Life during lockdown

Isolation whether because of where you live , the fact of living on your own and the inability to meet family and friends can be a real source of depression. The longer the shutdown continues the worse it will get and not having the equipment to communicate on line will only exacerbate these feelings. Taken together with the stress of getting food being able to afford it will raise anxiety levels even higher than they are now. Having a support network is critical to helping one get through this crisis.

 my husband and I are isolating because we are in our 70s whereas my husband is quite happy as his life has not really changed, I am extremely irritated and annoyed by having to stay indoors I miss visiting my family and just being able to go out where ever I want, I was also working 2days a week in a children’s nursery which is now closed. The whole thing has made me very very depressed which I have never suffered with before, no one is interested mainly because I am 70 and expected to just follow rules, I am sure I’m not the only one who feels like this, but because I am older with no underlying health issues I feel I don’t count, no one wants to know about mental health issues in the older person 

I am 79 and my wife is nearly 82 and so we are 'socially isolating' ourselves because catching Covid would quite likely be fatal for one or both of us. We have have had some limited success in finding grocery delivery shots at Morrisons, our best effort has meant a (limited) delivery every four weeks so far. Friends have been very kind by adding our 'top up' needs to their shopping and bringing it round to us. So that aspect is not bad. However not being able to go out to swim, take country walks, attend meetings or visit friends has been hard.  We are (were) very involved in local affairs - Neighborhood Watch, Ward Panel, Historical Association and my wife with her church and local friends - book club etc.  So being stuck in our very pleasant house and garden makes us realise how relatively well off we are. But this velvet prison is beginning to press on my mind, I just want to go for a long country walk or a good swim. People talk of an end to this but until the disease is eliminated there is no end.

I am 27.

Partner lives in Birmingham 100 miles away and I live in london, not allowed travel so cannot see them.

Family lives 30 miles away,  but since we are not allowed to travel I cannot see them.

My birthday this week going to spend in flat alone in London. I guess will use google duo.

I think partners who live apart should be allowed to visit each other if not showing any symptoms.

This is of course going to impact peoples mental health, and they are going to comfort eat, drink , etc.

I am doing fine. I have volunteer trustee responsibilities which are keeping me busy, plus catching up on jobs at home - gardening; sorting years of paperwork; cooking more as am out and about much less.

Also keep in touch with neighbours, family and friends; also community activities. Technology has helped a lot.

Things like Zoom are great for keeping in touch, so the support which could be provided is having affordable technology for people who are alone or isolated to keep in touch with others and support services.

I am 71, have coronary heart disease have had a quad bypass and am on life time meds,  and I can't  get registered for food delivery from sainsbury as I've not appeared on the vulnerable list. I try to go on the days 1 hr is reserved for over 70s but find more 45 -60 age group shopping, have had to change my shopping to another  store where I consider the quality is lower than what I am used to, also as it is online shopping I'm not getting all that i order due to out of stock.

I am getting really bored with the restrictive exercise I can do. The amount of exercise I get each day has halved as apart from walking round local parks there is nowhere else to go. I was due to start a new job at the beginning of April that involves training but due to the Covid-19 lockdown this has not happened.

I am 87, live alone, and find official advice confusing. Added to which it fails to materialise into anything practical when access is attempted.  Going round in circles getting nowhere, more exhausted and dispirited.

Local Council lists offers such as "Help getting a delivery slot with Sainsburys" but passes the buck to AgeUK when practical help requested. Age UK not able to help. All other possible major supermarket grocery deliveries prove oversubscribed or fail to respond to contact.

This crisis could not have come at a worse time for me. I lived with my sister but she sadly died late last year. I am 70 and was due to have a hip replacement in January so fostered my dog out until I would have recovered. The operation was cancelled and re scheduled for the end of March. in the mean time I was suffering from depression and grief due to my sisters death, I managed to get some counselling sessions  from the local hospice and visits from the elderly adult mental health team. These of course stopped with the lockdown. I managed to collect one order of food from the supermarket but there are now no order slots available. I am on 7 different tablets a day for various health problems but the prescription runs out this week so will have to see my doctor for a repeat one. Unless I can re stock with food, I will run out at the weekend. As I have no family left and no near friends it means a trip to a large supermarket with the associated health risks. I really need to start therapy sessions sooner rather than later as my depression is getting worse, but of course there is a long waiting list even without the crisis. Still I am not worried as my affairs are in order and I have my exit kit so will not be a burden to the Nhs if things get that bad. My sister's estate is still going through probate so perhaps the executor can do two at once and save time and money.

Boredom is a growing challenge, as there is no chance to meet up with friends and do things.

I agree with Riverside Sue that many of us septuagenarians are fit and healthy, often more so than much younger people.  The blanket rule regarding over-70s is simplistic and inappropriate.

Given the rules, we should obey them.  It is ridiculous that people have gone out for long drives - camping trips etc - and quite rightly they have been sent home.  Particularly the case I read of today when the driver was talking on the phone and had no licence and no insurance.  And we need to take precautions, particularly hand-washing and keeping one's distance.

The Government should be honest in the information it gives out.  The saga of the PPE kit arriving, or not arriving, from Turkey, is a disgrace.  In fact the Government's approach to the problem has in my view been lamentable.  Ministers need to LISTEN to the experts advising them and take their advice.  

Those who are under lockdown need to get out and take exercise provided they are fit to do so.  The lack of socialising is difficult for many people, though with telephones and computers we can communicate with others very easily, whereas a century ago it would have been very different.  I am fortunate in that I don't suffer from loneliness but those who do say it is terrible.  So lonely people need to make the effort to stay in touch with others.  Several organisations are running schemes whereby people can phone others who are at risk and offer friendship.  (Of course this happens all the time anyway to some extent).  What with TV, radio, books, DVDs etc. there is never any need for anyone to be bored.  Choose a subject and study it.  As long as one has food, warmth, shelter and fresh water one is luckier than much of the world's population.

WE MISS CLOSE CONTACT WITH FRIENDS BUT ARE VERY GLAD TO HAVE THE ADVANTAGE TO HAVE ZOOM.  WE USE THIS A LOT TO BE IN TOUCH WITH OUR FAMILY, CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN AND IT MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE TO OUR WHOLE SITUATION AND WELLBEING,

My mood has cycled through the following

- initial confidence that I will be fine through taking careful precautions and suffering few major risk factors

- shock and concern when lockdown started and we were told to start shielding

- anger with others locally who refused to stay indoors but instead were determined to exploit the lockdown loopholes to the maximum

- a desperate determination to read up everything and really understand the risks and possible outcome

- depression and frustration that we don't seem to be able to stop this and have little chance of a full return to 'normal' for years yet

- great concern for the probable outcome in other countries especially poorer ones

- determination to respond positively to all the social, economic and technological changes we will need to see as we get through this 

- back to the top and go through all these feelings again on a crazy emotional roller coaster and try to stay as stable as possible  . . . 

stay safe and keep well everybody

I feel totally BULLIED as a just-over 70 year old, fit healthy and active and I REFUSE to be locked behind doors especially when we hear that obese SMOKERS are hit by the virus at much younger ages than 70, yet the Govt is not talking about shutting such unhealthy younger people away. It is pure discrimination - the Govt MUST leave it to individual's own judgement about how to mix with their families and other people, however young or old they are. I run a big charity on a volunteer basis and I give full-time care to grandchild at least HALF of every week -- more than 20 hours and sometimes all week. It is OUTRAGEOUS that you are trying to force older mature active people to stay inside 100 per cent as if we were infirm and seriously ill. I WILL NOT BE LOCKED IN AND I WILL REFUSE ANY FINES and there are lots like me. I will not make my grandchild feel abandoned by not seeing her and I would rather live with constant fear and die younger than stay inside and live longer. WHAT WILL THE GOVT DO IF HUNDREDS/ THOUSANDS OF US REFUSE TO BE LOCKED IN, EH? And you need my high spending power to get businesses back to work. BAH

Boredom is the main challenge. My social life and activities have stopped

The thing that I find difficult about the outbreak is not having much to do during the day. I live on my own but do have family near me. What is not helping me is the fact that all the media keep banging on about is Coronavirus and how many people have died. It does not help people like me with Aspergers and other mental health problems. I realise that it is extremely serious in some cases. What I find really difficult is not being able to get deliveries from companies like Ocado or it taking a long time to get on their website. Some things like flour are really difficult to come by. There are also people who flout the rules such as not observing social distancing. 

I feel a little despondent. I was working up i the 20th March but all Agency staff were terminated on that date. 
 

It's a worry as I need to pay my bills so it's a constant worry. 

Please reopen tennis courts. 
it's ok to play tennis.  It's way more than social distancing.  
example. In Southwark, Weston street, closed for no reason.  
ps; I used to play with members of my own household. Reopen please.  Urgent.