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Pandemic personal consequences

it gives us chance to think and really feel how our mood and thoughts change after we spend time with someone. It's not easy but it's so worth it. There are enough good people in the world that you don't have to spent time with the bad ones.

Yep, last time someone seemed deliberately not to take precautions round me I was counting days for symptoms. Not all the time obviously but concerning still the same - not just whether I was going to come down with it but whether I was going to pass it on to someone.

It's difficult because I don't really want to offend him and particularly his gf who is great. I'm not really sure how I'm going to play it next time except to watch out for those moments that he tries to draw me into being unsafe and being quite open - 'no, sorry, I'm still vulnerable and I'm still really taking this stuff seriously, particularly with the delta variant being so much more transmissible and having fewer early symptoms."
 
I was going to go and visit my family in Scotland at the end of July. I live on my own and haven't seen them since Christmas 2019.

I'm unsure what to do -- I really want to see them but it feels a bit dodgy at the moment. But feels it's only going to get worse. Not quite sure what to do -- we're doing a call later this week to talk about it :(
 
I was going to go and visit my family in Scotland at the end of July. I live on my own and haven't seen them since Christmas 2019.

I'm unsure what to do -- I really want to see them but it feels a bit dodgy at the moment. But feels it's only going to get worse. Not quite sure what to do -- we're doing a call later this week to talk about it :(

I think you should go. Take lateral flow tests and get a PCR test if you can/feel the need. Keep wearing a mask and being careful and hope they're doing the same.

There's going to be a lot of travel between England and Scotland in July. It won't be like potentially introducing a new delta or whatever variant into an area where it wouldn't otherwise have got there. And you're seeing family; you never know what will happen between this potential visit and the next opportunity, and I don't mean covid, just life.
 
I've cancelled plans to see a mate 's drag cabaret show at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern this Wednesday, and to stay in a cottage, with 3 friends, in Norfolk next weekend.

I've decided I'm going back to no indoor socialising at all, no exceptions, and no using buses or trains. I'll only go to places I can cycle to. I managed fine with these self-imposed constraints before, I can manage fine again.

I know it's a privilege to be able to make these choices, not having to travel for work, and having no caring responsibilities.

It's also not all that much of a sacrifice, although I am sad about the weekend in Norfolk. Fingers crossed we can do it another time.
 
I think you should go. Take lateral flow tests and get a PCR test if you can/feel the need. Keep wearing a mask and being careful and hope they're doing the same.

There's going to be a lot of travel between England and Scotland in July. It won't be like potentially introducing a new delta or whatever variant into an area where it wouldn't otherwise have got there. And you're seeing family; you never know what will happen between this potential visit and the next opportunity, and I don't mean covid, just life.
Everyone I'll be seeing (apart from young nieces/nephews) will be double vaxxed and we're all being super careful. Would just feel terrible if I gave them Covid, given I'll be staying with them.

But yeah, I haven't gone before due to following the rules. But I feel if I don't go soon, it could end up being a long way away.
 
"its only going to get worse" isnt really in tune with how these wave dynamics work. They dont keep growing for all that many months, at some point there is a peak, and it looks like Scotland already had its peak. Its true that this time thing could be messier due to lack of lockdown, but other dynamics including school summer holidays are still expected to have an impact.

I know it would be far more useful if I could tell you when things will peak, but I cannot. It could peak in a week, it could peak in a month. Realistic possibilities start to diminish beyond that timescale, since even if the virus was able to keep doubling past that point, we'd have reached breaking point by then and been forced into new restrictions.

If it were me I would try to stall, with a view to messing with the timing a bit if its at all possible. Because the end of July could be the worst possible time in terms of case rates in England. And/or by the end of July it may be quite a bit clearer what the picture is looking like.

Alternatively just take extra precautions between now and then in order to minimise your chances of taking an infection with you, and ask that people at your destination do the same if possible.

Its probably going to feel a bit weird and wrong whatever you do, but I certainly wouldnt totally rip up the plan at this stage.
 
I’ve got two people due to visit in August. My brother is coming from Newcastle and I haven’t seen him for nearly 3 years. He seriously needs to get away and we need to see each other, it’s been too long. He was due to come at Christmas and although he legitimately could because of his MH, it was too stressful and too risky.
I can imagine the only thing stopping that trip will be a change in restrictions or one of us self isolating.

The other visit is a good friend and we’ll have to see how it goes. The added risk of her staying with me beyond actually getting Covid is of us having to isolate afterwards when I’m starting a new job. However, the alternative is her staying with my single jabbed, pregnant friend so it would feel selfish letting that happen when I have a spare room.
 
Has anyone else's mental health been going very definitely down the toilet in the last few weeks and months? I am fortunate enough to have the money to see a therapist and I get from her that this isn't unusual and that a lot of her other clients have had similar. But I've been at a stage of some sort of burnout for a while now... actually, it's focused my mind on how people think of this "burnout" concept, like it's something where you are fine until you hit a particular point and then suddenly you are completely fucked, whereas in reality you're actually just increasingly fucked and regularly just lose days until the point where, yknow, you lose all the days.


Yes....definitely. I'm worse now than earlier in the pandemic...
I've "coped" with some of my extended family dying from covid last year and early this year.
I've "coped" with my sis having a stroke after AZ vacc.

I was actually happy being fully vaccinated and looking forward to getting to go out again.

Then Delta arrived.
And it looks like I have fuck all immunity due to meds and my immune system.

Final straw for me has been waiting for occhealth to decide if I am too much of a risk to return to face to face work. It's three weeks since I did their covid tool age kit and questionnaire which indicated that I was still very high risk...but they have to factor in vaccination. They have yet to decide what I will be doing.

The irony is that Occ Health delays have left me feeling extremely stressed. And last week I actually felt life wasnt worth living another day.

Luckily I have people around me who spotted I wasnt great and one of them helped me...a lot.
 
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I have to go into work tomorrow for an "away day"... odd, I was commuting throughout the height of the pandemic and was quite fatalistic about it - but I feel strangely more reluctant to put myself at risk now. I think it's partly a case of having managed this long - I really don't want to get it now; also I think this is a period of real uncertainly - keep hearing of people who're double-jabbed but got it. At least I have one of them FFP2 masks for the tube.
 
A third of passengers on the overground were maskless yesterday. I might walk to work.

I generally hate the 'singalling' stuff that is going on, but I think it's reasonable to conclude the maskless are more likely to be the people going to the super-spreading events that are going on, so can see why you'd have some concerns.
 
So just had one of those 'how are you doing/checking up on you' calls from the NHS where the woman informed me that according to their system I should in fact self-isolate for another two days on top of the ten I'll have done by midnight Weds. I've followed the rules, I haven't had no symptoms for over a week, my app says two days to go and I'll be fucked if I'm going to spend another miserable two days indoors because of their cock up.

And yes, I'll still wear a mask if I'm near people indoors despite being double vaxxed and now -presumably - immune.
 
There is an upside to being in Covid self isolation. You never miss a delivery.
Even though I'm home pretty much all week, deliveries still arrive without me being aware of them. Fortunately, I have good neighbours, and most of the usual delivery drivers know the local setup well enough to sort it out...
 
FridgeMagnet are you sure what ails you isn't physical? Thyroid, vitamin deficiency, post-viral fatigue, something of that ilk?
I mean I don't think so? It all seems pretty consistent. The fatigue has sometimes felt like it just comes out of nowhere, but IME that is something that does happen when you constantly tries to convince yourself that you're fine really and just need to pull yourself together and get on with things.
 
So just had one of those 'how are you doing/checking up on you' calls from the NHS where the woman informed me that according to their system I should in fact self-isolate for another two days on top of the ten I'll have done by midnight Weds. I've followed the rules, I haven't had no symptoms for over a week, my app says two days to go and I'll be fucked if I'm going to spend another miserable two days indoors because of their cock up.

And yes, I'll still wear a mask if I'm near people indoors despite being double vaxxed and now -presumably - immune.
I wouldn't count on it!

 
I’ve now had two close mates going down the swanney with drugs after a year or so of isolation with covid. Both long term drug users but borderline ‘recreational’, both definitely in too deep right now and both asking me for help. There still isn’t a day that goes by when I’m not thankful that I’m cycling across Northumberland and not sweaty and looking for a hit. Fuck that shit. Covids tipped the balance and the weaker- or those facing adversity like relationship breakdown- are vulnerable.
 
I mean I don't think so? It all seems pretty consistent. The fatigue has sometimes felt like it just comes out of nowhere, but IME that is something that does happen when you constantly tries to convince yourself that you're fine really and just need to pull yourself together and get on with things.

subject to the disclaimer that my medical training is zero and knowledge limited, i'd say it would probably not to any harm to get checked out for the other stuff that RubyToogood has mentioned.

having been there with some sort of post viral crap a few years ago, they did send me for some blood tests to rule out other causes. i don't know if they are doing the same with possible long covid cases.
 
I can guarantee that an increasing number of double vaccinated people are contracting the virus, many with a range of symptoms from mild to severe. Also several deaths have been recorded.
Oh I know that - I'm one of them! - but I was wondering if doubled vaxxed people were getting the virus twice.
 
Oh I know that - I'm one of them! - but I was wondering if doubled vaxxed people were getting the virus twice.
Only time will tell, but it does seem like the gift that keeps giving. Also rolling out booster jabs at some stage , must mean we can?
 
subject to the disclaimer that my medical training is zero and knowledge limited, i'd say it would probably not to any harm to get checked out for the other stuff that RubyToogood has mentioned.

having been there with some sort of post viral crap a few years ago, they did send me for some blood tests to rule out other causes. i don't know if they are doing the same with possible long covid cases.
I don't 100% rule it out, but I should also state that I'm also quite familiar with how I react to stress, and a lot of it is somatisation and "inexplicable" behaviour from trying to suppress emotion, which psychotherapy did help a lot with but I guess I've got back into the habit now. Also friends have been saying that they were concerned about my mood seeming like it was going to shit.

Posting about it has helped because I don't feel so weird. Not that I wouldn't prefer if I was the only weird one and everyone else in the world was fine, that would mean the general level of human unhappiness wasn't so high.
 
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