boltnrun

Agree. I have seen the most fantastical stuff being passed around on both sides. Someone said the virus can travel 27 feet from one person to another. Others say it's a hoax resulting from a collaboration between the House Speaker and Chinese government (not sure how they got all the other countries on board, but whatever). I still think (and I am no medical professional ) that the easiest way to become infected is to come in direct contact with an infected person. I still am disinfecting everything but I feel it's unlikely I will get it from touching a can of soup I bought at the grocery store or stepping in it outside. Getting ready to go move my car closer hopefully. Mask and gloves at the ready!

If I lived in a remote area where I only encountered one or two people who I knew well I probably wouldn't worry as much. But I live in a large city where I have to grocery shop and work in a building where I am close to 150 other people. My company is approaching 1000 cases and has had 6 deaths. So yeah, I do "stress" about it.

I have a sensitivity to alcohol so all the hand sanitizer has been affecting my skin. The skin on the backs of my hands is red, scaly and itches/burns. Last night it actually woke me from a sound sleep. I put some of my eczema cream on it. It helped with the itching/burning but not sure if it's the appropriate treatment and my aloe vera gel is packed away somewhere. I used a lot of sanitizer during my move but now I have full access to soap and water so I'll do that.

Thank you everyone! Woke up with anxiety (not surprising) but I now expect it so it's less debilitating. Got 5 hours of sleep which is way more than I've had in weeks. Unpacking/disinfecting day today! My son has my cat so I need to have everything cleaned and disinfected before I go pick her up. I miss my silly little kitty.

So since I have been whining so much I wanted to report I am feeling better. I am about 90% moved out of my old home and living in my new apartment. Did 3-300 mile trips in 3 days. I was super anxious this morning before I started but now that I am here things seem calmer. I have a carload of my belongings to unload (too tired to do it tonight) plus unpacking what's already inside. But everything has been sitting since Wednesday so I feel OK about unpacking them tomorrow. Only thing bugging me right now? My downstairs neighbor coughs almost constantly and the neighbor in the building next door sneezes a lot and my windows are partway open and I can't get to them because they are blocked by boxes and furniture. But I don't think the virus can float through ceilings or fly 10 feet upward. Anyway, hoping for a really good night's sleep.

@seraphim, no, I don't want to go to a crowded hospital with sick people. That would really send me into a tailspin. I feel a bit better today. My friend was and is a tremendous help. She is an angel on earth. I have wondered too about the virus being infectious on surfaces. So someone with the virus sneezes on a plastic item or on a cardboard box and 2 days later someone comes along and picks it up and gets the virus? It doesn't seem right that it can be just as infectious days later. But I accepted what the medicAL professionals and scientists were saying. I really don't know what to believe.

Well, I got 3 hours despite being physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted. Panic attacks have begun with racing heart. I am doing a counting breathing thing to calm myself down. Still have a lot to deal with. Trying to unpack my belongings that were handled, set down in the street and on the sidewalk, the men walking in and out of my apartment with their dirty shoes. My friend and I are doing the "shoes here, no shoes here, shoes here again" thing. How do you unpack when you're afraid to touch your own belongings? I know, touch, wash hands, hand sanitize, wipe down...it's exhausting to be afraid all the time. I hope soon I will stop being fearful of my own home.

Thank you reinvent! That was wonderful. I am here, the move was horrible and stressful and I lost my marbles a few times. My friend who came with me is a godsend. I would literally not have made it without her. More details later, I am exhausted and hoping to sleep.

I'm happy for you. I got two pieced together hours and hope I will not be a danger to anyone on the road.

Two hours of sleep. Today is going to be difficult and hopefully not dangerous. I wonder when things are going to get better.

I got tested last week. The result was "Covid 19 not detected " which is great, but every time I leave home I fear getting exposed. My employer is possibly going to have us tested. So many people are mad about it! They say it's a violation of their privacy. I want to be tested! Every week if possible! BTW the test I had was a throat scraping.

Last official night in my home, not counting the one night I'll be here to get my car. My poor cat is so confused, although I am a frequent mover. I think this is her 9th move with me! Poor kitty. I hope I can sleep. I need to drive the moving truck almost 300 miles.

Thanks ladies! It made me so angry to see those people with zero regard for others' safety, particular the shop's manager. He had no mask and was getting right up close to both customers and his employees. The lady coughing could have stepped outside, but no, she chose to share her saliva with everyone in the waiting area. And the guy who changed out the bathroom trash bag and didn't even change his gloves, then went right back to using the computer and was handing people their paperwork! Just gross. If it wasn't so windy (25 mph sustained, 35 mpg gusts) I would have just waited outside. But my car needed to be looked at, I always have the oil changed and the tires and fluids checked before I have to drive alone across the desert. I'm trying to get as much packed as possible today. I really don't want to have to make more than one trip back here since it's close to 600 miles round trip.

I gotta drive a moving truck tomorrow. If I don't get enough sleep that is going to be dangerous. I did decide NOT to tow my car because I thought it would be a bad idea what with my anxiety and insomnia. Car can wait here.

Got any wipes? I did bring a bottle of Fantastik disinfecting spray and some paper towels and also the can of air cleaner (not sure if it's disinfecting so I'm assuming it's not) so I wiped some things down like the steering wheel, ignition, door handles and gear shift. He left the plastic in the car that was supposed to protect the seat and floor but it was all bunched up. Luckily bathroom-trash-don't-change-gloves guy didn't check me out. I RAN to the other guy and asked him to check me out. When I got home I opened the car windows, sprayed Fantastik again on the seats and floor (forgot the dash, darn it). My car is sitting until tomorrow morning so it should be aired out by then. Gas tank is on fumes, I forgot I had to drive it in the morning to pick up the rental truck. I guess I'll be getting up at 5:30 am instead of 6 am :( to go buy gas. I realized I will not have everything packed up by tomorrow morning. I am coming back Friday to get my car and I will pack whatever I can, then the rest is just going to have to be donated. I own a ridiculous amount of stuff. It's really stupid how much stuff I have. Ugh...then once I'm moved I have to go to work in a location that has had at least 3 cases and one death. Not sure that's going to lessen my anxiety!

I can see why this virus is spreading so easily. I am getting the oil changed in my car. One woman coughing, no mask. Worker changes the bathroom trash and doesn't change his gloves before handling paperwork or using the computer. Manager not wearing mask or gloves.Guy working on the cars getting into them with no mask or gloves. I am petrified.

His mask would protect others from him in the event he's a carrier. Since that's not a possibility he should be OK without one. Hopefully the others in the store will wear them OR will be diligent about social distancing. Will he wear gloves? He most likely will be fine.

I feel you. I only slept from about 1:15 am until about 5:30 am.

Insomnia. Sigh.

If it starts to become long term, can you consult your doctor?

So, it seems the anxiety spikes in the morning and stays high until late afternoon. I don't know if it's because of low blood sugar from not eating while sleeping or something else. I have always been a "night person". I am more productive and industrious in the evening. I got the moving helpers to confirm they will wear masks and gloves. The one in my new state said it's already their policy, but the one in my current state had to be asked. But they agreed. They will be loading the truck at 9 am so it's not like it will be excessively hot. I have extras if they don't bring their own! One of my kids is going to keep my cat for a couple of days. Such a relief! She can be there instead of closed up in the bathroom while the movers are working and I can disinfect without worrying about accidentally poisoning her. Two more days to pack up. I need to be at 85% before bed tonight. Then the last 15% tomorrow.

Had some Dinty Moore beef stew. It was good! So far today, had a glass of Ovaltine, a Pop Tart and a bowl of the stew. Going for seconds now. I realized something...the movers will be wearing gloves and masks and will only be handling my things, so I think I don't need to worry about their hands. Still need to disinfect the floor after they leave, but that's less than having to disinfect EVERYTHING. It makes me feel a bit better. Some perspective...I watch You Tube videos that a young man who lives in Queens, NYC posts. He was riding his bike down 5th Avenue and recorded several homeless people. I saw one of them digging through the trash, presumably looking for food. It's got to be real desperation and hunger that would motivate someone to dig through trash during a pandemic. That really gave me a slap in the face. Like, yeah, I am anxious and fearful and I think it's OK to feel that way but I am not even close to dealing with what that poor man is facing. I am actually a lot luckier than many others. That doesn't mean my anxiety and fear disappeared because it didn't, but it did give me a different viewpoint. I donated to World Central Kitchen and Three Square Food Bank and gave a homeless man in my city $5. It's not going to save the world but maybe I helped a few people. Once I receive funds that should hit my bank Tuesday I will donate again.

I have about 2 1/2 bottles of disinfecting cleaner and I was able to buy paper towels yesterday. I can use those. I also have a spray that I am unsure if it actually disinfects air (doubtful) but I did buy one small and one larger HEPA air purifiers. Hand soap was low at Walmart but I have enough to last about a week to 10 days. I will make one more trip out tomorrow to try to find wipes and spray and hand soap and then I will have to give up until after my move. I am trying to come up with a plan to disinfect my floors for my cat. I'll keep her in the bathroom until the movers leave, then I have to disinfect the linoleum in the kitchen and back door area, then I have to pull up the plastic sheeting from the carpet before I let her out. I would hate for her to get sick! But she also can't get any disinfectant on her paws because she licks them. I would imagine she faces a bigger threat from the disinfectant than from the small possibility the movers will track the virus in on their shoes. I have plastic for my furniture so I will just peel that off and then wipe down everything that was possibly exposed. I'll probably be up quite late trying to get everything disinfected! Sore throat, congestion and headache are back. Spring time in the desert!

One project for today...I have 9 suitcases full of clothes. Yes, 9. And I still have some laundry to do. I actually considered buying another large suitcase to hold more clothing. No one needs that much clothing. No one. My new home has a tiny little closet, so paring down must happen. I did one paring down before I started packing and came up with only one small bag of things to donate. Nope, not good enough. I need to get it down to about 4-5 suitcases at most. That doesn't even include my shoes and coats/jackets. I have acquired way too much clothing. This must stop!!!

I don't expect to not be anxious. My original question has to do with the nature of anxiety, whether others have gone back and forth quickly between feeling OK and being extremely anxious within a few minutes. Didn't get much extra sleep although when I did fall back to sleep for a bit I dreamed about going to the store and not finding wipes. This entire time I have not found one container of wipes. Not one. Couldn't even find them online. And now I'm dreaming about them. Sigh.