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How are you coping with lockdown/Covid restriction Tiers?


Nightcrawler

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It's beginning to take its toll on me. Whilst half the time I find stuff to do and go for a walk most days, I have noticed that I am talking to myself more often and having mood swings. Sometimes I forget which day of the week it is, I spend longer in bed and go to bed much later. Watch too much TV/Films etc and drink 5 times as much during the week as I used to. 

Some people are luckier than others depending where they live and the severity of Government restrictions

I don't blame anyone particularly, apart from the Virus itself. Hoping to get the jabs in early February, but to be honest, if the situation continues, it won't make a lot of difference to me apart from perhaps worrying less about catching the virus and or suffering badly. 

Isolation and even semi isolation can take its toll. I am not feeling too sorry for myself though, as I know that there are millions of people going through similar stuff. 

I never thought I would say it, having been retired for 5 years, but I wish I was working everyday for the routine and purpose. There is not much volunteer work about that doesn't involve human contact and I don't fancy becoming a, Samartans hot line operative either 

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Time of year might have something to do with it .. trying to work out what day it is over Xmas / NY is always a nightmare .. especially if your not working 

have you any hobbies ?  Genealogy is mine , so going to spend the next few months , rechecking and building up my tree 

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Can you go out to parks, riverfronts, etc? I have found that getting out and doing things away from people helps.

I have several small gardens (although not too much to do in winter time). Do you have an area to garden or for potted plants?
Photography? I take photos everyday. Bird watching? It's amazing the variety of birds out there. All you need is binoculars & a notebook.

I don't see my friends. Several have died recently and my main "drinking & dining" friends are too cavalier about potential infection (imo).

All that said, I'm in a high risk category (for a serious Covid illness), as is my daughter, and it's my responsibility as a parent that makes me "buckle down" more...so to speak.

Our "lock down" allows for a lot. Whether some activities are prudent is up to the individual. In the end you look out for yourself first.

Edited by lazarus
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I miss playing in  my band, and we have not rehearsed for a few months. I practice at home and write songs, but I am becoming very uninspired by my present surroundings and I almost have to force myself to get motivated these days

Walking and exercise helps a lot but I tend to drive out to nicer open spaces than walk the streets. Did an 8 mile walk with a friend yesterday but up to our ankles in mud. 😁 It's been raining a lot here. 

I am a very social animal and although I can tolerate my own company most of the time, I really do miss social interaction most of all. 

I noticed a lot of people out walking with dogs and family yesterday and how polite and friendly people were to complete strangers. That does not normally happen. 

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14 minutes ago, Nightcrawler said:

I miss playing in  my band, and we have not rehearsed for a few months. I practice at home and write songs, but I am becoming very uninspired by my present surroundings ..... 

Maybe put on some Leonard Cohen for inspiration! 🙂

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I was doing a lot of walking but my left knee threw its toys out the cot so that has had to stop.Had it xrayed last week so waiting on the result.

Exercising in my garage with weights etc but not getting the cardio as when I was walking.I'd buy an exercise bike but my Harley takes up too much room in the garage.

I've probably put on 4-5kg in the last few months,drinking & eating too much.

Watching a lot of football & looking forward to the upcoming Sri Lanka vs England test matches if they don't get called off,latest news is Moeen has tested positive.

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27 minutes ago, coxyhog said:

I was doing a lot of walking but my left knee threw its toys out the cot so that has had to stop.Had it xrayed last week so waiting on the result.

Exercising in my garage with weights etc but not getting the cardio as when I was walking.I'd buy an exercise bike but my Harley takes up too much room in the garage.

I've probably put on 4-5kg in the last few months,drinking & eating too much.

Watching a lot of football & looking forward to the upcoming Sri Lanka vs England test matches if they don't get called off,latest news is Moeen has tested positive.

Motorbike or exercise bike?. 🤔

I which one I'd f**k off!!. 

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Missing walking along the beach since I moved inland a couple of months ago. My waistline is also suffering....

Missing seeing friends for coffee, or meals out, but who isn't?

It's also bloody cold, something that I haven't experienced for a few years. 

Apart from that, not much has changed.... oh, except my elderly mother is pestering me to go and see her daily, and doesn't understand (or want to understand) bubbles. I'm going to see her (but not daily) whilst acting as a tradesman.... 

Life goes on.... it might not be the life I want, but life goes on!

Edited by Painter
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Same same like alot of you. Miss the Gym mostly, politics talking with other guys, trading wifey/girlfriend stories, talking about sports, what is wrong with our Gov't etc. etc. etc. Running at the High School with wifey, doing weight training at home....it's just not the same really. Doing alot of reading, just finished reading "The Eye Of Darkness" by Dean Koontz. 

Like Lazarus, I like to take pics, wifey helps out alot with some poses. Yeah it can be redundant at times, but still fun. 

Like Nightcrawler, I like looking at new Guitars as a possible future purchase for my Son. 

Of course when I reflect back on this, I have been incredibly lucky as far as health, but it does put in perspective when alot of things have been taken away from you, you do not realize the freedoms we all had before this. I will be glad when it is over. 

 

 

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Personally .. I just live my life ... let the bullshit roll off my back side ... my "rules" .. my life ...

This is not " going to be over " for a long time .... it has given the excuse for governments to continue to restrict and dominate you ... I think f**k them ... you think this is gonna be the last .... if so . think again

I live and think a lot different than most ... outside my back door is the beach and sea .... so, I go and do whatever I want .... when ever I want

You gotta remain positive .... don't let any negative feelings or emotions over-take you ... remain strong ..... no excuses .. I did 9 months in solitary when I was younger ... that was fucking hell .. I did 1,000 push ups a day ( took me 3 - 4 months to get to ) , not shit .. just to take my mind away from the totally over whelming feeling of desperation and loneliness .... so, this is nothing .... 

No excuses .. everyone of you still has a good / great life to live ... don't let this minor bullshit interfere ....

Edited by code_slayer_bkk
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Not attending gigs, football matches, group bike rides and walks I miss. But keep busy with DIY stuff and keeping in touch online with friends in Thailand helps. 

I am a believer in how you deal with a shit situation, is sometimes more significant.

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2 minutes ago, john1000 said:

Not attending gigs, football matches, group bike rides and walks I miss. But keep busy with DIY stuff and keeping in touch online with friends in Thailand helps. 

I am a believer in how you deal with a shit situation, is sometimes more significant.

Totally agree ! 

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4 hours ago, Nightcrawler said:

It's beginning to take its toll on me. Whilst half the time I find stuff to do and go for a walk most days, I have noticed that I am talking to myself more often and having mood swings. Sometimes I forget which day of the week it is, I spend longer in bed and go to bed much later. Watch too much TV/Films etc and drink 5 times as much during the week as I used to. 

Here's your answer! 

🙂

23 minutes ago, code_slayer_bkk said:

..... I did 1,000 push ups a day ( took me 3 - 4 months to get to ) , not shit .. just to take my mind away from the totally over whelming feeling of desperation and loneliness .... so, this is nothing .... 

 

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It's not so bad where I live - our covid infection rate is very low and we don't have many restrictions but it is still deep winter and I can recall in previous years when I was still working that January can be the worst month as the Xmas season celebrations are done with but it's still dark and cold and can be depressing. That being said, winter ain't so bad when you can take it on your own terms - nobody is making me get out of bed, start the car and scrape the windshield, and put up with commuting to and fro work in the dark on often slippery roads with a lot of bad drivers on them.

The part I have problems with is the mask mandate - I hate wearing the damned things myself and I avoid the big shopping venues downtown as much as possible because I just can't stand to see everybody wearing those wretched masks, not because I have any fear of catching the virus. I stayed away from the pubs for  five weeks but just fell off of that wagon on Saturday and visited one of my usual locals where there are always several attractive girls working (a bonus of having a lesbian manager, lol) and it broke my heart to see these girls having to hide their lovely faces behind those stupid masks. We have more than enough room here for social distancing and our population is low in density so the mask mandate is just gov't overkill to keep the paranoid types happy. 

 

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I was feeling down in December, but when I thought about realised it was time of year😀

Dark & miserable in the UK then with each day worse than it's predecessor. Taking out my normal 3 weeks of winter sun in Nov/Dec, had a bigger affect on me that I realised. Looked up for the first time the symptoms of S.A.D (Seasonal Affective Disorder).

I'd previously thought that everyone  felt down in winter and it was no big deal. Was really taken aback when I read through the symptoms and found I was checking everything. Seems like I do have a problem!!

After realising that made a conscious effort to restart my exercise program, and starting taking Vitamin D everyday. Starting to feel much better, (placebo from the pills!!) I just wasn't getting out of the house enough.

Getting back to the OP's point on lockdown, am adjusted to it. Have a couple of projects to think about for the year ahead, have started reading again that I used to love and will be back out for a run in the freezing cold tomorrow morning.

Things will get better, even though Boris is shortly going to depress us again.

Stay positive

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I suppose I am lucky, I have my family with me and I am enjoying life.  Yes I would like to travel to see friends and family but being alone or with family I am still good.

If they turn off the internet, phone lines or TV it may get a little confusing but as I can still exercise and shop I am good to go.

I know I will travel again in the future months, I am sure I will also receive the vaccine soon so my main aim is to stay safe, take care of family and maybe even write some more children's tales to go with the one's already written.

No shop booze ban either so not so bad.

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Like everyone else I am making the best of it as far as I can.

I am far from depressed but I really miss the three hours or so work I did remotely each day until Covid finally closed the Hotel for good.

There are "jobs" I do routinely each day each morning in connection with the house and garden and I regularly cycle for exercise plus our four dogs need feeding and walking but it is not enough.

Most afternoons are the same with me in a lounger bed on the patio reading my kindle. I have almost 400 novels on the kindle including most of my favorite pulp fiction crime/war/historical authors. I regularly add to these when I discover that I have enjoyed reading a novel by one of the less well known authors and that there are, say, another six books in the series. Invariably when you go back to Amazon to look at the details for the first two in the series the cost is $0.99 for each and it doesn't jump to $4.99 until book three. 😀

I have never watched so much sport on the TV.

At least once, and often twice, each week I have to set my alarm at some ungodly hour to watch the Gooners and my old Edinburgh team Hearts. My sleep pattern is all over the place but the big advantage of not having much you just HAVE to do is that you adapt to just sleeping when you feel tired.

I speak and see my family back in the UK every week using Line and WhatsApp and we send photo's to one another almost daily. For example, here are two of my Grandson "Morgan"  in the snow just outside Edinburgh yesterday.

IMG-20210104-WA0002.jpg                      IMG-20210104-WA0003.jpg

We take speaking or seeing instantly or sending photo's halfway round the world for granted now but this is the only way I can see/speak to my family and I seriously worry that I may never actually see them again in person. Think how bad it would be if we had the Covid ramifications/restrictions and could not communicate like that.

Incidently, I looked almost identical to Morgan when I was his age. We would have looked like twins.

There is always somebody worse off than we may find ourselves.

I received a "Happy New Year" message from a guy in Pattaya yesterday. Long time since I had any contact but I naturally reciprocated.  That immediately generated

" I am sorry to have to ask you but could you lend me...........until the weekend?"

I found myself profoundly shocked and it quite personally upsetting to receive such a request although in a way not completely surprised given the individual concerned.

I have helped ................... but not to the extent of the request.

The last message received was "Thanks.... I will not let you down."

We shall see.

Edited by Jambo
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