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How does COVID-19 impact your life?


Tine

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  • Moderator
Posted

I am with my family, and we have a garden. We are short on toilet paper, and there's no flour, milk, nor pasta in the supermarkets. We can work from home and so far our salaries are not affected too much. Every day when I check the news, I feel so much gratitude for the privileged situation we are in.

Nevertheless, I do feel anxiety creeping in now and then. Then it sits with me like a bad taste. I am worried about my parents who live several hours away by themselves, and I won't be able to see them any time soon. And I am concerned about all the people out there who are affected directly and harshly by the virus. I donate money, order from little shops and participate in online events of all sorts, but I also do get overwhelmed.

  • Moderator
Posted

I am with my family as well, we have been in Lockdown in Spain for three weeks and weirdly enough, after this time it feels almost normal. We can go outside to walk the dog or to go to the shop. I am very glad that none of the family members has the urge to meet friends, so there are little to none issues with missing others. What I do miss is going outside as a family, stroll through nature and just spend time outside the house.

Mentally I have had different states. At first I was quite overwhelmed and needed to consume all the news which are out there. I almost became obsessed about new information. Then I felt, it's no good for me and I just checked the news once a day. I still have these overwhelming moments that  @Tine also knows, but it has lessened. I feel very worried and moved by the force how COVID-19 stroke the country I live in and I'm worried about the neighbours and their families. Also about my own extended family, but not as much as in the beginning - I am in contact with them every day.

What I found interesting, is that I have found some aspects of this situation, that seem to suit my family. We often have the urge to not participate in all kinds of social events, but in the end we "jump over our shadow" (I don't know how to say that in english) and we go out. So what we notice now is that a lot of this pressure of "we have to meet/invite/go" has gone and how good that feels for us. I am not sure on how to perceed with that, because I'm afraid it would set many people off after life has gone back to normal. Just funny how we are known as a very social family and personally feel so different from the inside and would really enjoy this "social freedom" if it wouldn't be for these sad and serious reasons.

Can someone relate to this or do you maybe feel the opposite? I'd like to hear your thoughts on that.

 

  • 3 months later...
  • Moderator
Posted

The situation definitely both new and challenging. I can definitely relate to your thoughts on germs; I really think about it a lot more too and am more aware of what I've touched since I last washed my hands.
I don't have kids, but I think it's important to be honest and communicate what's going on because they will hear about it and pick up on stuff anyway. So better to have a conversation about it at a level they can fully comprehend appropriate for their age of course.

  • 2 months later...
  • 4 weeks later...
  • Members
Posted

6 of one, half-a-dozen of the other. I know I am luckier than most people in this situation. Since I am disabled/retired staying home watching TV or being on the computer is pretty normal for me, so I don't feel as cooped up as many people do, nor am I really missing out on much. i hated the library being closed, but it's open now, no contact pickups & stuff. I got a bonus $400 on my July GST rebate check & my disability has been bumped by $300 a month, that was just extended until December. So financially I am actually doing really well, which is kinda weird.

The downside is my husband lived 10 miles away, on the other side of the closed border?? I had to come back when the border closed in March. They made an exemption for family in June,  so my husband has been able to visit me 3 times now, which has been awesome. I really don't mind the 14 day quarantine. But I miss being able to visit him there & I definitely miss being able to shop in Bellingham??

We took some pictures when he was here in early October, here's a Christmas card that I designed:

Robert_&_Michaelann_Disney_frame-08 (VIPtalisman).jpg

  • 4 weeks later...
  • Members
Posted

It seems to me that a lot depends on the country of residence. People have different mentality. It so happened that my job involved frequent business trips to Canada. I am used to living in two countries and I feel the difference between them. A lot of small businesses were closed this spring. People could not pay for loans and rent without an influx of clients. This was especially noticeable in the restaurant business. Quite a lot of ordinary people work here. However, in general, there was less panic than in the United States. City officials provided assistance to those who lost their jobs. Landlords did not immediately reduce the rent for commercial buildings (offices, cafes, shops). Everything came into relative balance. If you look at the streets of Toronto now, you can see the new franchise. This means that people are tired of being afraid despite the fact that we are experiencing the second wave of covid. I believe that we will all return to normal life next year.

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