[News] How has the year of lockdowns affected you ?

[Tokyohands]

We've not had an enforced lockdown over here and I'm very grateful for that. I've been going to the office daily all along so no income problems, socially there was a few very quiet months but I tend to go out for beers once a week again now. I think it has brought us closer as a family here, we had a great summer holiday visiting places around Tokyo prefecture but we really do enjoy spending the time together even if we are having a quiet time at home.

One way I dealt with the initial uncertainty/anxiety when the virus was first spreading and not really understood, was to throw myself into a big new personal project and that is going really well, it acted as a great distraction when I needed to put my mind on other things and will keep me occupied for another 9 months when it's completed.

All-in-all, I wouldn't really want to be anywhere else given the circumstances, I just miss being able to see family back in the UK.

 

[Yoda]

Working in IT Support in the NHS has been immeasurably busier and working from home only compounds that as you do not have the direct support of colleagues/engineers on hand as you would in the office. Especially when you have a user on the end of the phone needing an issue urgently resolved otherwise clinics etc will have to be cancelled.

Health has deteriorated too as not been getting out the house anywhere near as much as I used too. 2 inches gained, back pain worse (to where I struggle to walk more than about 200m before it's seized up) and probably vitamin d deficient (although on our last click & collect I went and got some supplements for that). Was never this bad before covid where I would sometimes walk the 3 miles home rather than catch the train.

 

[Madafwo]

The pandemic has been weird for me to say the least. Work hasn't changed for me massively as I work on the railway but that is going to have to change in the future which leads to massive amounts of anxiety.

It's my mental health that's taken the biggest hit, no doubt that of my wife as well. I've suffered various mental health problems for years and the last 9 months have been some of the worst I've experienced as there just doesn't seem to be an escape from it and as such I've been stress eating a lot, put on nearly 2 stone since the start of it all and quite frankly I don't care which isn't the attitude to have when your wife and 2 young kids are relying on you.

My family have seen my 9 month old daughter maybe 3 times since she was born, the same with my wife's family who live in Manchester, my wife hasn't been out socially in over a year so I'm pretty much her only support network and I'm fecking useless to be honest.

Financially I'm doing OK though for the time being, even that feels wrong to say because so many people aren't.

Can't wait for the vaccine roll out to begin, for my parents to be safe from this and be able to go and see them and have them hold their grandchildren, have my wife be allowed to see her family whenever she likes, be back at the Amex with 30,000 like minded individuals and not worrying about anything else for those 90 minutes.

 

[Mental Lental]

We've not had an enforced lockdown over here and I'm very grateful for that. I've been going to the office daily all along so no income problems, socially there was a few very quiet months but I tend to go out for beers once a week again now. I think it has brought us closer as a family here, we had a great summer holiday visiting places around Tokyo prefecture but we really do enjoy spending the time together even if we are having a quiet time at home.

One way I dealt with the initial uncertainty/anxiety when the virus was first spreading and not really understood, was to throw myself into a big new personal project and that is going really well, it acted as a great distraction when I needed to put my mind on other things and will keep me occupied for another 9 months when it's completed.

All-in-all, I wouldn't really want to be anywhere else given the circumstances, I just miss being able to see family back in the UK.

Japan for me has been a pretty good place to ride this out. Despite the population density they appear (if the official numbers are to be believed) to just about have a lid on it without needing forced lockdowns and such. I see all the shit going on in America and am thankful that there isn't the political divide here. I mean ok, they dutifully go the polls and vote the same party in every 5 years but at least there's isn't anything as fundamentally stupid as making a political issue out of wearing masks and having social health care in the middle of the biggest pandemic of our time.

I have a son nearly a year old now who still hasn't met his Grandma, but other than that can't really complain.

 

[Chicken Run]

How has the year of lockdowns affected you ?

On a personal, business,relationship, health basis ?

My business is trotting along 50% of normal. Could be worse and bunged a few quid from Rushi

How are you getting on ?

First lockdown week on week my earnings were 75% down, I’m celebrating the fact that the second lockdown has only see me lose 50% of my earnings.

I haven’t had any government support like you though.

 

[Tokyohands]

Japan for me has been a pretty good place to ride this out. Despite the population density they appear (if the official numbers are to be believed) to just about have a lid on it without needing forced lockdowns and such. I see all the shit going on in America and am thankful that there isn't the political divide here. I mean ok, they dutifully go the polls and vote the same party in every 5 years but at least there's isn't anything as fundamentally stupid as making a political issue out of wearing masks and having social health care in the middle of the biggest pandemic of our time.

I have a son nearly a year old now who still hasn't met his Grandma, but other than that can't really complain.

Good luck to you mate. I imagine its toughest for your mum not being able to meet the little one, hopefully you'll be able to put that right sometime next year. If you find yourself heading into Tokyo at some point give me a shout if you fancy a beer!

 

[Mental Lental]

Good luck to you mate. I imagine its toughest for your mum not being able to meet the little one, hopefully you'll be able to put that right sometime next year. If you find yourself heading into Tokyo at some point give me a shout if you fancy a beer!

I've been drinking in Tachikawa (have a friend who opened a micro-brewery there) and Omiya (near where I work). Still staying out of central Tokes while the numbers are as they are. Hoping for a vaccine rollout before the summer hols next year. Signs are looking good.

 

[Recidivist]

I think it has made me realise how, at best, dickish and self centred some people are and, at worst, how down-right evil some others are. All in all a pretty depressing year.
Obviously some are nice but seemingly in a shrinking minority these days. We really are ****ed as a species and society really.

Bit harsh on your fellow man (and woman)?

Yes, there are plenty of dickheads around but the media tend to concentrate on them for obvious reasons so I think it’s too easy to get a skewed view.

In my area (Worthing) most people are still making a big effort to obey the rules although I think lockdown weariness is setting in and the government’s chopping and changing the rules every five minutes doesn’t help.

May not be typical due to local demographics but COVID doesn’t require much “encouragement” to spread rapidly unfortunately hence the level of infections in other areas.......


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Tokyohands]

I've been drinking in Tachikawa (have a friend who opened a micro-brewery there) and Omiya (near where I work). Still staying out of central Tokes while the numbers are as they are. Hoping for a vaccine rollout before the summer hols next year. Signs are looking good.

I work centrally but live in Suginami-ku on the chuo, I mostly drink around my neighbourhood these days unless it's a work thing, which are few and far between now. It's great having all these new neighbourhood micro-brew places isn't it, that's the main reason I stay local.

 

[Springal]

Been a funny old year. On the whole personally held up ok. I’ve always worked from home but with London visits a couple of times a week and have missed those. But worked throughout.

Summer weather was decent and motivated me to finish off the garden and made the most of the space and even squeezed in a U.K. holiday for first time in years which was nice.

Downsides were seeing some family members living alone really struggle, they’ve had some personal relationships end, my dad lost his job in the aviation industry 2 years out from retirement which he’s had from school which was tough.

Certainly puts a lot in perspective, I’m normally fairly social and go to a few gigs / club nights fairly regularly and I’ve really missed that. As such I found friendships have strained with those I go with. Was really hoping the restrictions this time would ease so at least we could get some things sorted in December but that’s gone out the window which is really disappointing and now fear I could go to 12 months with only seeing some good friends a couple of times in the last 12 months which is odd

 

[Weststander]

Should people feel grateful for the freedoms the government allows ?

No. It’s not about politics or to borrow an expression from the Alt Right “Big government”.

Just once this is over, individuals appreciating all the things they missed.

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

It’s been bloody hard to be quite honest. When we first went into lockdown I foolishly thought it would all be over within a couple of weeks. When the full terms and length of lockdown were revealed I was very concerned, being housebound with a 2yr old terrified me, don’t get me wrong I love my son more than anything in the world but the mental exhaustion pushed me to the brink.
My partner works in education so her job was safe and she merrily went back to work leaving me struggling like crazy at home, the relief when his nursery reopened was unbelievable.
Two of my dearest friends suddenly lost their mothers during lockdown, not being able to visit them was awful, watching funeral services through a grainy cctv feed was heartbreaking.
My own mother has been struggling, she lives alone and not local to myself or my brother, she’s terrified of COVID and has been housebound pretty much the whole time, she feels like she’s become an agoraphobic.
My partner’s mother has been diagnosed with cancer and has since started chemotherapy, my partner has managed 1 socially distanced meet in Sherwood Forest and an afternoon sat in her parent’s garden.

I was made redundant in October.

From a purely selfish point of view it’s been an extremely challenging time, my relationship with my partner has been under immense strain and I’ve become a complete shell of myself, wracked with anxiety, lacking any confidence and utterly neurotic.

I have a job interview today, it will be huge for myself and my family if I’m successful.

Fingers crossed the tide will start to turn soon.

 

[wellquickwoody]

Not going to lie, at the start of it I almost found it as exciting as frightening. Most cataclysmic thing since 9/11.

Now I'm pretty tired of it. It has ruined a lot of my social life, my income and my lifestyle in general. I want to party all the time, club all night, sleep with loads of young women, share joints with strangers in parks... I'm not a Netflix guy and I'm not a family guy, I need randomness and this year I couldnt have it nearly as much as I'm used to.

Its not nearly as frightening as in the beginning when it seemed like one in ten getting the virus would die and it is very much not exciting anymore. Just dull and killing a year of my life that was supposed to be pretty important and interesting.

Wow. Possibly the most selfish post that I have ever read.

 

[Silverhatch]

It’s first world probl... Oh?

Awful for my (young adult) kids.
Wife’s dad died from Covid
Spontaneity curtailed (the hardest thing for me)
Albion survived and appear to have thrived (style/Lamptey wise)
Did for Trump
Will exacerbate Brexit effects and independence of all home nations (much more likely)

 

[Fignon's Ponytail]

It’s been bloody hard to be quite honest. When we first went into lockdown I foolishly thought it would all be over within a couple of weeks. When the full terms and length of lockdown were revealed I was very concerned, being housebound with a 2yr old terrified me, don’t get me wrong I love my son more than anything in the world but the mental exhaustion pushed me to the brink.
My partner works in education so her job was safe and she merrily went back to work leaving me struggling like crazy at home, the relief when his nursery reopened was unbelievable.
Two of my dearest friends suddenly lost their mothers during lockdown, not being able to visit them was awful, watching funeral services through a grainy cctv feed was heartbreaking.
My own mother has been struggling, she lives alone and not local to myself or my brother, she’s terrified of COVID and has been housebound pretty much the whole time, she feels like she’s become an agoraphobic.
My partner’s mother has been diagnosed with cancer and has since started chemotherapy, my partner has managed 1 socially distanced meet in Sherwood Forest and an afternoon sat in her parent’s garden.

I was made redundant in October.

From a purely selfish point of view it’s been an extremely challenging time, my relationship with my partner has been under immense strain and I’ve become a complete shell of myself, wracked with anxiety, lacking any confidence and utterly neurotic.

I have a job interview today, it will be huge for myself and my family if I’m successful.

Fingers crossed the tide will start to turn soon.

Good luck with the interview today buddy...hopefully it will be the start of an upward trajectory for you, and 2021 will be a lot better for all the family.

 

[A1X]

I've worked from home throughout and haven't had anyone in my family or immediate friendship group get it (or at least get it seriously), so I feel incredibly lucky on that front. It was tough in the first lockdown as someone who lives on their own not being able to see anyone (and not having a network of people in my current location having only moved here back end of last year), but since the "social bubbles" were introduced and I've been able to see my parents through that I've felt a lot better. TBH I've always been a bit of a loner so I've not suffered too much on that front. The only awful moment was losing my grandmother (and last surviving grandparent) relatively suddenly back in September, albeit not related to Covid.

There's loads of things I took for granted for hobbies and interests which I've missed, but I'd like to think when this is all over it'll make me appreciate them more.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

It’s been bloody hard to be quite honest. When we first went into lockdown I foolishly thought it would all be over within a couple of weeks. When the full terms and length of lockdown were revealed I was very concerned, being housebound with a 2yr old terrified me, don’t get me wrong I love my son more than anything in the world but the mental exhaustion pushed me to the brink.
My partner works in education so her job was safe and she merrily went back to work leaving me struggling like crazy at home, the relief when his nursery reopened was unbelievable.
Two of my dearest friends suddenly lost their mothers during lockdown, not being able to visit them was awful, watching funeral services through a grainy cctv feed was heartbreaking.
My own mother has been struggling, she lives alone and not local to myself or my brother, she’s terrified of COVID and has been housebound pretty much the whole time, she feels like she’s become an agoraphobic.
My partner’s mother has been diagnosed with cancer and has since started chemotherapy, my partner has managed 1 socially distanced meet in Sherwood Forest and an afternoon sat in her parent’s garden.

I was made redundant in October.

From a purely selfish point of view it’s been an extremely challenging time, my relationship with my partner has been under immense strain and I’ve become a complete shell of myself, wracked with anxiety, lacking any confidence and utterly neurotic.

I have a job interview today, it will be huge for myself and my family if I’m successful.

Fingers crossed the tide will start to turn soon.

Good luck with the interview!

 

[sydney]

It’s been bloody hard to be quite honest. When we first went into lockdown I foolishly thought it would all be over within a couple of weeks. When the full terms and length of lockdown were revealed I was very concerned, being housebound with a 2yr old terrified me, don’t get me wrong I love my son more than anything in the world but the mental exhaustion pushed me to the brink.
My partner works in education so her job was safe and she merrily went back to work leaving me struggling like crazy at home, the relief when his nursery reopened was unbelievable.
Two of my dearest friends suddenly lost their mothers during lockdown, not being able to visit them was awful, watching funeral services through a grainy cctv feed was heartbreaking.
My own mother has been struggling, she lives alone and not local to myself or my brother, she’s terrified of COVID and has been housebound pretty much the whole time, she feels like she’s become an agoraphobic.
My partner’s mother has been diagnosed with cancer and has since started chemotherapy, my partner has managed 1 socially distanced meet in Sherwood Forest and an afternoon sat in her parent’s garden.

I was made redundant in October.

From a purely selfish point of view it’s been an extremely challenging time, my relationship with my partner has been under immense strain and I’ve become a complete shell of myself, wracked with anxiety, lacking any confidence and utterly neurotic.

I have a job interview today, it will be huge for myself and my family if I’m successful.

Fingers crossed the tide will start to turn soon.

sorry to hear it's hit you hard mate , keep your chin up if you can and remember it's not down to you , this crisis has ruined millions worldwide but it's no ones fault , it's here for the time being and we just have to get through it , good luck with the interview and good luck getting back on track with your partner...x

 

[Fignon's Ponytail]

Weve been incredibly lucky tbh compared to some others.

My wife runs the Radiopharmacy dept at RSCH, so has been working normal hours non-stop. I work in the print packaging trade and thankfully we were deemed an essential service as we supply the medical trade. Our week was cut from 5 to 4 days until May, & sent home when quiet, but I have been on full pay throughout. Been back to normal hours since June & weve subsequently had the busiest Summer / Autumn in the 30 year history of the company. When I wasn't in at work I was getting out on the bike - nice quiet roads, the weather was good, and I've managed over 3000 miles to date this year.

My two boys struggled a bit not being able to get out with mates for a while, but thanks to Xbox etc they were at least able to keep in touch and talk with them while playing online. My youngest was frustrated his cricket season was delayed, but that soon got going and he crammed in more games than ever for Lewes Priory. Unfortunately no County games were put on, but he had regular Zoom meetings with the coaches - and S&C sessions to keep himself fit. My eldest son worked a lot of hours down at McD's in the marina, but his biggest struggle has been learning remotely for college since September. He really cant get motivated for it as he prefers physically being there, and found himself falling behind but, after talks with college, weve got him back on the right path thankfully.

Weve also been able to continue to see our elderly parents (who've also managed to stay healthy & active) at a distance etc. at various times through the year as they are local - & stayed in regular contact with them when we arent allowed to visit them.

As I said - weve had it so easy compared to others, & are incredibly thankful for being able to continue life pretty much as normal.

 

[HastingsSeagull]

Cancelled my wedding twice, fingers crossed for next year. Delayed having kids (hopefully) as a result. Stopped the legal formation of my business by a year so far and counting resulting in near zero income as face to face, sports related.

Doing OK but would rather like 2021 to be back to some sort of semblance of normality. Plus will mean can get back to Sussex for a visit and hopefully a couple of live games