Lockdown - a sudden decline in people's mental health.
Discussion
We're nearly a year into COVID in the UK and I have found that generally I, and people around me, have coped very well.
This week things have changed.
I am still working as much as ever, but I am not getting the the downtime that I used to. No meals out, no holidays and the weather is making outdoor exercise hard. I have just paid an obscene sum in tax, but have received no help from the government during COVID, in fact quite the opposite. I am paying to keep people housed when the government should be doing it. It is making staying motivated quite hard and I really feel like I need a proper break.
The rest of my family, except my eldest son, are struggling. They bring their problems to me with "I don't need you to deal with this, I can do it" But the fact that they have come to me means that they really can't, or don't think they can, so I have to deal with whatever "it" is, in addition to everything else.
As well as our own properties, I manage a portfolio of residential flats as part of my job. Every morning, when I look at my phone, I have messages from tenants who are obsessing about trivia. I have tenants in neighbouring properties going to war with each other. They have appointed me referee.
I have spent a lot of time with one couple this week who have taken up heavy drinking as a hobby. They started being aggressive to people who work for me, so I went to see them. Eventually, they confided that they need help. So I have been helping them access alcohol recovery services.
My youngest son has this morning been screaming and curled up in a ball because his chair arms are wobbly. They really aren't.
My wife is a school teacher and she has begun receiving emails from parents, whose children are clearly suffering from stress as a result of the lack of normality.
I don't know why it has all started to kick off this week, but certainly in my world it has.
Is anyone else noticing a similar thing?
This week things have changed.
I am still working as much as ever, but I am not getting the the downtime that I used to. No meals out, no holidays and the weather is making outdoor exercise hard. I have just paid an obscene sum in tax, but have received no help from the government during COVID, in fact quite the opposite. I am paying to keep people housed when the government should be doing it. It is making staying motivated quite hard and I really feel like I need a proper break.
The rest of my family, except my eldest son, are struggling. They bring their problems to me with "I don't need you to deal with this, I can do it" But the fact that they have come to me means that they really can't, or don't think they can, so I have to deal with whatever "it" is, in addition to everything else.
As well as our own properties, I manage a portfolio of residential flats as part of my job. Every morning, when I look at my phone, I have messages from tenants who are obsessing about trivia. I have tenants in neighbouring properties going to war with each other. They have appointed me referee.
I have spent a lot of time with one couple this week who have taken up heavy drinking as a hobby. They started being aggressive to people who work for me, so I went to see them. Eventually, they confided that they need help. So I have been helping them access alcohol recovery services.
My youngest son has this morning been screaming and curled up in a ball because his chair arms are wobbly. They really aren't.
My wife is a school teacher and she has begun receiving emails from parents, whose children are clearly suffering from stress as a result of the lack of normality.
I don't know why it has all started to kick off this week, but certainly in my world it has.
Is anyone else noticing a similar thing?
Yes! My team of 20 are really starting to show the signs of stress, and I have some real concerns with a few of them. Simple tasks are now mountains, no memory & not seeing the wood for the trees. These people are normally pin sharp and on the ball, but home working + home schooling + no outlet = BANG! My own kids that have been struggling with home school over the last few weeks, have taken a massive dive this week. I am quite a resilient person, but my temper/fuse is so short ATM.
monkeychild said:
Yes! My team of 20 are really starting to show the signs of stress, and I have some real concerns with a few of them. Simple tasks are now mountains, no memory & not seeing the wood for the trees. These people are normally pin sharp and on the ball, but home working + home schooling + no outlet = BANG! My own kids that have been struggling with home school over the last few weeks, have taken a massive dive this week. I am quite a resilient person, but my temper/fuse is so short ATM.
Your observation that simple tasks have become mountains is quite astute. I have been seeing some of that, plus a general CBA attitude.My immediate family appear to be ok but I have one close friend in particular who is really taking lockdowns hard now and it's not nice to see at all and only so much I can do to help in the current climate which I guess is upsetting me too as it is really sad to see a really outgoing person who I have known for years in this way
I'd agree - my daughter who has up 'til now been coping very well, has lost it this week with home schooling. She's 8 - and sitting in front of the computer all day and doing what feels like identical PDFs of schoolwork every single day has given her a very short fuse. She's normally very even tempered, but lots of shouting and tantrums now. My wife - who is an actress, and been unable to work for a year apart from a few voiceovers - is also going nuts. I don't know how much longer this can go on.
I realise we should probably home school in the way that home schoolers do - ie set your own timetable/methods - rather then do this endless schoolwork set on google classroom.
I realise we should probably home school in the way that home schoolers do - ie set your own timetable/methods - rather then do this endless schoolwork set on google classroom.
"Blue Monday" Although apparently it's pseudoscientific b
ks. But the weather's st and it's still dark much of the day.
But this year there's no sign of it ending. Normally you have something to look forward to, but we don't seem* to have an end in sight.
*We do, IMO, but it's a bit nebulous as the sodding government are refusing to make any concrete plans.
ks. But the weather's st and it's still dark much of the day.But this year there's no sign of it ending. Normally you have something to look forward to, but we don't seem* to have an end in sight.
*We do, IMO, but it's a bit nebulous as the sodding government are refusing to make any concrete plans.
If you've paid an obscene sum in tax then I assume you've earnt above any threshold for help and are probably one of the lucky ones.
I didn't earn a fortune and the council waived my council tax bill this year, which was handy.
My mate who's employed in the events industry hasn't earnt a penny since the Autumn and only a few grand before that and yet he's broadly even financially with all the handouts he's had.
I didn't earn a fortune and the council waived my council tax bill this year, which was handy.
My mate who's employed in the events industry hasn't earnt a penny since the Autumn and only a few grand before that and yet he's broadly even financially with all the handouts he's had.
Bill said:
"Blue Monday" Although apparently it's pseudoscientific bks. But the weather's st and it's still dark much of the day.
But this year there's no sign of it ending. Normally you have something to look forward to, but we don't seem* to have an end in sight.
*We do, IMO, but it's a bit nebulous as the sodding government are refusing to make any concrete plans.
There won't even be tit Monday to look forward to if everyone's still WFH. ks. But the weather's st and it's still dark much of the day.But this year there's no sign of it ending. Normally you have something to look forward to, but we don't seem* to have an end in sight.
*We do, IMO, but it's a bit nebulous as the sodding government are refusing to make any concrete plans.
Louis Balfour said:
Your observation that simple tasks have become mountains is quite astute. I have been seeing some of that, plus a general CBA attitude.
Yup, Son is 15 and home schooling. He's usually short tempered anyway but at the minute it's even shorter. I'm retired but feel under house arrest as cannot go anywhere.
See and hear of some folk who are no longer working (furloughed) yet still with the same income and others who are self employed or have a few lads working for them who can no longer work nor claim money.
There's a post above about trivia. Yes, it used to just be pensioners with nowt to do that were accused of complaining over nothing, now it's nearly everyone. And the local doctors surgeries are forever being pestered by all and sundry about when their turn for the jab is. Folk are told they will be informed/called, it's in age groups, but no some folk feel they are more important.
The whole damn situation is a mess.
Mental illness and depression is going to be the death of some people. Meanwhile the other illnesses and diseases are going unchecked too.
Yep, I could handle lockdown in summer, but this is utter ste. CBA with anything and eating stty food is the only form of pleasure.
Come on Boris, do the right thing and let us out. For those who are scared of Covid, fine, you can stay locked indoors - the rest of us have had enough.
te. CBA with anything and eating stty food is the only form of pleasure. Come on Boris, do the right thing and let us out. For those who are scared of Covid, fine, you can stay locked indoors - the rest of us have had enough.
cqueen said:
Come on Boris, do the right thing and let us out. For those who are scared of Covid, fine, you can stay locked indoors - the rest of us have had enough.
Good for you ( said no one ever ). You have to remember, the people with their foot on the brakes, are the people with their eyes on the infection / hospitalisation / death stats. If people decide ( independently) that they’ve “had enough” and break the lockdown laws, the numbers stay high, and the brakes stay on for longer. The people instigating the laws / conditions, aren’t the bad guys. The bad guy is the virus / nature. Ultimately the politicians / medics are reacting to nature. If people decide they know better, and go against them, we all get to suffer for longer, as the virus will just do what it does, but find it easier. If the numbers stay high, the brakes stay on, and if too many people take the piss / ignore the laws, the numbers will stay high.I've reduced the hours in the office of one of my staff this week so they have more family time. That way when they're in the office they'll be focusing on work rather than wondering what their teenagers are struggling with and so more will get done.
The night is always coldest just before dawn, it won't be long now before enough people are jabbed, and those jabs have long enough to take effect before we can all go out to play again, but it's a frustrating time for all.
The night is always coldest just before dawn, it won't be long now before enough people are jabbed, and those jabs have long enough to take effect before we can all go out to play again, but it's a frustrating time for all.
ChocolateFrog said:
If you've paid an obscene sum in tax then I assume you've earnt above any threshold for help and are probably one of the lucky ones.
I didn't earn a fortune and the council waived my council tax bill this year, which was handy.
My mate who's employed in the events industry hasn't earnt a penny since the Autumn and only a few grand before that and yet he's broadly even financially with all the handouts he's had.
That's good about the council tax.I didn't earn a fortune and the council waived my council tax bill this year, which was handy.
My mate who's employed in the events industry hasn't earnt a penny since the Autumn and only a few grand before that and yet he's broadly even financially with all the handouts he's had.
When this all started I decided to be pro-active about bills and fees so contacted all of them to let them know I'd lost half my income due to losing all my freelance work, which still hasn't come back.
My local council let me have a 'holiday' for 3 months then stung me with an increased monthly bill to cover the shortfall
I called the school to say I was having trouble raising the money for this term's fees of £6k (My lad is stuck at home in front of a laptop and has lost the will to live, so I'm unsure why we are still paying fees).
They were very nice about it and said I could pay £2k a month over the next 3 months.
My current wages after tax is about £2000 a month.
I called my landlord, who lives abroad to say things were getting sticky, he just changed my 1 year contract to a rolling monthly. He also hasn't fixed what was broken when I first moved in.
People it is really shoite and I don't know what to suggest.
Youngest son completely off the rails since going to school stopped.
Can't get help for my Autistic 18 year old.
21 year old's first year at Uni is miserable and all on-line, she is losing motivation,
Ex-wife has turned drinking into an Olympic Sport.
I really need a fekin holiday, and I say that as someone who'd go years between holidays as I was quite happy with my work and home life.
ChocolateFrog said:
If you've paid an obscene sum in tax then I assume you've earnt above any threshold for help and are probably one of the lucky ones.
It's a combination of factors, including my line of work, some history and how our businesses are structured. But we have the privilege of paying more than most people in tax whilst receiving nothing from government by way of COVID support. I cannot pretend that we are enduring grinding poverty, but my appetite for altruism has its limits.Anyway, I mentioned that Master Balfour Snr has been less affected by the current situation. A drive and a chat this afternoon revealed that I was wrong. He has been, as he tends to be, a stoic. He described the same irritability and loss of focus that the rest of us are feeling.
I think we need to think up some fun things to do as a family. I am chewing over the idea of a winter BBQ.
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