Scared about lockdown restrictions being lifted

It's not over. I wish it was. The Delta variant is starting to spread and vaccinations may not be able to keep up. 

Hi Chris! I can totally understand. While I'd like this all to end, people stop being sick and dying, and indeed some restrictions are can be horrible to the people affected - e.g. you can't see a very sick relative or friend in a hospital, or visit your old parents in another country and let them meet the grandchildren, I also do enjoy the slow pace and working from home.

I recently saw a video of our new office and I was horrified, so big, lots of colours, and surely lots of people. It was so hard to be in the noisy office in the times "before", not looking forward to that at all. Already not talking about commuting in crowds to get there.

there are cars french which are starting to read the road signs and warn you look out for them. Maybe they are a pain

Sometimes I must admit I'm too overwhelmed or stressed to notice all the one way signs and so on, so I agree with you here. It's an extra thing to navigate when things were already too much.

When I'm calmer and there are fewer people, etc. etc, I strangely love the directions... the sense of following a process, abiding by rules. I may be an odd one out here! :) 

I feel something similar, Chris.

On some level I would like things to go back to a 'normal' because at least that would be a little more predictable than having changing restrictions every so often, but on other levels I have felt safer with the restrictions in place, plus had a great routine at home. After getting used to the lockdowns, the quietness and routines have helped me excel in my work, too, which I really wasn't expecting. It has been a long time since I have felt I could excel, let alone see it happen. But maybe I can keep some elements of what have worked for me after restrictions lift.

I suspect there are a great many people who feel the same and feel uneasy. Not everyone, and not all for the same reasons.

This annoys me too. I understand the need for a one way system when it is busy but if there is nobody around then the one way system becomes obsolete. At the same time though I've been known to rigidly follow the one way systems and be annoyed if others aren't following them so I'm pretty flexible with this particular system when it suits me, and it obviously may not suit everyone else!!! 

I wish they would just lift the damn things.

Yesterday I was in a shop which operates a one way system, there were very few people about, I tried to walk  directly towards the items I needed, and a shop assistant yelled at me to keep  to the one way path.

Hear! Hear!

Hmmm, folks aren't learning, are they? I have the same worries about the variants.

I know NTs struggle without socialisation, just as some of us struggle with it, but ultimately we will all have to deal with another wave, if we don't take it easy.

Personally, I'm hoping for a few long term changes to improve life for everyone. A crowded commute stresses me out no end, I haven't missed that, but if home working becomes part of the norm it could bring a lot of benefits to a lot of people for a lot of reasons.

Oh yeah. Desperate as I am for a change of scenery and to see my son, I'm to be found quietly going wibble in the corner every time a restriction is lifted and the hords feel a collective and uncontrollable urge to crowd out the pub, get on a plane or throng on the beach. Baby steps please!

As I've previously stated, I'm not scared. I should be, because in immunocompromised, but I'm not. There are many that are scared though, and your talk doesn't help them!

I will continue to say that spreading dangerous views is not what this forum is about! (i.e, we shouldn't wear a mask, restrictions are stupid and most specifically, "I advise you all to start living your normal lives"). That is blatantly trying to draw people into dangerous practices. *You* may be intelligent, though I've yet to see proof, but there are many vulnerable people here who will follow the loudest people. Unfortunately, Covidiots tend to be the loudest out there! 

We do more things separately now. It's the only way I cope. 

Fortunately the laws of the UK don't reflect your opinions and people are protected from abuse.

I'm sorry to disagree I actually believe in total freedom of speech I don't say that there is no such thing as hate speech or the offence of religious feelings but these are not specific things law must be clear and specific punishment for these subjective offences do often make more harm than good because not only is it often injust but also it provides the opportunity for the government to move further in these laws and then society tends towards totalitarianism 

And of course freedom of speech hasn't always been a qualified right and examples are not hard to find well nazi germany soviet union china today or even the social media Trump was blocked recently and facebook has deleted my two posts once for some reason so freedom of speech is precious thing without it there is no free society

But that's just my opinion

Lockdown had no real impact on me, I work in a nursery and so I was working throughout. My children attended school as I'm a key worker. I am worried about the complete lifting of lockdown though. The combination of reckless behaviour of adults who think covid is over, combined with good weather is very dangerous. 

M said:

Maybe a lot of people disagree but for me I've never worried about lockdown easing because of the virus

I completely agree. I got my diagnosis in lockdown and have had a taste of a world which is quite suitable for me. Now  it's changing back into something I find inherently difficult.

How have you addressed it with your husband? My partner is very good but I am starting to feel the expectation we should start doing more stuff. I've realised this is a form of masking of going along with things and it's not about being a pushover or a people pleaser. It's kind of "this is what you do".  However now I've seen another side to life because of lockdown and am more than content with being at home and I don't feel a need to be going out more. I explained this to him as that i have another perspective which is just as valid. It occured to me that my needs are just as valid as his and rather than me putting on myself to meet his needs, he could be more accommodating to mine. (And we meet in the middle somewhere cos he's a brilliant person).

I discovered I was autistic because of how my anxiety lifted during the pandemic so I'm definitely anxious. I've recently started a new job and I have to work in the office one day a week and it takes a lot out of me. To think about working full-time from the office is extremely overwhelming. I work in a tiny office of 4 desks and currently can share it with 1 other person, but that is enough to overwhelm me. 

My husband is also NT and now wants to socialise more, including having friends in our house. This shouldn't be such an issue but I really hate people being in my safe space. I would happily continue in lockdown-like restrictions for the rest of life. Wouldn't it be nice to keep everything local anyway and have a smaller life? Maybe a lot of people disagree but for me I've never worried about lockdown easing because of the virus, I know what I can do to reduce my risk of that and I'm fortunate to be young and healthy, but because of how I mentally cope because of autism.

Freedom.of speech has always been a qualified right. That's like thinking you can post hate speech and just claim this right. Abuse and dangerous views no not qualify as a human right. 

I'm not interested in an argument either, but these are dangerous messages that are being spread about a pandemic.