Covid-19's Impact on YOUR well being....Help us help others!

[blondguy]

Hi Everyone

This is a difficult and unprecedented time we are all going through. Out of 10 how has Covid-19 impacted your well being?

Just for myself...I come in at about 8....A brief post will help us help others more effectively!

• 0 to 5 .......... Low impact...................Coping well and not really worried about Covid-19
• 5 to 7 ...........Medium Impact.............Concerned about Covid-19 yet is doesnt effect me
• 8 ................. Frequent Impact........... Very concerned and checking media/news reports
• 9 ................. High Impact..................Frequently concerned and experience some difficulty functioning daily
• 10................Very High Impact...........Difficulty sleeping...increased anxiety...loss of concentration and/or feelings of helplessness

The forums are a rock solid safe and non judgemental place for anyone to post 🙂

my kind thoughts always

Paul

[Elizabeth CP]

My MH has spiralled down with this recent spike & the lockdown escalated this. My husband is vulnerable to the pandemic but more importantly this affects the supports he gets. Last time most health professionals used telehealth or zoom but because of his blindness & speech difficulties this doesn't work well & means I have a lot more work trying to make it work. Recent speech therapy appointment confirmed my fear that his speech has deteriorated (even though he does the exercises with me) due to the isolation. Normal activities he previously enjoyed are on hold because of the high risk due to covid. His specialist recommended looking into surgery to reduce the high risk of complications to his conditions. This was deferred in the first lockdown. The referal was recently sent but now don't know whether it will go ahead. I am planning to cancel my therapy for PTSD because it doesn't work on Zoom. I can't access real help.

[SD0102]

I sitting between 8 & 9 at the moment.

[Catie 08]

This is a really interesting thread as I have a slightly different take on covid.

Whilst I was obviously concerned (probably an 8 on the scale) I also feel that the changes that covid forced us into saved me.

The week that we were told to start working from home (yes, I'm one of the lucky ones) was also the week I started having thoughts of self harm. I had been struggling for a while and even having panic attacks going to work. Covid came at the perfect time for me - it meant that I was able to work on me (with the help of a therapist) in the privacy of my own home without having to put on a face for the outside world every day. I still have a long way to go and a lot of work to do (there is talk of returning to the office which scares me) but I'm thankful that covid provided me this oppertunity that otherwise would not have been avaliable.
C.

[quirkywords]

Paul

Thanks for this thread,

there has been a lot of time taken to discuss impact of COVID but nit as much on the bushfires.
there was 4 corners program this week on effects of bushfires.
i Understand how hard Covid is for many people but there are many coping with physical and mental illness and /or COVID and or bushfires,

quirky

[Elizabeth CP]

Quirky, Covid has had a huge impact on everyone throughout Australia although the exact impact varies dramatically depending on your circumstances. Unfortunately many people not directly affected by the fires are focused on Covid because that affects them.

The difficulty is that people feel unable to do anything concrete to help those affected by the fires.

From my perspective I was really struggling early this year due to multiple stresses & finally reached out for help in Feb but promises of help had to be stopped due to Covid restrictions. Nobody's fault but still difficult. Obviously my situation is very different to yours & others who lost homes & businesses in the fires but it reminds me how difficult it must be for you& others in similar situations. I can't imagine how it must feel being stuck in caravans & other temporary accommodation.

I hope you are getting the support you need. I really feel for you.

[Gambit87]

Hi Paul and everyone!

Great thread!

I'm going to rate myself an 8 (maybe an 8.5)

I've never been concerned about the virus itself. Slightly concerned about my folks and my brother (he's a paramedic) but the optimist in me figured if we all did the right thing, helped flatten the curve etc, we'll get through this together and come out stronger on the other side.

What got me was the lockdown and working from home! I thought I would be able to cope being at home for expended periods AND working at home at the same time. Turns out I couldn't. I was unable to separate home from work (even though I had a separate room for working), I was lonely without the office environment and I was putting unnecessary pressure on myself to be more productive because I felt working from home meant you needed to show you're not lazing about, This was not the case at all after talking to my boss about how I was feeling about working from home. She had a giggle at my expense, I should have spoken to her alot sooner.

The other problem with lockdown was that it took away 2 of my major support structures which helped me cope with depression and anxiety. I had to come up with new things to do but I lost motivation. I had to speak to my psych twice in 2 weeks to help me get though the low points.

I've been back in the office now for about a month and things have definitely picked up for me. 1 of my support structures is back up and Im feeling more hopeful.

I've been doing alot of reflecting and I think if I had to go into lockdown again, I would cope better. Obviously I wouldn't put pressure on myself about work, but the main thing would be to develop more structure instead of just 'winging' it.

[fred4761]

Hi everyone, when the lockdowns happened in March I was probably at a 9 what with juggling working from home, remote learning with the kids, providing meals and groceries for my parents and having to make so many shopping trips to get everything that I needed. School returning on site was a huge relief for me and being able to do online click and collect groceries again also relieved a lot of anxiety and I was back down to a 6.

All of the stuff going on in Melbourne has elevated me to a 9. Taking the kids to a playground last week and hearing them talking to a girl who said she was visiting from one of the Covid hotspots has caused me to return to a 10 😞

Just to clarify the girl said the name of her suburb and that set off alarm bells and I moved the kids away. I hate that I have become that person who is so scared of other people and their potential germs, but I also hate that family for choosing to travel to a regional location free from Covid after their suburb had been named as a hotspot. It hadn’t been locked down at that stage.

My older in-laws live in one of the hotspots and that is also very alarming. Like Geoff said, I just want to wrap them in cotton wool and keep them safe from this virus. My mother in law has health issues which could make her less able to fight off the virus if she contracts it. So yeah, definitely a 10 at the moment.

[Moonstruck]

Hi dear Paul.....

sorry to be a thorn in the side of the survey of 1 to 10...but I don't fall into any category....(I realise my position may sound complicated) but I fall into a 10...Seriously High Impact, but not because of fear of the Covid...in which case that comes under a 0 to 5....!!!

So I cant' pick a number.....I'm not, and never have been afraid of the virus....but the erosion of our civil liberties and personal freedoms, the feeling we have been living in a "police state" being told what to feel, how to feel by politicians who admit they don't know what they're dealing with.....has had the Category 10...Serious Impact on me.....sorry to be a nuisance, just trying to be understood!

re being told "how to feel" there is one particular spokesperson in my state who has repeatedly, from the beginning, said on TV press addresses (and even in an advertisement) told us "this is not the time to feel complacent". " we cannot relax just yet".....what??

We are subtly (and at times, not so subtly) being told "how to feel" all through this hysteria...my kind thoughts to you always too BlondGuy......thanks for letting me express myself.

[blondguy]

Hi Everyone....all people's input is appreciated and thankyou!

Hey Geoff...thankyou for your understanding post..I will pass on members best wishes to her...Nice1

Hey Matchy69 (Mark)....thankyou for your heartfelt thoughts about my mum...they mean more than you know. On another thread I mentioned my sincere condolences for the loss of your dad. He was only 59..Way way to young Mark....Of course you still and always will miss him...Im sorry my friend...may your dad rest in peace

Hey SD0102....thankyou for helping out with your post! I am also an 8 - 9 too..Great to have you on Beyond Blue!

Hey Quirky...Thankyou for your valued input...I respect your view re the bushfires..Skynews (Foxtel) have been covering the huge amount of donations that still havent been distributed yet. Time allowing I hope its okay if you and I can bump up the moderators Bushfire thread....?
Being the active contributor you are on Covid-19....how do you rate your feelings re Covid? Im just trying to respect all members input and stay on topic 🙂

Coffee time....:-)

Paul

[blondguy]

Continued...

Hey Elizabeth.....thankyou for helping Quirky as she has been through so much...As per your post Covid and the wildfires are both devastating yet Covid is a global wildfire. Thankyou again for your balanced caring post!

Hey Gambit87....always a bonus to have your input and thankyou for your kind words too! You and I are in the same boat being between an 8.5 out of 10 on how Covid is impacting our well being. I was working in corporate until just before I joined Beyond Blue in 2016....I would also feel somewhat unproductive working from home thus also placing additional pressure on myself....if I had to work through a lockdown..Thankyou Gambit!

Hey Catie08.....thankyou for your helpful input and great to have you as part of the Beyond Blue family too! I am also feel the same at about an 8.5....and thats understandable considering what we are going through

Catie08 mentioned "I also feel that the changes that covid forced onto us saved me" Thankyou for your support 🙂

my kindest...Paul