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

[blondguy]

Hi Everyone and for the contributions too!

Hey Geoff...I appreciate your input when you mentioned 'there could be many people who are struggling with a MI but don't seek help or even want to make the decision and feel 'it will just go away' and not do anything' Unfortunately this is common yet its detrimental to their long term well being

Hey Moon...always great to have you on the air.....I dont know if you read my post to you on the 24th...I really hope you did! This is a difficult time for so many of us Moon...I understand where you are coming from. Im sorry that you dont acknowledge the importance of trying to get a 'handle' on this highly infectious virus. You mentioned ' please stop filling us with fear'..(as per the media and politicians I think you meant)

Moon..when anyone writes 'please stop filling us with fear' its important yet its how we interpret the fear. We havent been through global pandemic for 102 years

kindest always

Paul

[quirkywords]

I think the fear of uncertainty is what upsets people. What will happen next.

after my place and shop burnt down , I wasn’t afraid it might burn down as it had burnt down. I hope that makes sense. Now I’d not feel afraid about COVID as I feel I can cope with other things thrown at me.

[Moonstruck]

Dearest Paul...you know I love you dearly...but what do you mean exactly by "get a handle on it" (the infectious virus)? do you mean "eradicate it completely" "flatten the curve"?

Horrific car accidents still happen. We haven't "got a handle on it" yet. Suicides and domestic violence is on the increase ..we haven't got a handle on that either. Child abuse, murder and wars are still happening. We haven't "got a handle on them" yet. What if we can't get a handle on the Covid virus either? Two Qld high school students , suicided recently....two!! They were completely unrelated separate incidents and unknown to each other.

No one seems desperate and filled with hysteria in trying to get a handle on the dramatic increase in human despair, anxiety, depression and increased mental illness among our communities - yet our leaders seem obsessed with "getting a handle on an infectious disease"...and their obsession has spread much faster and wider than the disease itself.

Can anyone hear me at all? Am I the only insane one who can see this imbalance or what?

[blondguy]

Hi Elizabeth
Thankyou for your input and I feel for you for being a 10 at the moment...I have been a 9.5 for ages and now a 7 being in Victoria so others will understand the impact of Covid on my own mental health

You are not the only person that can react badly to a situation during this period of uncertainty. My people skills have taken a dive since late last year when I was tracking this virus. You are a star for having the weekly counselling...and you mentioned 'the strategies I'm taught are too difficult when I feel so bad' Ditto here Elizabeth...It does take determination....patience and strong desire to heal our level of self worth

Hey EM....Great to have your input and thankyou for supporting Moon when you mentioned 'we can change ourselves and how we look at things... meaning our perspective'

I hope everyone is having a reasonably good weekend 🙂

Paul

[golden82]

Hi all,

Here here Moon. It is all these dire consequences that are never being mentioned - being swept under the rug - or even justified! as unfortunate but necessary by these 'leaders'. How is the preventable death of an unborn twin a justifiable occurrence because of trying to supposedly protect the vulnerable. There is no correlation. Not to mention the strategy has surely now proven ineffective. From way back I have been of the belief to protect the vulnerable and keep the rest of Australia up and running as best we can. Giving people still the opportunity for connection - because protecting the vulnerable also includes their mental health. And having worked for a time in aged care facilities I can certainly say that this plays a huge role in the residents will to live. As of course it would - as it does for all human beings. It has all been 'managed' so poorly and it is all of this and the fallouts - stories we learn about and my own struggles (story) through this that put me at a permanent 10 for stress. If it was just the virus, I may have been at a 5.

And Quirky, I didn't realise you lost both your house and work in the fires. I am so sorry to hear that. And think it is amazing how you contribute and encourage others despite having such a devastating year. It can only get better for you I hope.

Thanks for this thread Blondguy.

Best wishes to everyone.

[Elizabeth CP]

Last few days have been really hard. Was already struggling badly on Thursday then we lost power during the storm. 2 days later they finally came to fix it. Yesterday got message saying water is unsafe to drink so need to boil water--in the dark with no power!!!! Spent some time at my sons on Friday as I needed to charge phone etc. Plus my husband doesn't cope with the cold & we had no heating. Felt very awkward as we had to stay away from everyone (We could be in the house under compassionate grounds but supposed to remain physically distant so can't help the grandkids or pick up the baby when he cries. Stayed home today watching out for signs of them coming to fix the power but went to the local park to collect drinking water. What else is to come.?

[blondguy]

Hey Moon
I hear you loud and clear re the hysteria as there is some parts of the media that are doing so...for the ratings and advertising revenue which why I dont watch free to air television...Just for me it seems to sensationalize what we are going through..Just for myself I prefer CNN/SKY News if that helps..?

You mentioned 'No one seems desperate and filled with hysteria in trying to get a handle on the dramatic increase in human despair, anxiety, depression and increased mental illness among our communities' The federal govt recently provided ten million dollars to the organization that run these forums Moon

Its only my humble opinion Moon.....Its how we process the reality of this contagion . Im still a 7 and doing the best I can to cope Moon..There are no insane people on the forums you and I included! We are only human though. I have been looking after my wonderful 90 year old mum thus my reduced involvement on the forums

Hey Golden82....thankyou for your great post and saying how Covid has impacted your well being...especially with your background as a nurse in aged care saying you were a 5 re Covid only and 10 as per the big picture. I agree with you re the flaws in the system....there are many including the young mum that lost her unborn child

my kindest

Paul

[tranzcrybe]

Hi blondguy,

I haven't been into this thread much and am sad to say it feels quite negatively charged - remember 'Help us help others!'. But we are right in the middle of the storm (in Melbourne, anyway) and emotions are stretched to breaking point - it is a stressful time without doubt and it's healthy to express any opinion freely for the sake of being heard and knowing there is a kind ear to receive it.

As with the incongruity of 'increased productivity' in conjunction with 'reduced resource consumption', Government is equally conflicted by 'returning to work' and 'keeping everybody away' - they are diametrically opposed, and yet both scenarios pose grave risks of the same outcome: stay home = no economy; go to work and spread contagion = no economy. No economy = no services. That is why governments are elected - to maintain the status quo.

And that's where I sit - 'normal' is what it is today, without comparison to this time last year, or projecting future fears, or even criticising what I wanted/needed to be doing instead. Today is the status quo. Within that, some things will feel above while others won't.

Regards to all,

t.

[blondguy]

Hi Everyone!

Hey tranzcrybe....Im sorry that you find this thread 'negatively charged' Yet your feedback is appreciated and thankyou for your input! I have been doing everything I can to avoid making this thread topic 'political'

I hope you have taken the time to read this thread in context. I wrote this thread so people could say how they feel during this global pandemic by using a number as per my opening post

Approx 70% of the internet 'hits' to the forums are from people that choose to 'read only' which are beneficial

tranzcrybe mentioned 'stay home = no economy; go to work and spread contagion = no economy. No economy = no services' I agree with you as finding a balance is hard work as its been 102 years since the last pandemic 't'

Im happy that I am a '7' and improving tranzcrybe

Paul

[Ggrand]

Hello Elizabeth..

We have lots of blackout and power outages where I live..I am in the middle of 2 big towns 73 klms either way..My village is remote and we have lots of blackouts when we have storms and several power outages a year...

I bought myself a little gas camping stove..only 1 elemental which is big enough to boil a medium pot of water, also big enough for a medium size frypan...

They are easy to use and store away...I’m sharing this in case it’s something you or others might think is useful to purchase... in case of blackouts..

Paul sorry I went off topic...It’s nice to hear that you’re a 7 now Paul and improving...I hope so much that you constantly improve....I hope everyone is improving..

The little village where I live in the central West of NSW has been lucky, same as the 2 bigger towns..we only had a few cases earlier on and none since then...For myself living here and not leaving the area I am a 4..But where my children and grandchildren are living in the Sydney suburbs I am a 9 and I really worry about them..

Kind and caring thoughts..

Grandy..