Forums >Off the Beaten Path>Anxious
Has anyone been anxious recently because of COVID and such? How has this affected your mental health?
Not constant, but acute anxiety when some idiot is coughing and sneezing without a face covering and decides to come right up next to me in a store. I'm not very worried about catching it (again), but I'm worried about spreading it.
I'm a bit introverted, so I don't like crowds and have a large personal space, so I've been doing safe practices most of my life. People coming up and standing within arm's length of me even BEFORE CV19 ticked me off. My pre-pandemic lifestyle is perfectly suited for the pandemic: I go to stores when they aren't busy, I work alone, rarely go to restaurants (once a month MAYBE), don't go to concerts unless I'm playing or working backstage, never attend religious ritual gatherings of fealty (church), only go to small parties with friends ("you can put your keys in that bowl by the door" 🤣), never go to sportsgames, and always go for runs alone. I didn't have to change much to accommodate safe guidelines, just wear a face covering in some places.
I feel bad for the mental health of extroverts that NEED to be in crowds and to see and be seen constantly. This must be really hard for them, as hard as it would be for me to have to be in close proximity to people all day.
60-64 age group - University of Oregon alumni - Irreverent and Annoying
Roads Scholar
That discussion of introverts and extroverts compels me to jump in.
As an engineer, this whole social distancing thing was a piece of cake. We are early adopters. I'm happiest hiding in a corner with an oscilloscope.
- An introvert engineer looks at his shoes when he talks to you.
- An extrovert engineer looks at YOUR shoes when he talks to you.
Once I got the vaccine my lingering anxiety just evaporated. I must admit though this delta variant has me beginning to pay more attention to my surroundings. I may start being more careful about shopping again.
ETA: I don't think they allow engineers at parties where keys are put in a bowl.
I strive towards laconic wit, my wife says I'm halfway there.
arunnerd.blogspot.com
rectumdamnnearkilledem
That discussion of introverts and extroverts compels me to jump in. As an engineer, this whole social distancing thing was a piece of cake. We are early adopters. I'm happiest hiding in a corner with an oscilloscope.
My household of 3 includes my mechanical engineer DH and autistic 20 year old son. The kid on the spectrum is the least introverted of the 3 of us. The biggest change to our existence is no movies in the theater. Our 65" Woot special Vizio TV was failing, so we took the opportunity to upgrade to a much nicer quality 85" Sony (which looks completely ridiculous in our relatively small living room, but we love it). We pretty much have no reason to leave the house, now.
For the first year after the initial "lockdown" I took Cymbalta. It really helped...until around the 9 month mark it started triggering my asthma and giving me near-constant tinnitus -- things that served to make me more anxious. So I weaned-off of it. But in the relative short term it was super helpful to pull me off of the wall.
Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to
remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.
~ Sarah Kay
This is how it went for me and my family and some of my good friends. I understand it's not the same for everyone.
TL;DR: I'm a first responder and I was around it. Last December I got it. I'm fine with no lingering effects. I know others that have had it with no effects. It's not a virus that gives me pause. It's our reaction to it.
I'm a firefighter/paramedic in one of the largest cities and metros in the US. I sometimes ride as the EMS/Medic supervisor for the 24 hour shift. I've had to do countless Covid tests on members of our department, some of which came back positive.
I wasn't worried. I relied on the fact that I was healthy, and statistics. Math is objective and it says that the mortality rate for this disease is low. It also says that the majority of fatalities are elderly and high-risk groups. While I took necessary precautions, I didn't let it get to me. -- I don't say that to start an argument, that was just the logic I applied to the situation, since I couldn't get out of doing my job as a first responder.
I still feel less safe responding to a car wreck on a busy freeway with distracted drivers. "I stand a better chance of ending up like Wile E. Coyote than dying of C19", I told myself. During 2020 I flew several times, traveled to other states for races, and never felt unsafe, never caught it, and none of those events were outbreak events.
My wife homeschools our kids, and they are rarely sick... maybe it's all of our farm animals LOL. So during 2020 for us it was business as usual. Plus she and I are both introverted.
My father in law is 80, has bronchitis, asthma, and kidney problems. He tested positive after 4 days of being symptomatic. He survived.
My mentor at work is 70, obese, and had a history of heart problems. He and his wife got it and survived.
About 200 firefighters I worked with, some in my station got it and survived with no lingering effects.
I got it in December, at the same time my step-grandmother and aunt did, because we were all together after my grandfather died (of unrelated causes). My biggest symptom was fatigue. I had it about 10 days. I did not get medical treatment. I just took some immune-boosting supplements, avoided sugar, and rested. 2 weeks after Day 1, I ran 2 miles.. slow and tired, but I did it.
What makes me anxious: Civil discussion about Covid between two disagreeing parties devolves into personal insults and attacks. I saw a meme that said, "I think now we see who the people are who would hide Anne Frank's family, or turn them over to the Nazis." And now social media sites (who almost all fall on one side of the political pendulum) are censoring anything they deem "disinformation." People are being pressured to make health choices they don't feel safe about.... From where I've been standing, it's all unwarranted.
Another friend story: My race buddy ran ultras & 100 milers. He got Covid, with mild symptoms. He went back to work. Even though he had the antibodies, his employer pressured him into taking the vaccine. Even though he didn't need it himself. Even though the vaccine reintroduced an increased viral load. Now he has myocarditis and can't run more than a few miles without being totally gassed. He's concerned he'll never be able to race again. All for unsound fear on the part of his employer (who's not in the medical field).
I understand some of you will disagree with me. That's fine. Please:1) Be civil and discuss the issue. 2) Don't read into, or interpret more than what I've said here. That happens a lot on this forum, sadly.We control little of what happens to us, but have complete control of how we respond to it.
an amazing likeness
Here are some ideas for helping you manage symptoms of anxiety. Feel free to add to the list, or let us know what works for you... Mindfulness – Grounding exercises: noticing your environment, bodily sensations, and breath Progressive Muscle Relaxation – Creating a Tension and Release effect with all the muscles in the body Opposite Actions – By listening to calming music, taking a walk, talking, enjoying sunshine Safe Place Mental Imagery – Visualising a place where you can go in your mind to feel safe Calming Affirmations – To help recognise that the moment of panic will pass Exercise – A valuable way to exhaust excess adrenalin built up in the body
Here are some ideas for helping you manage symptoms of anxiety. Feel free to add to the list, or let us know what works for you...
Mindfulness – Grounding exercises: noticing your environment, bodily sensations, and breath
Progressive Muscle Relaxation – Creating a Tension and Release effect with all the muscles in the body
Opposite Actions – By listening to calming music, taking a walk, talking, enjoying sunshine
Safe Place Mental Imagery – Visualising a place where you can go in your mind to feel safe
Calming Affirmations – To help recognise that the moment of panic will pass
Exercise – A valuable way to exhaust excess adrenalin built up in the body
...the vaccine reintroduced an increased viral load...
hmmm...
Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.
His paraphrase from his Dr. At any rate, it reintroduced something into his system that he didn't need to have in the first place.
Good advice on your response. Those are helpful.
I came across this article that says restrictions on travel, physical activity, and mass gatherings because of COVID19 pandemic have had major implications for athletes and players, with restrictions of access to training venues, cancellation of events, and loss of earnings. These implications can have commensurate psychological consequences, which is a lot to think about.
Yeah, sucks to be an Olympian this year! I wonder how many sexy international hookups happened in the Village despite all the quarantining and separations?!
The cardboard beds totally prevented sexy international hookups.
People still have sex in beds? How primitive!
Feeling the growl again
We're over COVID. We were pretty studious in 2020 but got our vaccinations when they were available. Given our age and health, we have no reason to be fearful of breakthrough infections. Sniffles. Frankly I'm not convinced it hasn't already been through the family despite negative tests.
Too much fear being pumped into the system. Get vaccinated and carry on with life. Nothing is zero risk and I hate to tell you but positive tests are not going to go to zero.
"If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does. There's your pep talk for today. Go Run." -- Slo_Hand
I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills
That discussion of introverts and extroverts compels me to jump in. As an engineer, this whole social distancing thing was a piece of cake. We are early adopters. I'm happiest hiding in a corner with an oscilloscope. - An introvert engineer looks at his shoes when he talks to you. - An extrovert engineer looks at YOUR shoes when he talks to you. Once I got the vaccine my lingering anxiety just evaporated. I must admit though this delta variant has me beginning to pay more attention to my surroundings. I may start being more careful about shopping again. ETA: I don't think they allow engineers at parties where keys are put in a bowl.
Totally relatable. I miss the job being in person, how about you?
We're over COVID. We were pretty studious in 2020 but got our vaccinations when they were available. Given our age and health, we have no reason to be fearful of breakthrough infections. Sniffles. Frankly I'm not convinced it hasn't already been through the family despite negative tests. Too much fear being pumped into the system. Get vaccinated and carry on with life. Nothing is zero risk and I hate to tell you but positive tests are not going to go to zero.
I agree with you however, we still need to be careful don't you think?
It's 2022 but COVID is still here... Ever since the outbreak of COVID-19, anxiety levels have been skyrocketing. People are worried about their health, their loved ones, their jobs, and the state of the world. The constant news coverage and social media posts aren't helping either. It's easy to get caught up in the fear and start feeling like there's no way out. However, it's important to remember that this is a temporary situation. We will get through this and emerge stronger than ever before. In the meantime, try to focus on the things that make you happy and take things one day at a time.