People who live alone - how are you getting on?

[hypernormalized]

I live alone.

As far as I'm concerned, the rules quite literally don't apply to me, because they're obviously designed for nuclear families. Most other countries at least allow a few people over to your house.

The idea that theoretically I'm not going to have any human contact other than with one person I nominate for three months is just not being entertained. If we were at serious risk, I'd do everything I could, but as a mid 30s bloke, there is just no chance.

I see a few people a week and I feel, well, pretty awful, but that's less as a result of what I'm doing and more that I'm anxious about our democracy. I guess this is what it feels like to be marginalized, heh.

 

[Petcha]

I'm struggling. Cant deny it. I moved into my own place about a month ago and I'm fairly sure I've gone nuts. I ordered a basketball from amazon the other day to try get me out of the house. It arrived today - deflated. I hadn't figured on that. But it seems a pretty fair metaphor for my life. I'm really fucking lost. I havent had any real human contact for well over a month, except seeing my young son on sundays. My work has been great to all of us to be fair - theyve been providing free anonymous online therapy sessions and i can see on the faces of people on zoom, particularly the parents, that people are ebbing away.

Even after this shit is over, we've all had the jab, i dont see us coming back to mental normality.

 

[hypernormalized]

I'm struggling. Cant deny it. I moved into my own place about a month ago and I'm fairly sure I've gone nuts. I ordered a basketball from amazon the other day to try get me out of the house. It arrived today - deflated. I hadn't figured on that. But it seems a pretty fair metaphor for my life. I'm really fucking lost. I havent had any real human contact for well over a month, except seeing my young son on sundays. My work has been great to all of us to be fair - theyve been providing free anonymous online therapy sessions and i can see on the faces of people on zoom, particularly the parents, that people are ebbing away.

Even after this shit is over, we've all had the jab, i dont see us coming back to mental normality.

The zoom calls in particular are something that have really set me off. I've had to take time off work because I just can't do them any more. To me it's like showing me pictures of food when I'm hungry.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

A bit shit. Not in a bubble. A bit lonely. But I've got other problems that are affecting me worse than the pandemic.

 

[Septimus Rufiji]

I've dipped over the last month or so what with no work for that last 6 months and no family nearby. I used to fall asleep within minutes of going to bed but now I lie there for about an hour before dropping off then wake up for an hour in the early hours before dozing for another couple of hours. Also, I'm having problems motivating myself to do anything.

I think working out some sort of daily routine and sticking to it as much as possible will at least get my mind chugging along (however slowly)

 

[cybershot]

Had two days in the office this week which has helped. Today was just back to back meetings so sat in the sofa all day. Totally unproductive day but was nice seeing some more faces.

birthday on Monday. Nothing planned. Shouldn’t complain. Last year I was luckily enough to go out clubbing on my actual birthday with a load of mates.

 

[Doctor Carrot]

It's been a bit shit these past few days. I normally love my own company and rarely get lonely but I've been feeling it a bit recently. I was meant to go and see the person in my bubble at the weekend for a meal at his place but he felt unwell so decided against it. That seems to have sent me off into a wonky head space since then.

I also finally lost my shit with a customer coming into where I work not wearing a mask. I'd mentioned to him twice about it before and each time 'oh yeah next time I will, sorry' then this time I said I wasn't serving him and suddenly he's exempt with a severe lung condition despite never mentioning it before, constantly stinking of weed and buying tobacco and skins each time. I didn't believe him, told him so and that I shouldn't risk my health just so he can buy a fucking yorkie bar. Oops, thankfully I work in a small shop with a boss who backed me up but still, it didn't feel good.

My family live in a different city and I just wanna go and see them. Hopefully, I'll be able to do so soon.

 

[cybershot]

It's been a bit shit these past few days. I normally love my own company and rarely get lonely but I've been feeling it a bit recently. I was meant to go and see the person in my bubble at the weekend for a meal at his place but he felt unwell so decided against it. That seems to have sent me off into a wonky head space since then.

I also finally lost my shit with a customer coming into where I work not wearing a mask. I'd mentioned to him twice about it before and each time 'oh yeah next time I will, sorry' then this time I said I wasn't serving him and suddenly he's exempt with a severe lung condition despite never mentioning it before, constantly stinking of weed and buying tobacco and skins each time. I didn't believe him, told him so and that I shouldn't risk my health just so he can buy a fucking yorkie bar. Oops, thankfully I work in a small shop with a boss who backed me up but still, it didn't feel good.

My family live in a different city and I just wanna go and see them. Hopefully, I'll be able to do so soon.

Fuck it just go and see them if it’s what you need to do and can do it as safely as possible.

The M6 was as busy as usual going to and from work yesterday. This national lockdown is a farce.

 

[Doctor Carrot]

Fuck it just go and see them if it’s what you need to do and can do it as safely as possible.

The M6 was as busy as usual going to and from work yesterday. This national lockdown is a farce.

I wish I could but I don't drive and coaches aren't running yet... Definitely agree the lockdown is pretty farcical.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

I'm noticeably happier after retreating into fantasy. I mean not to the point of actual happiness but I feel less appallingly shit.

All my life I've had people (including myself) telling me not to spend my time reading books, instead engage with the "real world", talk to people, get a girlfriend, etc etc. I tried to continue to engage with the real world but the real world has kind of vanished. Then I gave that up, and now, after work, I draw things that don't exist and invent worlds for role-playing games, and you know? it's better than reading the bloody news which you can't do anything about?

 

[The39thStep]

I must say I avoid watching the UK TV news over here mainly due to their insistence on getting no mark talking heads to give their opinion/speculation every five minutes Always someone either overplaying some issue like its the end of the world or chicken little. Portuguese news is more straight forward ie someone from the Government or whoever speaks then onto the next news item. All the discussion stuff is done in a separate program later which I can't understand anyway.

 

[tommers]

We've had lots of people at work asking for access to co-working spaces etc. Got asked to speak to somebody the other day cos his manager was worried about him. Maybe five or six people out of 35 odd have come asking for help, and we have an anonymous line that people can call if they want to, so sure that people are doing that too. We're really trying hard to look after everybody - organising hangouts, sending out boxes with "wellness products" etc and we implemented an auto reminder to tell people to take holidays but it's hard. Zoom is not a substitute for being in a room with people. I live with my wife and kids and even I'm struggling. It must be really tough living on your own.

 

[Doctor Carrot]

I try not to go in for nostalgia too much but I've found personal nostalgia has been quite helpful. I used to make drum n bass in my early 20s and I've picked up making tunes again this past year. Nothin major just dicking about on a tiny sampler (pocket operator for those who know about music tech) and it's so much fun just to play on that. I just watched the flight of the navigator too with a bowl of udon noodles ordered from a local restaurant and it's cheered me right up!

 

[FridgeMagnet]

I try not to go in for nostalgia too much but I've found personal nostalgia has been quite helpful. I used to make drum n bass in my early 20s and I've picked up making tunes again this past year. Nothin major just dicking about on a tiny sampler (pocket operator for those who know about music tech) and it's so much fun just to play on that. I just watched the flight of the navigator too with a bowl of udon noodles ordered from a local restaurant and it's cheered me right up!

Absolutely have a pocket operator sampler on my shopping list. In the meantime I got the Koala sampler app on my phone and made gabber tracks from samples of my roomba.

 

[Doctor Carrot]

Absolutely have a pocket operator sampler on my shopping list. In the meantime I got the Koala sampler app on my phone and made gabber tracks from samples of my roomba.

Post it! I wanna hear some roomba gabber! Definitely get a pocket operator. I'm constantly amazed at how tiny it is and how much you can do with it!

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Post it! I wanna hear some roomba gabber! Definitely get a pocket operator. I'm constantly amazed at how tiny it is and how much you can do with it!

yeah I mean fuck it why not - I just put in an order

The only export I have is when I was really messing around with the filters but, again, fuck it.

 

[Doctor Carrot]

yeah I mean fuck it why not - I just put in an order

The only export I have is when I was really messing around with the filters but, again, fuck it.

that made me chuckle you're gonna have loads of fun on the pocket operator with its effects!

 

[Espresso]

I have lived alone for most of my adult life, so being in the house on my tod is just my normal. Same as living with parents/in-laws and/or spouse and/or kids and/or grandchildren must be the normal for other people. So I have no issue with that
I've not worked since the beginning of all of this and while I do miss being at work, I am in no financial hardship, so I am in a far better place than an awful lot of other people who also have not worked since the beginning of this.

So all in all, life is a bit dull just now. But I'm not complaining because I know a lot of other people are having a horrendous and heartbreaking time of it. I know I am pretty fortunate.

 

[8ball]

Just seen this thread.

The answer is "not too great".
But looking forward to the weather getting better and am hoping to get a jab in the next week or so.

 

[William of Walworth]

so being in the house on my tod is just my normal.

I identify with that, even though I don't live alone.

For a fair bit of the time though, festivaldeb is either 'working from home' in her upstairs office (involving lots of intense phone calls about the 'welfare' system! ).

She works significantly longer hours than me, and disturbing her (except with a tea or coffee! ) is best avoided!

So when I'm here on my days off, I have to find my own things to do for a good chunk of a day, which isn't always easy.

We can't even meet up in the pub after work, nor meet friends in the pub or elsewhere, so that doesn't help ......

 

[mr steev]

I'm not completely on my own as I have my 11 year old daughter with me half of the time (well, she's in her room most of the time), but lack of adult socialising is taking it's toll.

I threw myself into work at the start of all this shite and it was all very hetic for a few months, so I had no time to think about things. Things have calmed down a bit now, (although going from 13 hour days to doing work 7 days a week) so the relentlessness is getting to me.
I feel my life and opportunities slipping away a bit. I'm 51 now, not particularly happy with being single, but as time passes, it's looking more and more likely that that's my lot. Without even a glimmer of a chance encounter, it's eating away at me.

Today is the first Saturday I don't have work since the start of the year. It's 1:45pm and I'm already quite stoned and contimplating beer - as relentless as work sometimes can feel, I'm very glad of it! I dread to think how I would've coped without it.

 

[pinkmonkey]

My best mate lives alone, normally has a hectic outdoor lifestyle as she competes with her two dogs in Agility contests. Normally she would be training every night and away in her caravan at a competition every weekend. Like me she has worked from home for well over a decade (writing scripts for travel software), so that part is normal for her. Both her and her dogs are bored and fed up! I’ve been supporting her with regular video calls. We do an epic three or four hour call on Fridays plus others whenever she needs them, during the week. We will text each other, ‘not coping, need a chat’. We’ve kept this up since last March and will do it forever I hope. She’s there for me, too. In the November lockdown she identified other friends who were alone and has been encouraging them to do calls too. Some people find it hard to admit they are lonely so she’ll say, ‘I’d love a call’. But I think if we’ve learned one thing from this pandemic, it’s that people (in my circle of friends and family anyway) are now more open with each other - it’s now accepted to say ‘I’m having a hard week/I’m not coping.’

 

[8ball]

Just seen this thread.

The answer is "not too great".
But looking forward to the weather getting better and am hoping to get a jab in the next week or so.

Got my wish - sat in car park at vaccination centre waiting til 5 mins before my jab when they want me to go in.

 

[stavros]

she competes with her two dogs in Agility contests.

I'd be curious to know who usually wins.

 

[hypernormalized]

Gone to visit my mum who lives alone for a few days during my time off work.

The wave of depression lifted as soon as I got on the train, today I feel far better, mood swings gone, far less anger, etc.

Think I'm going to reach out far more from now on, the state I was in last week almost sent me to an institute. Night and day.

I hope everyone is hanging in there and looking after themselves however they can.

 

[passenger]

Yeah, I tick the live on my own box.

I have become a heavy drinker and getting rather paranoid, but did walk to the shops
today, for the first time since December 2019 (due to breaking my leg) my cat cheers me up
but not getting that human touch, but have had my jab so hopefully, things will get better.

 

[bimble]

My waking and sleeping pattern has become really eccentric, I'm always an early bed early up person if left to my own devices but lockdown has allowed this to get really extreme, which is no good, left to own devices way too much.
It's half past seven and i'm wanting to go to bed, not surprising if you get up at 4.30 but yeah, this is not a good thing. Normal life helped keep me more in sync with other humans.

 

[iona]

My waking and sleeping pattern has become really eccentric, I'm always an early bed early up person if left to my own devices but lockdown has allowed this to get really extreme, which is no good, left to own devices way too much.
It's half past seven and i'm wanting to go to bed, not surprising if you get up at 4.30 but yeah, this is not a good thing. Normal life helped keep me more in sync with other humans.

I've always run on a slightly longer than 24 hour cycle that needed occasional nights staying awake to reset, but since not having to stay in sync with other people so much I've spent most of this winter just having one long sleep every other night. Not sure how unhealthy that is when it feels so natural to me.

 

[bimble]

iona you mean you sleep on alternate nights, one night on one off? Thats kind of amazing. If it works for you it works, in which case i can go to bed before 8 if i want.
It's interesting what happens when nobody is forcing us to turn up anywhere at a specific time.

 

[Elpenor]

My sleep pattern has been bad. I am moving back to a hotel from Monday, so I hope that a forced wakeup time (breakfast) will help with structure.

Waiting to start a new job which is taking some time due to various checks that need to be done.