Mental health and CoVid-19

Lisha

I feel so guilty I didn’t go to my parents today and meet up with siblings and my kids cousins. Have been antigen testing and we fine but we called to my parents yesterday and I was in a panic all evening that we would show symptoms today and would have to tell my parents. I’m not afraid of getting it, but am illogically afraid of unknowingly passing it on.

i hate Covid and how small our lives are now.

Dublenguy

I’m on day 6 of isolation, had a positive PCR test. Had mild symptoms, I’d call it a Mickey Mouse cold.

Im staying in the bedroom, going stir crazy now as 100% well. Are people sticking to the rules exactly . I’d love a walk, would triple mask. Family not on for this, any advice?

Purple Mountain

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118388453#Comment_118388453

I guess by your username you are living in Dublin? We have the luxury here in the country of having fields to go off rambling through and not see a soul.

Do you have a garden for even just sitting out in the fresh air? The weather is so mild, the air would do you good. Take the newspaper outside and you'll be surprised how the sunlight will perk up your mood a bit.

Ll31

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118388453#Comment_118388453

Go for a walk masked, early r late. Should be out of isolation tomorrow under new rules anyway, I think...

Ll31

Jim Gazebo

Wasn't sure where to go with this. A year or so ago I'd look at this thread and think how nice it was for people struggling to have somewhere And here I am posting too.

Really lost a hell of a lot of friends since covid began. 2021, terrible start to the year with work, really tough. Summer was ok but a very slow lift of restrictions meant I just kept working really, I didn't take the time to meet my friends. Had an excellent end of summer thru to November work wise, promotions, pay rises but again, I spent a lot of time away over it. Horrific end to the year, big issues at work. At-home it's been tough too. Last few weeks I've really let it get to me a lot, I came home and it was really quiet, not many friends I'm still in touch with. And I've no doubt the pandemic, and my own stubbornness and working too much has played a part. But I sat down at one stage tonight and thought back to what I'd actually achieved this year. And it is a hell of a lot - really unbelievable in comparison to what i thought i could achieve. I felt really proud and it gave me a big lift. I've two big goals to work on now for 2022. But I'm also going to value my friendships and time at home more too.

If you're out there and have been feeling low and reading here. Believe in yourself. Anything is possible and you can do it. Life is really invaluable when you look at it, and the opportunities are endless.

Now that's the end of my lecture (also sorry, I've rambled), happy new year and goodnight!

corkonion

I've been very positive throughout this whole saga, I've worked straight through it all and my job involves interacting with the public continuously and I never let it get to me, the virus itself never worried me, but I followed the guidelines completely out of respect to others, I even had a holiday outside of Europe in late November and I've posted here, and messaged many friends saying that I believe omicron is a gift, it's the vaccine that the pharma industry failed to deliver, I also posted and stated that I think the recent high omicron numbers are great news and that it's all but over.

Despite my positivity and my real belief that we're nearly there, the last week or two has been hell. I just can't do it anymore. I just hate life now, it's like I'm living in a black cloud. It's actually worse than that, but I can't post it here.

Found 2020 not great, but 2021 was a year worse than the one when I endured massive life-changing surgery plus a broken foot one after the other. That year I had absolutely tons of personal support whereas 2021 is a year I want to forget very fast for a number of reasons, the pandemic having had a certain determination in events. However I am very fortunate compared to others in that I did not get Covid, nor did anybody close to me get it.

DoctorEdgeWild

Just saw this thread pop up on the front page and saw mention of travel.

I've been travelling a lot the past year, think I managed to get over ten countries in, so it's absolutely possible, and I found it a great break from an incredibly busy year in work. There's definitely more planning involved but once you get through that, there's loads of cheap flights, cheap hotels, cheap fun to be had.

Hope that encourages anyone suffering during this time, my travels were certainly the brightest spots of my 2021.

The DayDream

From what I'm experiencing with it now it kind of bewilders me when anyone compares it to a cold. I have never had a cold anything like this. First 24 hrs I felt like every muscle in my back was sore, I was so fatigued I was wishing I had a bed pan as I couldn't muster the strength to get out of bed to urinate, and I couldn't warm up no matter what - heat on, blankets on and still shivering. I had similar reaction to the 1st jab (2nd one felt no side effects)

I've never suffered from headaches even when I had other illnesses. Literally only ever got headaches from hangovers and I don't drink any more. But I've had a constant headache with this, even while the symptoms above subsided.

My lungs feel raw and tight, have a bad cough. This is not a friggin cold, it feels more like what I would imagine a proper bout of pneumonia feels like.

And I feel guilty for catching it. Like I did something wrong, even though the only places I went the last week were work and the grocery shop, or the corner shop. Didnt go out NYE or anything. Worried about spreading it to my mother (thankfully she has so far tested negative, and I'm staying in my room). Also kinda bummed not one of my work colleagues has reached out to ask how I am.

Hopefully when I feel physically better my mind will too.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118440462#Comment_118440462

I hope you start to feel better and get through the symptoms as best you can.

The reason why so many are experiencing it as a cold is because that's how it has been for them. There are plenty of people like yourself though.

The DayDream

Thank you. Yes it is remarkable how it effects people differently. From what I can gather from my own experience and those I know, it seems your reaction to the jab sort of predicts how you experience the ilness.

I had a very bad reaction to the jab, was very sick for 2 days. And same with covid, very sick the first 2 days. My colleague who had no side effects at all from the jab, has covid and is asymptomatic. And some other people I know seem to follow that pattern.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118440763#Comment_118440763

I'm really fascinated by all of this. My first two vaccinations were AZ and I felt terrible after the first dose and less terrible after the second. My booster was Pfizer and I felt a bit... strange..not myself.

My experience of having Covid was similar to having a sinus infection. I tend to suffer with my sinuses so thought that the virus just aggravated them. I'm now negative but my sinuses aren't right.

Someone close to me had no side effects from their vaccines (Pfizer), has yet to get the Booster, is currently working on reducing their cholesterol, and was asymptomatic with Covid.

I think it is as simple as the strength of your immune system. Mine is very susceptible to stress and I've been sick with flu and infections numerous times. It would be more surprising if I was asymptomatic.

speckle

Just wanted to drop by here and say..this was my favorite covid thread..even though I wished it didnt have to exist..even if people just read it and didnt post.. or had the courage to post...it gave comfort on a bad day and showed the kindness of board members to each other.

Over the next while possibly people who are fearful or anxious of the restrictions being lifted might post here..may they be met with the same compassion and kindness.

You should all be very proud whether you posted for guidance or took time to write a response to another human being.

Wishing you all the best for the future. Virtual Hugs Speckle♡

How is everyone handling the latest news with regard to most restrictions being removed? Of course I'm happy but cautious. More concerned about back to work in person. At the moment, it seems like the townsfolk are only concerned about the pubs and when they can drink themselves into a stupor.

3mom4

I am finding it very difficult to cope with the restrictions going away. After two yrs of being informed by media that my chances of surviving this are not good, now it's go out and get it. We are all going to get it. Hard to make that mental leap :(

3mom4

Tork

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118516391#Comment_118516391

Covid is never going to go away, so yes it's going to be hard for people to avoid catching it at some point. All we can hope for is that Omicron and its subsequent variants are less nasty than what came before it. Nothing the government chooses to do will suit everybody and they've had to make a call on this. I can see may other governments following a similar path soon. I'm sorry you feel so vulnerable and I assume you'll be continuing to take precautions to avoid too much exposure to Covid. That's all you can do.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118516391#Comment_118516391

I get what you are saying. The calling of this is very all of a sudden. All you can do is protect yourself as best you can.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118516391#Comment_118516391

Omicron has quite a different nature to it. It could make you feel like cr@p, or you could have few or almost no symptoms, but you can be reasonably confident it will be a nasty inconvenience rather than deadly. Just over an unpleasant bout of bacterial lobar pneumonia myself, not related to Covid, but felt woeful, coughing rusty blood etc. I’ve had occasional influenzas over the decades, they can absolutely floor you, but since getting regular influenza vaccines I haven’t had that particular type of horrible illness since. I have every confidence we will be ok, but naturally it’s going to take time to really feel it and believe it.

Tork

I've been chatting to friends and relatives on and off during the pandemic. One thing most of us did was to ration our exposure to the news and social media. Nobody can go back to the pre-internet age again but there is a lot to be said for only having one or two newspapers a day and limited news bulletins. The need to continually generate news content has led to far more tabloid sensationalism and clickbait headlines. Some of the voices who got airtime probably shouldn't have. I'm thinking especially of the "Zero covid" proponents who failed to understand how humans behave and thought they could create ideal laboratory conditions in real life. I think if I'd binged on a load of Eamon Dunphy's Tomás Ryan podcasts, I'd be chained to a bed in a psychiatric ward right now.

HildaOgdenx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118517554#Comment_118517554

100% agree. It was a decision I made in March 2020 - I bowed out of watching or listening to the news. I watched no live updates. I would always have had the habit of watching a news bulletin most evenings / nights, before the pandemic began.

I made sure I knew what restrictions were in place by looking at the official government website. I mostly stayed away from the coronavirus threads on here, apart from dropping in occasionally to this particular one. I would still hear news bulletins on the radio, in the house or in the car, and I read other news online, but sought out nothing covid related.

The media handling of it (from the few bits that filtered through to me) was quite unbalanced, imo. There has been a lot of harm done, over the past two years, and it wasn't all down to covid, as such, but down to all sorts of 'experts' being given far too much credence, and airspace, in my opinion.

323

I think posting those two things beside each other says nothing at all - at best - but could be quite misleading at worst. Posting the images without anything else also leaves it unclear what your intention / message / point even is.

It sure looks like you are trying to suggest there is some contradiction or hypocrisy in play. But who knows you might be trying to say "Use gaming to improve your mental health during the pandemic - but do so responsibly and be aware that it can be addictive too".

The former would be a very bad and ill informed message the latter quite a good one. But it is entirely unclear from your post which you intended - so it is as equally easy to mistakenly "strawman" you as it is to mistakenly "steelman" you here.

Think about posting two similar things about - say - food. On one side speaking about eating this that or the other to stay healthy and happy. And on the other side speaking about how obesity and over eating and so forth is detrimental.

In other words - the two are not mutually exclusive and one says very little about the other.

Eating well and often is a good thing. Gaming well and often can also be a good thing. It can be socially stimulating. Mentally stimulating. And more. Alcohol can be relaxing and helpful and even healthy too if used responsibly and in moderation.

But like eating too much food or drinking too much alcohol - addiction or over use of anything, including gaming, can indeed be detrimental. Or put another way: Addiction is the issue, not gaming per se. Addiction to anything. And if the WHO have recognized gaming addiction in their list of addictions that's a good thing.

But that recognition says nothing at all about gaming itself - so we should be wary of being simplistic about any messaging there or how we interpret that messaging. There are many things we can use to get through things like pandemics and lockdowns. Including computer gaming. But pandemics and lockdowns could also be an environment fostering over use or over reliance on those things too. And it is good to be aware of that for sure.

PTH2009

The media are some ****

They want restrictions back and trying to avoid that our pathetic health service has been found out

PTH2009

Hope everyone is well

The financial effects from all this is really starting to kick in. Work hours been cut because of the supports ended, cost of living going right up, hotel and hospitality going up among many others

Sometimes you don't knw anymore. Future looks so unpromising atm. There's always people worse off but sometimes you have to be selfish and think about yourself. Have a lot of to look forward too over the next few weeks like gigs (even though that section here can be so negative) and hopefully a sign of things improving

SnuggyBear

Just checking in too.

I think covid has changed me forever. I'm still bitter and pessimistic. I'm closed off and have ruined some good relationships. I'm an introvert naturally but now I'm just nasty to people. Whereas before I was quiet but generally well liked and got along with most people. People at work who were always affectionate with me barely say hello to me anymore. I don't mind admitting I was in tears when I came home from work yesterday after I had a big argument with someone I get on really well with.

Self sabotage.

I'm not sure how I can fix this. Should I speak to a Councillor? I don't really have anyone to talk to. It's the typical man suffering in silence thing.

The world just keeps getting shittier and shittier with no light at the end of the tunnel.

GoneHome

Replying to this post, no need for your work hours to be cut, if anything places are crying out for workers, re-check this, what sector of work are you in PTH2009?

Glaceon

I was saying to my wife last night that it feels like I’ve forgotten what I used to do with myself pre-pandemic. I’m still not really venturing outside much. She agreed and said she’s the same too. It feels like I need to find myself again.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119292170#Comment_119292170

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119302141#Comment_119302141

This loss of identity is something I have seen mentioned by a few people in a few contexts on and off line. Seems to be a hell of a lot more common than I originally thought. Love him or hate him the most recent Blindboy episode is about this exact thing - and how Blindboy identified it in himself. He also made a tweet asking if anyone is experiencing similar loss of identity and he apparently got 1000s of replies. Though I do not and will not use twitter so I did not confirm that claim myself :)

I suppose one positive way to look at it would be to see it as an opportunity for self reinvention. A lot of people have habits and routines and investments of time they do out of no motivation other than it's what they have always done. So it is a chance now to look at all those things we used to do and actually work out which ones were important to us and keep them - and how many we can just let go.

Before the pandemic we were all invested in diverse things. So how hard it hit our personal identities is going to likely relate to how much the pandemic impacted our personal pursuits. For example I get a lot of physical and mental health benefits and well being from Brazilian Jujitsu and a few related martial arts. When all the schools got shut down this hit me hard for a time.

I am not a counselor SnuggyBear so I would be hesitant to directly recommend anything to you other than talking with a professional. But I can still mention things that have helped me or helped people around me in the past. An investment in martial arts and other physical activity have been known to reduce depression, aggression and anxieties. They can also improve empathy humility and a more internal locus of evaluation and self worth.

Random acts of human kindness are another source of improving our self worth, empathy and relationships with people in general. Maybe that could support you in some way. It is something I try to do when I can. Too often to give you a short list of examples. It really comes down to what's available to you. A random example for example is during heavy rain if I am not doing anything at the time - I might go out in the car and listen to some music or podcasts for myself. But I am on the look out for people like maybe little old ladies trying to get their shopping home in the rain. And I will pull up and get them home. But in general the community around us offers 1000s of chances for random acts of kindness. We just have to make ourselves aware of them.

Other than that sleep and diet is important. Finding what works for you rather than taking anyone on word when they are promoting one life style. What works for one might fail for another. I tried a lot of fad diets for a long time before I found what works for me. And now I found the diet that works for me - massively increasing my energy, motivation, sexual capacity, physical strength and endurance and so on - and so I cling to it.

Above all remember that the pandemic was on one level or another a trauma for us all. To varying degrees many of us are suffering from a kind of post traumatic disorder. While many of us are still mentally on edge looking for the next threat or disaster. Attending a counselor can help with this of course if time or money allows. But if not (and unfortunately for all too many, its not an option at all) the best we can do is look at all the varied things others have done to successfully get through it all - try them all ourselves - keep what works for us ourselves - and discard the rest.

SnuggyBear

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119330959#Comment_119330959

Good Post. Thank you.

My mental health has been affected for the worse - I'm getting myself together again lately. For me it wasn't the pandemic that was the issue, it was an initial belief in the "authorities" coupled with my scientific interest in the pandemic that over time gradually eroded to the point I find it impossible to believe anything on mainstream media.

I eagerly awaited my vaccines and was forever looking at data, initially in Israel, to see a fall off in deaths (which did happen) and cases (which didn't). Medical people saying vaccines don't stop transmission - er yeah many of them do, just not this one !!! It DOES work for serious illness, as far as I can tell.

Then obvious nonsense like full supermarkets while click and collect at the same time was banned for the small business, the Gardai at one point guarding easter eggs, and wide open spaces with 1 person per square km, and the riot squad sent into South William St on the people enjoying an outdoor summer. Mandatory hotel quarantine. Very few official dissenting voices.

It scares the living hell out of me that it's so easy to destroy democracy.