taxes, just to compound the anxiety.

 

[Sweetpotato0965]

High - saving money, spending more time with family.

Low - working for NHS, finally meeting a really nice guy then being told I can’t see him and to WaLK iN a PaRk until April. Everyone else has someone why can’t I sorry I’m being very selfish I realise lol.

 

[derbyshiregirl]

Highs: I had a baby in May and she’s made me so happy. Also if I hadn’t been pregnant I would have lost my job due to Covid

Lows: it’s not the start of parenthood I imagined, I never had a baby shower, had no visitors in hospital, can’t go to baby groups to make friends with other mums, I never got to say goodbye to anyone at work - I literally just got a call the night of the first Boris announcement to say don’t come back in again you’re going straight into furlough/maternity leave....my dads also got Covid so it’s scary now it’s closer to home and he’s elderly

 

[Giggling Squid]

Highs? A safe, secure job that I love that I’ve been able to do easily from home. Being able to sort the house out having moved in end of last year (best decision ever buying when we did, I don’t think we would have survived lockdown in our shoebox!), my sisters covid-wedding, exploring the area we live in, no commuting, we got a kitten and she now owns us. Ohh and I’ve finally started to lose weight, back in love with exercise, I walk miles every day. I’m not down much but 6kg down so far this year... I’ve been gaining since my dad died 3 years ago, so this is massive for me.

Honestly, there haven’t been many lows, and I know that this has given me a bit of a rose tinted view of lockdown and the virus. Im also one of those irritating people who tried to see the positive in everything. I don’t have many friends, so have mostly been able to see them except during strict lockdown when we have just zoomed instead.... my family is small, so have been able to see all of them (2 households, mum bubbled with my sister) for most of the time too. The only real low, although quite big, is that we’ve been unable to see my partner’s family including his young nephews in 11 months now, and it’s hard. I miss them so much, a year isn’t that much in the grand scheme of things, but in the life of a 3 year old, it’s huge. We’ve missed so much

 

[watermelon sugar]

Another lockdown high for me is ive learnt how to cook after being with my fella for 2 years he has always skit me for not being able to cook. Since lockdown so the last 9 months, I've made more or less every tea

 

[Bitofthebubbly]

Not wishing to make light of your situation, but I love your idea of digging out some video games. I must dig out my PS3 and play some "shoot-em-up" games and pretend all my enemies were people like Boris Johnson, Hancock and all the other clueless Muppets in government

I love it! You totally should, it’s so cathartic letting loose on a game because there are no real life consequences. I love a game with a good story that makes me forget about what’s happening in real life for a while.

 

[Peeky_Mink]

Highs - saving money and enjoying there being less people around when going out to places

Lows - having to homeschool, depression and anxiety, bad news in the family etc.

 

[Jdottt13]

Highs - Welcoming our second baby at the end of August Having time to redecorate . 3 year old potty trained quickly due to being at home most days. Partner got a new & more reliable job that he probably wouldn’t have applied for had it not been for lockdown drying up his work as a builder.

Lows - having to attend scans alone, the first lockdown wasn’t very kind to our relationship and we got on each others nerves ALOT (turns out spending 24/7 with each other isn’t something we’d ever do again out of choice ) Missing my friends & family and feeling a lack of support after having baby. Kinda felt like I didn’t experience that newborn bubble as much this time round but idk if that’s COVID related or whether it’s just having a second child u don’t get as much time to just sit and snuggle your baby haha

 

[Tweacle]

Highs. Saved money, jobs in the house got finished, rediscovering how well husband and I get on. Fun in the sun in the garden. Finding tattle.
Lows. Lost a very close relative in April and realising I couldn’t go to the funeral ( I am cev ) almost broke me. Cancelling our holidays abroad wasn’t nice. Especially the pre xmas New York one.
On the whole we did ok. It helps that we live in a very low area.

 

[JakeM]

Highs: I’m a loner so being an anxious person, I quite like being in lockdown most days. My Anxiety isn’t as bad as it used to be. Tattle.

lows: I’m loner, as said above, but I do miss family/friends.

 

[roundzip]

Highs - being able to work from home which I love
- spending more time with my new kittens who are now cats
- meeting 2 new friends online who I think will be friends for life

Lows - increase in anxiety
- missing family and friends
- not being able to go to all the concerts and shows I had booked this year

 

[LucilleBluth]

Lows: a breakup just before first lockdown, being furloughed as self employed so barely getting any money, an abnormal smear test just before lockdown, and not being able to see my parents when my dad is pretty ill and I really should be maxing out time with him. In my dark moments I just feel I’ve been robbed of time to meet someone and have a family of my own and am surrounded by people who seem to have everything I want!

Highs: huge personal growth through therapy (even though the above comment may not indicate as much ), a new flat in an area I adore, new job, new car, and not having to deal with irritating colleagues and socialise all the time. Saving money and learning to cook. So far my parents have fared reasonably well. I’ve loved the fact that introverts are coming up trumps during this time, for once in history - ha!

 

[Mulholland Drive]

Low - is the utter confusion of ever-changing tier rules, and what you can and can't do. Which sometimes come into conflict or complete contradiction with other rules. or are then lifted after being periodically reviewed.

It is all rather mentally draining, especially of a winter time, when its cold and dark and generally not very conducive to one's state of mind.

 

[HelloStereo]

Highs
Saved money
Managed to keep my job
Enjoyed the work / life balance as working from home means I am able to get lots of things done around the house
Went on a great date with someone I had liked for a long time

Lows
The loneliness and repetitive lifestyle
I'm not sure my date worked out
Not being able to see family / friends as often as I'd like

 

[hypoharpy]

Low - lost 2 members of immediate family and 2 of extended family.

High - lots of gardening and decorating and lots of lovely time with OH.