[ZedsRedBaby]

Putting the jollity, banter and occasional vitriol to one side for a moment, I thought it would be good to check how everyone is managing with these unprecedented circumstances. All vote now please!

[Rbrown]

Thanks OP. This is a good idea.

If it wasn't for home schooling a 6 and 10 year old and looking after ill parents, I would have said "coping".

Trying to juggle everything while both of us still working is a challenge.

But just need to keep going. Everybody is in the same boat.

Hope everyone is doing ok.

[ZedsRedBaby]

Originally Posted by Rbrown

Thanks OP. This is a good idea.

If it wasn't for home schooling a 6 and 10 year old and looking after ill parents, I would have said "coping".

Trying to juggle everything while both of us still working is a challenge.

But just need to keep going. Everybody is in the same boat.

Hope everyone is doing ok.

Thanks mate, and you, hang in there.

Good to see no stir crazies but a surprising number loving it so far.

[F20MAW73]

Originally Posted by Rbrown

Thanks OP. This is a good idea.

If it wasn't for home schooling a 6 and 10 year old and looking after ill parents, I would have said "coping".

Trying to juggle everything while both of us still working is a challenge.

But just need to keep going. Everybody is in the same boat.

Hope everyone is doing ok.

In normal times it's hard enough trying to get my 11 year old son doing his homework weekends. Now with the home schooling his secondary school are pilling on the homework which is fair enough. However, its leading to a lot of the tension and stress in the house trying to keep him ontop of it. Especially as his not very self sufficient and doing the homework on his own.

[isleaiw1]

Originally Posted by ZedsRedBaby

Thanks mate, and you, hang in there.

Good to see no stir crazies but a surprising number loving it so far.

Not stir crazy yet but will openly admit that finding the balance is a challenge. Work days were full on last week but may be calmer this week - but weekends are a challenge as I am not one for jobs around the house, dont enjoy spending money for the sake of it, dont have a massive circle of friends (and most of them have wives and gfs so they dont have the time I have!) and so weekends are a bit of a blank canvas when it doesnt involve taking the car for a run, shopping, eating out....

Press conference suggests I'd better fathom out how to deal with it as I might have a few more weeks to do it!

[EvilDrPorkChop]

Have a very active job and i'm usually pretty active outside of work doing bits around the house and running - I can't sit still. So far it's been OK however think the nice weather has helped. Today has dragged and starting to become a struggle, I can certainly see this next week becoming one. Me and the OH aren't working and can't work from home so it's like a holiday but being unable to do a lot - was just having the same discussion with our neighbour. It's a bit more normal for them as they are both still working.

Got a few jobs to do around the house which I'm trying to space out to not get them completed all at once, I could decorate a few rooms however can't get hands on any supplies to do much, same goes for a few other jobs you always need something. I was pretty prepared before the lock down however there's only so much you can think of and Boris kind of dropped it on us.

Think i'll be changing my answer by the end of this to Stir Crazy

I know I certainly can't last till June like this....

[Tengocity]

I think I'm somewhere between coping and loving it. My wife and I are both relatively introverted, and we don't have kids. So a lot of the time things don't feel all that different, and it some ways more relaxing.

[Cootie]

Struggling tbh. Both me and the wife working from home - I’ve got a high pressure job and balancing two jobs and two kids, who are 3 and 5, seems like an impossible conundrum.

[Watsey]

Things are actually pretty manageable, considering how far reaching these dramatic restrictions are.

11 year old daughter is very good at self-initiating and getting on with her home learning; 8 year old daughter fights having to do home learning with every fibre of her being but eventually capitulates when the consequences kick in; 4 year old som loves learning so that's a big win for us.

Yes there are stresses and arguments but there are also big compensations such as going cycling together every day.

All things considered, it's ok. Might feel different as the weeks start to rack up.

[Lincoln61]

Im pretty ok with the isolation, im quite introverted and happy with my own company.

I am struggling with the anxiety however. Partner works in a food store, so he's in a risky environment, like most parents are also a worry.

[Goneinsixtyseconds]

I can't answer the poll. In every 24 hour period I generally experience all 4 answers.

[TouringPleb]

I've struggled this last week.

As I've said in other posts, I'm currently off work with PTSD. I had a day from hell in November where my first job of the day was a child in cardiac arrest. Spent most of the day dealing with that. Was about to go off duty and got called to a RTC. I was first on scene for a guy who decided to kill him self by laying down in the road and letting the traffic hit him. A couple of days later I attended a hanging where the guy had been there several weeks in a closed room with the heating on..

I thought I was dealing with it ok until I got called to a routine RTC and started having flashbacks and panic attacks. So I've been off since mid February.

I built myself a routine of getting up, walking my dogs, lunch, gym, shopping, cook dinner and tv in the evening with my other half. Going to the gym and eating healthily became my cornerstone, something I could control. Then gyms closing, shopping made more difficult and my other half being home stopped that routine. I didn't realise until it went how important that routine was to me. Suddenly what little I could control, was taken away from me.

The loss of control with the PTSD has meant over the last week my mental health has been all over the place, from feeling positive and optimistic to it's the end of the world and I might as well give up. Unfortunately when feeling down I'm prone to over eating and eating crap. Then because I've eaten crap I feel like shit, so I eat more shit to make myself feel better which it does for an instant before I feel crap again. Vicious circle which sometimes I struggle to get out of.

Currently feeling ok, got myself a new bike to get myself out until the lockdown is tightened, been out running and tried doing some exercise at home (not easy with two German Shepherds!). Im expecting this (Corona) to go on until June so it gives me times to get my 5k run time down and my distance up on my bike.

[Broncho]

Thing is we go out a lot as a couple and as a family of 4, the hardest thing for me is not being able to just go for a pint or something to eat, it’s not having the option to do something relatively spontaneous which is pissing me off.

We’d often just go for a drive somewhere to get out and about but even that’s not really much of an option

My 2 boys are occupying my time right now but they’re scrapping more than they normally would.

On the other hand it’s great to spend so much time at home with the wife and kids but I’m already missing my friends and family as we have a pretty hectic social life, this is the first weekend when we really haven’t done anything for as long back as I can remember, like I said it’s the not having the option I find hardest.

I can’t imagine being cooped up in an apartment like you see in Italy, that would drive me nuts.

[Hooded]

Coping just fine .. but certainly not loving it!

[R0B]

Originally Posted by TouringPleb

I've struggled this last week.

As I've said in other posts, I'm currently off work with PTSD. I had a day from hell in November where my first job of the day was a child in cardiac arrest. Spent most of the day dealing with that. Was about to go off duty and got called to a RTC. I was first on scene for a guy who decided to kill him self by laying down in the road and letting the traffic hit him. A couple of days later I attended a hanging where the guy had been there several weeks in a closed room with the heating on..

I thought I was dealing with it ok until I got called to a routine RTC and started having flashbacks and panic attacks. So I've been off since mid February.

I built myself a routine of getting up, walking my dogs, lunch, gym, shopping, cook dinner and tv in the evening with my other half. Going to the gym and eating healthily became my cornerstone, something I could control. Then gyms closing, shopping made more difficult and my other half being home stopped that routine. I didn't realise until it went how important that routine was to me. Suddenly what little I could control, was taken away from me.

The loss of control with the PTSD has meant over the last week my mental health has been all over the place, from feeling positive and optimistic to it's the end of the world and I might as well give up. Unfortunately when feeling down I'm prone to over eating and eating crap. Then because I've eaten crap I feel like shit, so I eat more shit to make myself feel better which it does for an instant before I feel crap again. Vicious circle which sometimes I struggle to get out of.

Currently feeling ok, got myself a new bike to get myself out until the lockdown is tightened, been out running and tried doing some exercise at home (not easy with two German Shepherds!). Im expecting this (Corona) to go on until June so it gives me times to get my 5k run time down and my distance up on my bike.

Not sure what to say really - there aren't many who could have gone through what you did there.

I clap for you.

Edit: We clap for you.

[AndyMD]

Coping but finding it hard

Working from home - I'm a manager within education, we have a small number of kids in but responsible for 45 lecturing staff and having to keep their morale up, all while half of them are home schooling their kids and we are transferring teaching online.

My mum who was in hospital with end of life heart failure has been turfed out to a high dependency nursing home at the tune of £1750 per week. Can only Skype with the help of the staff

My wife's mu is also in a local car home and we haven't been able to visit for over 3 weeks.

Daughter in London is showing all the signs of the virus an has been delivered the Asthma Survival Pack today, so monitoring her remotely. Other daughter, also in London is suffering with her mental health. Son works in Westminster for the government has been working from home (again in London) for over a month.

I believe that anyone who has a slight bit of mental health problems will need help. It's such a strange world you can't really hide from it.

[EvilDrPorkChop]

Originally Posted by AndyMD

I believe that anyone who has a slight bit of mental health problems will need help. It's such a strange world you can't really hide from it.

It does make me wonder whether there will be more consequences from the mental health impact of the virus than the actual virus itself.

[225]

Coping and next week should be ok but getting to mrs 225 more as she has to find more for the kids to teach etc while I'm working as well as her studying.
Luckily no rain forecast for a week but a stint of rainy weather will change a lot of households coping I'd imagine.

Today was cleaning the house which did break up the week as something different but obviously not fun!

[Rbrown]

Originally Posted by R0B

Not sure what to say really - there aren't many who could have gone through what you did there.

I clap for you.

+1

[ZedsRedBaby]

It's good to see the majority are coping, I hope the others can find a way through. Meditation and language apps seem to be very popular at the moment. I've been brushing up my French and Spanish because it helps me think about the future. I also do lots of crosswords and puzzles to stop my brain turning to mush ("Too late!" came the cry).

I'm also in the fortunate position of having neither kids nor parents to worry about. It's obviously way harder for those who have.

Here's hoping we all get through it OK.

[allachie9]

I'll try to give you a balanced view from one of the 'at risk' older members on here.
Although at 74 I'm considered to be at risk, both my wife (73) and I are healthy and active.

I've been retired for many, many years and my wife and I are best pals, we enjoy being at home together. April Fool's Day on Wednesday will be our 53rd wedding anniversary.

Getting out for a daily walk (usually around 5 miles) has been part of our routines for years. However we rarely have a daily walk together, she prefers our East Beach and I much prefer the West Beach. Also I always have a camera with me and stop to get my BBC Weather Watchers picture whenever I want to, without inconveniencing her.

Here in the north-east social distancing is not a problem, walks on the beaches, especially at this time of year can be mainly solitary escapes anyway. So our routines are not changing greatly at the moment. Shopping has been a wee bit problematic for a couple of weeks, but the supermarkets appear to be settling down a bit.

I've marked the poll as 'coping', although if there was a category for 'coping well' I would have chosen that.

Family visits have been put on hold, but we'll all catch up sooner or later.

So all in all, although I'm not enjoying these restrictions, I feel we're coping pretty well.

I do, however feel so sorry for all those whose lives have been turned upside down by this crisis. Being a pensioner is not all bad news.
Good luck everyone and keep safe.

[RobUK]

Coping right now, but will probably move through the next two categories in the coming weeks.