Coping with Covid-19

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.

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.

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.