How have COVID restrictions and the pandemic in general affected your health.

[MattA7]

I don’t think there is a thread specifically on the negative health problems the restrictions/pandemic is causing so I thought it would be a good idea to start one.


Personally for me the restrictions themselves are bad enough but for me they are also preventing me from dealing with other personal problems which are having a serious effect.

my mental health advisor (which I was referred to due to the situation) strongly believe that the consequences of this situation is certainly a contributing factor to my severe depression and anxiety and worsening physical health. I also used to suffer from social anxiety and worked hard to overcome such difficulties however the past 18 months have made that back as bad as ever. I have also lost weight even though I was already very underweight pre pandemic which just makes a already bad situation 10x worse.

As for masks although exempt and I have a exemption lanyard I often feel not wearing on draws attention to me and then there is the concern of confrontation so mandatory masks are still a problem.

I’m not sure what the future holds but at this time it looks very bleak for certain.

EDIT: later found out a similar thread on this topic was made a while back.

Long term restrictions, lockdowns, etc and the implications on mental health

Is your mental health suffering as a result of all these seemingly never-ending restrictions, local(or even national in the case of Wales and Northern Ireland at the moment) lockdowns, etc? I've set up a poll. Though you do not need to go into details of how your mental health is suffering if...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[big_rig]

When gyms were closed for months over winter and there was literally nothing to do in life except eat takeaway food and drink my weight went up and my muscle went down, which will take ages to revert and makes me very frustrated. Supposedly this was done for the purposes of ‘public health’ according to ‘experts’

 

[yorkie]

I don’t think there is a thread specifically on the negative health problems the restrictions/pandemic is causing so I thought it would be a good idea to start one.

I'm sure it's been discussed before but maybe not in a dedicated thread. Anyway, good idea.

Personally for me the restrictions themselves are bad enough but for me they are also preventing me from dealing with other personal problems which are having a serious effect.

my mental health advisor (which I was referred to due to the situation) strongly believe that the consequences of this situation is certainly a contributing factor to my severe depression and anxiety and worsening physical health.

Mental health is absolutely linked to physical health. Also, doing exercise is good for mental health as well as physical health.

During the toughest restrictions, the impact on myself and others I know from this was enormous. It's not been so bad since restrictions eased a bit, though January was pretty grim.

Looking at the list of "long covid" symptoms, I have had many of these, but not caused by the virus, it was caused by the restrictions themselves combined with fears of further restrictions caused by reading/hearing pro-restriction messaging. I realised relatively early on in the pandemic that the virus was going to become endemic and that a high level of population immunity was the only way to end this. Once things became quiet at my main workplace and was told to work remotely 3/4 of the time, and the list of things to do dried up, I did a lot of research. This has helped me to come to terms with what is happening and has enabled me to feel much more positive.

The harsh restrictions during the first lockdown were unforgivable and can never be allowed to happen again.

I also used to suffer from social anxiety and worked hard to overcome such difficulties however the past 18 months have made that back as bad as ever. I have also lost weight even though I was already very underweight pre pandemic which just makes a already bad situation 10x worse.

I know of several others who are either in a similar situation to you, or not much better.

The restrictions have affected younger people, on average, much more than older people. I know of kids who went from being outgoing to not being, who became depressed or lost interest in things. It's an absolute scandal.

As for masks although exempt and I have a exemption lanyard I often feel not wearing on draws attention to me and then there is the concern of confrontation so mandatory masks are still a problem.

Mandatory masks are terrible for people with anxieties; if you do not wear the mask you can be worried about being challenged. The exemption can be useless for people who would feel more anxious about not wearing one. People who do not have anxieties (or know people who suffer from them) may not have any idea; indeed I've often read people saying "if I can wear a mask easily, everyone can" which is absolute nonsense and demonstrates a complete lack of understanding and empathy on their part. Someone like that would not be welcome at my workplace, where empathy and understanding are key.

I’m not sure what the future holds but at this time it looks very bleak for certain.

I disagree. I think the future looks bright. Zero Covid is dead. The vaccines are highly effective at what they are designed to do, which is to prevent serious illness. We have a high vaccine take up, though we ideally need this to increase to help us get back to normal quicker. Those who refuse to get vaccinated will get infected. Population immunity will increase. The virus will reach endemic equilibrium. Mandatory masks are a thing of the past in most settings - and in law - in England from Monday. By unlocking now, we should have a better Winter, when the NHS is going to be more stretched.

I know which experts to listen to, and which not to, and the ones that know their stuff are all adamant that variants are not going to render the vaccines useless.

When gyms were closed for months over winter and there was literally nothing to do in life except eat takeaway food and drink my weight went up and my muscle went down, which will take ages to revert and makes me very frustrated. Supposedly this was done for the purposes of ‘public health’ according to ‘experts’

I was denied the right to do what I do to maintain fitness and it made me angry too.

The tide is turning and most people want to get back to normal. Those that don't are highly vocal, thus giving the false perception that they are a majority. They will be disappointed as we will go back to normal in the coming weeks and months.

Those who call for draconian restrictions are guilty of crimes against humanity and we won't forget but the future is going to be us living with the virus, not restricting ourselves indefinitely and cowering from it.

If anyone is struggling, there are people on this forum who can help.

 

[Merseysider]

Way back when lockdown number 1 reared its ugly head, I followed the law to the letter and generally felt pretty crap about being separated from my friends, family and colleagues. It was quite a dark place. My physical health wasn’t affected as I still walked to the shops etc but mentally it was very difficult.

After the cretin Cummings decided to gander up to Barnard Castle for a jolly, I pretty much stopped following guidance/laws restricting social contact and upon seeing my friends in Manchester etc again, mentally I felt much better. I continued to be socially responsible, ie wearing masks, distancing, doing frequent testing when it became available.

Isolating for 10 days when I tested positive in September played havoc with my mental health, but I was quite lucky in that I wasn’t required to isolate again until June, when work said I’d had contact with a positive case.

That was pretty damaging to my mental health again, but I started going for walks round about midnight - not officially supposed to but I wasn’t putting anyone at risk - and this fresh air was a godsend.

I truly feel for anyone required to isolate 3/4 or more times over the last year and a half - some of the pupils I teach at school have had to isolate 5 or more times due to government rules and they’ve told me it’s really damaging to their wellbeing.

 

[greyman42]

I pretty much ignored the laws and restrictions regarding lockdowns and found it helped both my physical and mental health.

 

[yorksrob]

The whole thing's made me a lot more irritable.

 

[nlogax]

My sleep suffered for a while in the early part of lockdown but beyond that..nothing has changed.

 

[Cdd89]

I coped well with the generalised restrictions; although I disagreed with many of them (such as a default position in law of "you must stay at home"), and they were hugely impactful, there was an exit strategy and everyone was significantly impacted so the pressure to reopen was constant.

I am actually finding this particular phase of the pandemic far worse than any other phase (except the very start); I have spent much of the weekend feeling pretty sick and miseable about it. On the surface there aren't many remaining social/legal restrictions:

• Masks - these will remain socially expected in many contexts by many people (not judging whether they are right or wrong to have that expectation)
• International travel restrictions - these will remain in place for and from many countries (seeing them reimposed for France was particularly hard as I have substantial ties to the country)

As it happens I wouldn't have a huge problem with either of these if there were a fixed end-point - but there isn't one in either case. Even if they go as case rates fall, they will be expected to return as case rates rise, as they surely will.

This is worsened by the fact that many people do not consider the above items to be a significant inconvenience. I can only imagine how bad it is for people who have ties to 'Red List' countries. Society is unwilling to name a number of tolerable "avoidable" Covid deaths, and I fear it will take years before the baselines are established as to what the acceptable number of deaths is, by which point I will have lost a large percentage of my life to restrictions, however minor.

 

[WestRiding]

How has it affected me. At first, it was ok, a novelty for want of a better word. 18 months on, I just feel generally down. Hard to see life coming back as I knew it. Its a never ending roundabout. I also feel very narky and have developed a short temper. But in general, just down. It now feels like live is passing me by, almost wasted. Feels like nobody wants travel etc to ever come back, hell, it seems most people want to live in constant restrictions.

 

[Bantamzen]

The whole thing's made me a lot more irritable.

Likewise, over the last 18 months I have felt more and more anxious which has led to me to be much more short tempered and generally feeling low. It's made all the worse when I hear or read people spouting pro-restriction gibberish parrot fashion, and of course the omnipresent virtue signallers.

 

[KeithMcC]

I would agree with West Riding. Thoroughly fed up! The fact that the travel restrictions have lost me a year of income so far and there is no definite end just makes it worse.

 

[WestRiding]

I would agree with West Riding. Thoroughly fed up! The fact that the travel restrictions have lost me a year of income so far and there is no definite end just makes it worse.

Makes it worse, when people keep saying, 'but it will come back' or 'it'll be better next year'. Its not getting better.

 

[greyman42]

Masks - these will remain socially expected in many contexts by many people (not judging whether they are right or wrong to have that expectation)

They can expect as much as they like, i wont be wearing one.

 

[WestRiding]

They can expect as much as they like, i wont be wearing one.

You will come the next lockdown, around september, the government are desperately trying to find a new variant

 

[yorkie]

If the mask mandates have caused issues, it seems appropriate to talk about those specific issues here, but otherwise I suggest the mask discussion goes in one of the following threads:

• The case for and against the effectiveness of face coverings and the mandating of their use
  
  
• Poll: What would you do if the public transport services you normally use are still requiring masks after the government mandate is over?
  

 

[317 forever]

Makes it worse, when people keep saying, 'but it will come back' or 'it'll be better next year'. Its not getting better.

In the Spring I felt we were in a better place than a year earlier. However, with these high case numbers and threats of restrictions in the Autumn, I almost feel a sense of nostalgia for last summer with lower figures (including hospitalisations and deaths) than now.

 

[Harpers Tate]

Not at all.

 

[island]

I would categorise it threefold:

Physical health – illness: Better – I got what I now believe to have been COVID at the end of February 2020, before tests were in use. I treated it as I then treated respiratory illnesses such as colds by washing my hands regularly and covering my face when coughing or sneezing. Up to 2019 I typically had three or four colds a year, sometimes with other side effects or add-ons such as tonsillitis. I have had little to nothing of the sort since March 2020, driven no doubt by seeing far fewer people.

Physical health – general: Worse – My exercise and eating have been badly adversely affected; my fairly good fitness and declining weight went into reverse with no access to gyms and my regular exercise pattern fell apart.

Mental health: Mainly worse. I got a new job during it all but I had previously enjoyed fairly frequent international and domestic travel most of which has now died away. Covid-related fear has meant I have met nobody from my family bar my wife since February 2020 (though I have hopes that that will change next month). The constantly changing rules and people's behaviour towards me have really slammed me, and in particular rules around face coverings which are so polarising. I fear that with individual businesses making up their own rules in the coming weeks things will get worse rather than better.

 

[pdq]

It's notable that I haven't had a single cold since March 2020. I expect the next one I catch will be one to make up for it.

 

[LancasterRed]

Early into lockdown we took a decision as a family to be careful but not draconian but I spent a lot of time at my computer writing academic papers anyway so the impact wasn't too great during the earlier stages. During breaks in writing I would take long walks and integrate them with my shopping, while picking up at-home activities such as jigsaws and more logical puzzles, to keep the mind active, distracted and develop myself.

After submitting my final paper for university we were well into lockdown but I was straight into additional education which helped. Keeping my mind busy was a key distraction from what is realistically a dangerous virus but the more I read in my spare time the more confident I became that it was fine as long as you stayed sensible. Being in a position of academia and then additional education definitely helped as there was overlap and being able to engage in insightful discussion every day. I understand not everyone will have had that privilege but good articles are free to access and played a big role in keeping spirits high for me - it's not far bad if you stay sensible.

This maintained throughout and between that and going into work was the only real 'lull', but keeping the mind busy again helped. In terms of physical health my weight has fluctuated and I need to exercise more in work breaks and days off especially working from home and this weekend has kickstarted it massively. So no, my health hasn't been massively affected, but keeping on top of it is imperative. The restrictions themselves didn't help but knowing why they were in place was relieving much as I disagree with the time frame in which they were placed.

/ramble