Emotional support group Covid19

[Batya33]

After a lot of thought I emailed a former dear friend who went MIA on me a few years ago. No falling out -no clue about why she did this.I decided I'd be ok if I don't hear back (and truthfully I emailed her at her aol account -who knows if she still uses it -I use mine plus another one -but wanted her to recognize my aol) My reason for reaching out is her son is turning 18 this month and graduating high school and they live very close to a "hot spot". I have been loosely in touch with her husband more recently -I actually sort of met her through him -we were classmates in grad school -and I was in touch for purely professional reasons -we are "linkedin". She is not on facebook. I kept it professional with the husband with the typical "hope you and your family are well" - he couldn't have been nicer and tried to help with the referral I requested for a friend.

 

I decided I won't be hurt if I don't hear and this is such a milestone and such a bizarre time I thought I should reach out and acknowledge her son's accomplishments. I worked with her when she was pregnant with him and she gave birth ironically when my childhood friend gave birth to her son -same hospital despite having no other connection to each other. So I mentioned that so she knows why in particular I remember his birthday.

 

Yes of course I'd love to be back in touch -we were friends from 2000-2007 then got back in touch in around 2009 (no falling out -life circumstances) - we used to talk by phone a couple of times a week and see each other -after I moved away -when I was in town. I've known her husband since the early 1990s. We almost went on a date over 20 years ago but we didn't and it was a non-event -it was before he started dating her and she never knew anything about him sort of asking me out for a date. We never flirted either. Just friends and professionally connected.

 

I'm not a fan of getting back in touch just because of the virus. This seemed different with her son's milestones.

[Seraphim]

How is everyone doing today?

[Seraphim]

May the 4th be with you.

[boltnrun]

Horrible anxiety :( I have to attend 8 hours of virtual training today and I literally did not get one minute of sleep. This insomnia is out of control.

 

I keep getting jerked around by my employer, they have changed my move date 3 times already and tried to move it yet again. It would have required me to either drive to another state and stay in a hotel or fly and stay in a hotel. Who feels comfortable flying and staying in hotels these days??? I was able (with a LOT of help from a wonderful coworker) to get them to stick to the date they gave me most recently. So that is one relief.

 

Nothing I try works for sleep. I have been moved back and forth from day shift to overnight shift and back again. That isn't helping at all either.

 

I really want the next 3 weeks to go by quickly. Being alone during this pandemic is really messing with my mental health. Even if I can't see them in person, it will be a HUGE comfort to be near my family.

[Seraphim]

Can you talk to your primary physician?

[Batya33]

Horrible anxiety :( I have to attend 8 hours of virtual training today and I literally did not get one minute of sleep. This insomnia is out of control.

 

I keep getting jerked around by my employer, they have changed my move date 3 times already and tried to move it yet again. It would have required me to either drive to another state and stay in a hotel or fly and stay in a hotel. Who feels comfortable flying and staying in hotels these days??? I was able (with a LOT of help from a wonderful coworker) to get them to stick to the date they gave me most recently. So that is one relief.

 

Nothing I try works for sleep. I have been moved back and forth from day shift to overnight shift and back again. That isn't helping at all either.

 

I really want the next 3 weeks to go by quickly. Being alone during this pandemic is really messing with my mental health. Even if I can't see them in person, it will be a HUGE comfort to be near my family.

 

I am so sorry you are feeling this way and hope I can be supportive from a distance. It's a vicious cycle I know with anxious feelings and this situation.

[boltnrun]

Thank you Batya and Seraphim. Believe it or not, this forum is helping me a LOT. I feel less alone when I can go on here and see how everyone is doing. It makes a difference.

 

One of the things that was causing anxiety was the back and forth with work. They change my shift from week to week and also keep moving my move date back. I explained that regardless, I must be out of my current rental before the end of this month, so they need to let me keep the training schedule they gave me 3 weeks ago. Fortunately they did agree, so that is a relief.

 

Normally I would be loving this opportunity and the training I am getting. But having to be in a relatively small building with 115 to 140 other people is stressful because I fear getting infected. And it impacts how I am being trained, it's just not effective when someone is standing 6' away trying to show me how to do something.

 

If this anxiety does not get better I will have to contact my PCP for help. I can't stay up any longer, I have had about 12 hours of sleep total starting from last Thursday night. And none at all last night.

 

Anyway, enough about me. How are you all doing? Are you getting nice weather?

[Seraphim]

We had beautiful weather yesterday 20C . My husband got sunburned. And Friday it is going to snow again. Very unusual for May.

 

I would say overall I’m doing a lot better in the anxiety department. My brain I guess has just decided to adjust. Your situation though is far more scary as you’re still working. And I could see why you would be upset because everything is always up in the air. And combined with a pandemic that’s just a lot of overload.

 

I would really encourage you to reach out to your primary care provider. I stopped taking my new med but I might go back to it even though it leaves me groggy because I am still wide awake till two in the morning if I don’t take it.

[reinventmyself]

OMG bolt. . I can't imagine everything you are going through considering the state of everything at this time.

New home, moving, new job, new people . .along with the rest. Just too much at once.

 

Don't be a hero. Call your pcp today!

They are extremely sympathetic with everything going on.

Your situation is extra extraordinary.

Besides, the stress and lack of sleep could risk lowering your immunity

[reinventmyself]

My anxiety has been good but now it's starting to ramp up with all the back to work talk.

I may have 2 more weeks at home before I need to go back?

 

My department provides a service to the staff. We will bring them back in small numbers. But in the meantime we have all these plans to hammer out about traffic flow, limiting numbers in restrooms, lunch rooms, no more than 4 in the elevator, not to mention who's going to be cleaning and wiping everything down.

 

My tolerance for nuttiness is low. On a good day some of the staff is nutty. I already know i am going the Covid police with staff calling me with random, neurotic requests and complaints. I can already hear it now - 'David's passed my desk 3 times today!!'

 

On top of that, my world has been pretty small for the past two month and I've been pretty careful. I am neither militant nor careless about this pandemic. I see it as doing my part. For that matter I haven't seen my 2 sons in weeks. But yet in turn I'll get to be around the staff for 9 hours a day?

 

My mind swirls with concerns.

[Seraphim]

My tolerance for bullsshyte is nil. Anyone who flounts any safety and stay home orders ticks me off to no end. I mean it enrages me. It drives anxiety. I am terrified for when we open up again.

[boltnrun]

My tolerance for bullsshyte is nil. Anyone who flounts any safety and stay home orders ticks me off to no end. I mean it enrages me. It drives anxiety. I am terrified for when we open up again.

 

Good thing you didn't see the food trucks that are apparently allowed to be open now in my city. A few blocks from my home. People lined up about 2' apart, no masks. Zero social distancing. And, apparently, not worried at all. My zip code has a LOT of cases compared with the rest of the county, but these people didn't seem to care. Not much social distancing at the grocery store either, and very few people were wearing masks. It almost seems inevitable to me that I will be exposed. Hopefully I can fight it off or get lucky and not be exposed.

[Seraphim]

Good thing you didn't see the food trucks that are apparently allowed to be open now in my city. A few blocks from my home. People lined up about 2' apart, no masks. Zero social distancing. And, apparently, not worried at all. My zip code has a LOT of cases compared with the rest of the county, but these people didn't seem to care. Not much social distancing at the grocery store either, and very few people were wearing masks. It almost seems inevitable to me that I will be exposed. Hopefully I can fight it off or get lucky and not be exposed.

 

I am so angry even with my best friend because I KNOW she is flounting stay at home orders by seeing her family and now even having her daughters in her home. She said she can’t handle it anymore not seeing them. But it enrages me because people like this are keeping it spreading. And then hypocritically she talks about other people.

[boltnrun]

Well, there are plenty who don't believe it's a thing. They say more people die from the flu or whatever. My cousin still insists hospitals are empty, and reposts articles that claim the doctors and nurses who are interviewed are "actors".

 

All I can do is try my best to protect myself, and stay away from my family despite loving and missing them. I love them enough to stay away from them.

[reinventmyself]

As if things aren't difficult enough there are those who are spouting all these conspiracy theories, my brother for one. I - just - can't.

 

Next person that tells me that the government or china planned this at the timing of the US election, I might scream. This pandemic serves no one. Seriously. Why they don't see that confuses me.

 

I called my brother and he went on for 30 minutes. If it wasn't his happy birthday phone call I might have hung on him.

 

I might lose it when the next person wants to debate that the total number of deaths is fake news. My guess is if they lost a love one they wouldn't be singing that song.

 

I don't know exactly what to believe, but those conspiracy nuts push me to the edge.

[Seraphim]

Well, there are plenty who don't believe it's a thing. They say more people die from the flu or whatever. My cousin still insists hospitals are empty, and reposts articles that claim the doctors and nurses who are interviewed are "actors".

 

All I can do is try my best to protect myself, and stay away from my family despite loving and missing them. I love them enough to stay away from them.

Oh my friend believes it’s a thing she’s just tired with all the measures now.

[Seraphim]

As if things aren't difficult enough there are those who are spouting all these conspiracy theories, my brother for one. I - just - can't.

 

Next person that tells me that the government or china planned this at the timing of the US election, I might scream. This pandemic serves no one. Seriously. Why they don't see that confuses me.

 

I called my brother and he went on for 30 minutes. If it wasn't his happy birthday phone call I might have hung on him.

 

I might lose it when the next person wants to debate that the total number of deaths is fake news. My guess is if they lost a love one they wouldn't be signing that song.

 

I don't know exactly what to believe, but those conspiracy nuts push me to the edge.

 

Well ,you could tell him the rest of the world doesn’t give a crap about the US election. Are we doing it for the US election too? I hate it when the actual common sense goes right out the window.

[Seraphim]

I am sorry if I sounded rude. Really though other countries are worried about their own state of affairs.

[reinventmyself]

I am sorry if I sounded rude. Really though other countries are worried about their own state of affairs.

Not at all.

[Wiseman2]

People are bored and going stir crazy. Unfortunately there will always be people spouting nonsense just to make waves, stir up attention and drama.

 

My theory is that epidemics/pandemics/plagues have been here since the dawn of time. 😋 In fact it's the real reason dinosaurs went extinct.🦖🦕

Next person that tells me that the government or china planned this

[ButterflyWrists]

I'm jealous my brother gets to see family. Well, he shouldn't be, but cause of our mum being ill a and himself, he needs support from them. I'm so lonely, I have fiance but I need my mum, and I can't just call her up as she broke her mobile. We'll learn if the exit strategy next week. I hope as my fiance can work from home, his type of company will be one if the last to be going back into office. I'm so tired, but found a way for me and baby to sleep, i have to be flat on my back and her on her side at boob. Managed around 3 hours this afteronoon..

Edit, with my arms supported by pillows so they don't fall from cradling her, and obviously still trying to put her down to sleep... this isn't a long term solution.

[Seraphim]

I'm jealous my brother gets to see family. Well, he shouldn't be, but cause of our mum being ill a and himself, he needs support from them. I'm so lonely, I have fiance but I need my mum, and I can't just call her up as she broke her mobile. We'll learn if the exit strategy next week. I hope as my fiance can work from home, his type of company will be one if the last to be going back into office. I'm so tired, but found a way for me and baby to sleep, i have to be flat on my back and her on her side at boob. Managed around 3 hours this afteronoon..

Edit, with my arms supported by pillows so they don't fall from cradling her, and obviously still trying to put her down to sleep... this isn't a long term solution.

 

I am sad too. I haven’t seen my mom in 5 months. :(

[Batya33]

I'm jealous my brother gets to see family. Well, he shouldn't be, but cause of our mum being ill a and himself, he needs support from them. I'm so lonely, I have fiance but I need my mum, and I can't just call her up as she broke her mobile. We'll learn if the exit strategy next week. I hope as my fiance can work from home, his type of company will be one if the last to be going back into office. I'm so tired, but found a way for me and baby to sleep, i have to be flat on my back and her on her side at boob. Managed around 3 hours this afteronoon..

Edit, with my arms supported by pillows so they don't fall from cradling her, and obviously still trying to put her down to sleep... this isn't a long term solution.

 

I wouldn't fall asleep unless she is on her back on a flat surface like in a crib with no pillows near her. you could roll over for example and she can't roll yet. I know you didn't ask and what you described does not sound like safe sleep for infants.

[ApocalypseDreams]

Sixth day in a row of no new cases in my state. Only 14 cases left.

[ButterflyWrists]

I wouldn't fall asleep unless she is on her back on a flat surface like in a crib with no pillows near her. you could roll over for example and she can't roll yet. I know you didn't ask and what you described does not sound like safe sleep for infants.

 

I didn't end up doing it, as soon as I wrote it I had a panic attack. She only sleeps on me atm and get daddy, but it can't be good for her back. I keep putting her in her cot and she has blankets that smell of us, white noise etc. But no luck.. bless her.