Coping with Covid-19

I'm currently in self-isolation and I know that many of us are feeling anxious/isolated, so I thought I'd share a really useful video by Purple Ella on coping with the Covid-19 pandemic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIpvdMVnfGs&t=12s

Here are some tips for activities that have been keeping me busy while I self-isolate:

  • Housework (especially the jobs that I've been putting off for a while)
  • Creative writing
  • Reading
  • Watching TV shows and films
  • Playing video games
  • Playing piano
  • Adult colouring books
  • Puzzle books/activity books
  • Keeping in touch with people via social media, or over the phone
  • I'm intending to use a fitness app I have to help me with some exercise, but I haven't got around to that yet Slight smile

Also, some advice on how I'm helping myself stay healthy:

  • Drinking plenty of water
  • Continuing to wear my Fitbit so that I notice when I'm not moving around often enough
  • Eating three good meals a day
  • Treating myself (e.g. to a piece of cake) when I feel like it, without going overboard on the snacks
  • Limiting the amount of time I spend on social media and news channels - whilst the Covid-19 updates are helpful, a constant stream of information (some accurate, some not) isn't always helpful for my anxiety levels.

I hope some of these tips are helpful - stay safe and take care of yourselves.

  • I have three offspring on the autistic spectrum, one of whom lives a few doors away but who comes each day to walk the dog - we have to get out of the kitchen when he comes so that there's no face to face contact. He is finding the current situation unbearable - being isolated from family and being kept very busy at work, with little or no understanding from either his employers or his workmates about his autism - 'You're slow at your work because you're lazy, not because of autism' or words to that effect.

    The other two are also feeling frustrated about not being able to get the things they need. Finding a delivery slot for any of the supermarkets is well nigh impossible and the supermarkets are trying to persuade healthy, non-vulnerable people to come and do their shopping in the supermarket, thus freeing those delivery slots. It's also very stressful just trying to obtain one of those delivery slots. The one who lives in his own place only has Mondays free to do shopping now, so is limited in what he can do, but can bring stuff from work if we order it.

    One other thing - how can you survive if you shop infrequently and buy little when you do go?

    Dinah

  • Yea i feel just like you , I thought i was the only one , Although i was in the forces years ago and have dug out all my old nbc kit and survive to fight book + survival gear Scouted out a potential hole to lay up in while it all blows over . Its all in the planning ;)

  • Not more than about health of other random people.

    I wish them well.

  • I weighed myself a few hours ago and lost three-and-a-half pounds in less than a week - in spite of pizza on Sunday evening, pizza on Saturday evening and a cheesy chip with gravy on Friday evening. (Coffee and Tea FTW! Nature's appetite suppressors)

  • I wouldn't wish this illness on anyone, so I really hope he feels better soon. 

  • Am I the only one here worried about the health of the PM? 

    He may be a bit of a prat, but he's our prat.

  • Glad you're feeling less stressed Slight smile Once we're out of lockdown, maybe you could ask your employer if you could work from home more regularly? If it helps boost your productivity, it's a win for them too Slight smile I miss the little things like going to restaurants too. We'll definitely appreciate it a lot more when we're able to do that stuff again.

  • For me, being at home is blinkin great - working from home means a lot less interaction with people and as a result my stress levels have dropped big time. I do miss going out to a resturant on a Saturday night to get a change of scenery though :(

  • I'm also getting myself dressed in work clothes on weekdays - I'm finding that does help me to feel a bit more normal, although I find working from home really challenging. 

    I'm really anxious about shopping too; I'm now out of self-isolation, but my partner is still having to self-isolate. We usually shop together because I massively struggle with supermarkets - even a quick 'top-up shop' can take me an hour because of all the sensory confusion. I practically shut-down in Asda the other week. I'm hoping that I can get through it by choosing one of the (slightly) quieter supermarkets and by not going at peak time.

    I hope that you and your family are doing okay, and that your anxiety settles down. I'm hoping we'll struggle less with anxiety as time goes on and we settle into a new routine.

  • That's understandable. I'm trying not to watch/listen to the news too much either - it just causes more stress. Relaxing sounds like a good plan Slight smile

  • It sounds like that was all really tough to deal with. Please don't apologise - we all need to talk sometimes. 

    I'm really glad you're feeling more positive today. Hope you feel better soon xx

  • I'm trying to keep to my normal routine, even though I'm now working from home. So I set the alarm to get up at the usual time on working days, get ready as if to go to work, then instead of walking to work I have a walk up the road (and go to the shop if necessary) then back home and log on. I try to follow the usual routine of work tasks as much as I can, however it's been stressful as I normally deal with most of my work on paper and I've had to set up folders on our shared work drive and get my colleagues to email me the invoices & other stuff I need to deal with and then save documents in the appropriate folders so we can all access them when we need to. I'm starting to get to grips with it now though.

    Our shopping routine has all been destroyed. I used to book a weekly delivery online, so we would only usually go to a supermarket once a week for a few bits - fruit & veg, etc. But with shopping slots having sold out, the last two deliveries having a lot missing, and not having a car, we are having to go to the shops a lot more. So our anxiety over shopping has gone up, with also worrying about shelves being empty and not finding what we need. My partner switched from smoking to vaping a few years ago and the vape shops are all closed too, which doesn't help.

    I'm also anxious about whether our personal freedoms will be curbed further. I appreciate that it will be a strain on the NHS if a lot of people need hospital treatment and I'm following the guidelines, as we are pretty anti social OCD hermits normally anyway. But I don't want the freedom to go for a walk in the fresh air to be taken, as it's important for physical and mental wellbeing. I don't want to be told we can only go out on our own, not as a couple, as shopping together lowers our anxiety. I saw a report today which said that keeping 2m away from others wasn't enough, but I found a World Health organization report online which stated that in China there was no evidence of airborne transmission and that it was transmitted through touching surfaces or direct contact with, or being coughed or sneezed on by, an infected person within 1m away (which is why hand washing is so important). I think I'll have to try to read less news articles, but it's difficult when your mind keeps searching for data to make sense of it all.

    This situation is not just awful for people who get seriously ill or have relatives who do, it's awful for people who are losing their jobs, or who are self employed and now have no work, and are worrying about money and security. I hope this doesn't last too long and doesn't cause too much stress for everyone.

  • The news ( and fake news) on TV and online is so bad, that I am considering total social isolation until Monday morning

    By that I mean,  not going out for any reason, not listening to any news from any source.  I will not visit this website either.

    I will be reading and listening to music.

    I have stocked up plenty of food.

    I am an experienced recluse so this social isolation should be easy.

  • Didnt say its the same, similar, but not the same.

    It seems to hit some people harder than others.  From the stats, people of asian descent are getting hit the hardest because it attacks a protein found in their lungs that caucasians dont have.  The L strain seems to be more aggressive than the new S strain that seems to have mutated from the original.  Some people get very mild symptoms, no cough, bit of fever, headache.  Others get the whole lot.

    It is that serious to me that any food deliveries that come in, I spend the next 30 mins wiping them down with a bleach solution.  So please dont think im not taking it seriously. I wont be leaving my house until its confirmed over, which I dont expect to happen until September at the earliest.  They can bandy around numbers like 3 weeks or 12 weeks, but we will probably be like Wuhan in 12 weeks.  You know its bad when they are preparing an aircraft hangar at Birmingham airport to use as a morgue.

    Also I wouldnt worry about scaring people.  Its a bit too late for that.  We have a virus that is rampaging across the world killing people all over the place.  We have people locked in their houses, which hasnt happened since WW2?  If you arent scared of that, then you probably arent scared of much in life.

  • Pathfinder i deleted my previous message as I dont want to scare people but if you think the flu is the same you have your head in the sand

  • Hope you feel better soon - take care of yourself.

  • That doesn't sound right. My work is also non-essential and we've all been told to work from home; they're also sorting remote access for lots of people who didn't have it before. If you have any health conditions that put you at risk (you should've had a text or letter in that case), they have to let you self-isolate. If not, is it worth speaking to your doctor to get signed off with stress? It's not fair that they're making you work unnecessarily in the current climate.

  • My parents and i think we've had it, but I havent had a complete inability to breath.  I had something like my asthma was really bad for about two weeks, plus a feever for a couple of days, diarheaa and headache.  i put up with it for maybe 3 weeks, then on Saturday I took a course of steroids and a course of antibiotics and whatever ive had seems to have gone.  FTR, my asthma is probably a bit worse than yours and im listed as extermely vulnerable I think because I tried immunosuppression last year.

    I normally hit the gym daily and can do 30 mins on a cross trainer with really bad asthma so its anyone guess if what ive had is it.

    If you can get it, some home made chicken soup and lots of green veg will do wonders for most flus.  Just keep your strength up.

  • I've been told I have the virus so I wont be going to work. Breathing is taking up most of my day. I've been told my lungs are strong so I just need to fight it. I've been off social media alot as it's annoying me people socialising yet I caught it from hardly going out.