hey greenboy, i just wanted to say hang in there. This time can be crushing for people with mental illness. I hear your pain and struggle. I wish I had answers but I just wanted to reach out to you and say hang in there, although the media is terrible, sometimes so are the thoughts in our head :(

welcome Anthb79, Greenboy, Revann , to the forum and to this thread and thanks for making your first post.

There are many people supporting you as the replies from Aronsis, Summer Rose, Geoff and sleepy show.

Revann, It is hard losing so much and I can relate to that as in the fires my home was destroyed and my business. Now it is hard for me to cope with not being able to see my grandchild and to see my children worried about me .

I think focusing on what we can control instead of worrying what we can't control, does help.

Our lives have changed but we are here and we are still writing and sharing our stories with others. We are survivors .

Hi Quirky I liked what you said "Our lives have changed but we are here and we are still writing and sharing our stories with others. We are survivors ." ( how do I quote this like you did in bold?!)...

You are right that we can't control so much of it so best not to focus on the things that are changing.

I was very upset today, because my GP appointment was made into a phone appointment - and he never called. The expectation was the worst part. I have to let go of always wanting things to go a certain way.... and accept that this is a changing time, and that's okay. We are all here together, and that's enough for me, now. We are survivors.

Hi, I am new here and first time poster.

I am really struggling this week. Anxiety is at an all time high.. I am lucky to still be employed, to have the ability to work from home and have all this amazing technology at the tips of my fingers. But I cannot control my emotions, the fear of the unknown and fear of loosing someone close to me ( immune compromised mum and dad) - all I want to do is go home and give them a huge hug, but I can’t.. it is not worth the risk. Mornings and nights are the worst, when the anxiety is at its worst I struggle to eat, and if I do.. to keep it down. I’m trying to keep myself calm, trying meditation and yoga which helps for a little bit.. but I’m just a big mess at the moment.
Anyone have any coping tips to keep calm? I am not watching the news anymore, and seriously limiting my time scrolling Facebook because it just makes everything worse.

Hi Sleepy,

I read your post and can relate to your story today. I also had a GP appointment via phone to get some test results and they didn't ring. I was disappointed (as you describe you were) and then, they called at 7:45pm!! which was quite shock as this is out of character for my GP to ring so late.

I just made me think that nothing is running normally right now. So many people are changing the way they deliver care, the way they deliver their business, the way we have to communicate. There has been so much change in such a short space of time that it is hard to process everything all at once. Each day we are getting a little more resilient and are adjusting to this time in our lives. New ways of working and connecting are being found and shared.

Thank you Quirky. Survivor is the word I am taking with me to sleep tonight.

* If you want to make a word bold, highlight the text and there is a little box at the top left corner of this text box that has the B and you click that'.

Nurse Jenn

I am a registered anaesthetic nurse in a private hospital. Due to the governments decision to cancel all elective surgery I am now without work. I have had to apply to MyGov to make ends meet. A registered airway nurse in a national health crisis without work? Feeling completely numb. Have never been without work for 10 years. I know I am not alone, I know there are people out their feeling as helpless as me. It’s been a bloody shitty week for us all!

I’m the same - I’m not scared of getting it - I’m scared for the safety of all my loved ones

I’m becoming terrified - I know most of us are doing the right things -staying home - but not being able to visit my children or my parents - not being able to have face to face with my psychiatrist or psychologist. I know I’m not alone- we are all in the same boat - it’s just hard to stay strong

Jacey, that is a ridiculous waste of expertise and experience! Ireland has declared all private hospitals there are now part of the public health system, and all patients are treated as public patients during the pandemic - so let's hope you are not needing centrelink for long, as surely the public hospital system can use you, or else let's hope our government follows Ireland. Best wishes.

Hi Jacey

I'm so sorry to hear about your job. I'm also gobsmacked to learn you are applying for unemployment.

You have highly valuable skills that should be utilised during the pandemic. Maybe you don't have the specific skills to help with the most critical patients, but there would undoubtedly be other general nursing required.

Things are happening very fast, hopefully this is an issue that is soon addressed. I mean, there must be other private hospital nurses in the same boat as you and I thought the public health administrations were desperate for staff (I'm sure I heard there was a call put out to recruit retired health practitioners). Surely there is a way to utilise your collective skills in the public system.

Do you know your union's position on this issue? Have you thought about letting media know? Maybe contacting the ABC?? To me, it just seems crazy.

Kind thoughts to you

I'm now missing all my usual routine activities because I'm now staying home. I'm now starting new projects to replace my routine activities face-to-face. It's not the same as when I had face-to-face contact with people. Anyway I found something new that I can do around the house and it is gardening. I was out at Bunnings today looking for indoor plant kits but most of the kits had sowing times of either late winter or spring. So instead when I went back home I got one of the strawberry plantations from my garden. So I'm now learning to water my plants regularly. It's great. Now when I start going from suburb to suburb it starts to become a ghost town. Almost all shops are empty and cafes will be open for only take away. I feel now able to get food without worrying about starvation. So far the world has become different with social distancing and no more overseas travel. It'll soon work out. Now I'm feeling bad for people who have lost their jobs and now all Centrelink Offices are queuing like trains. Also my trip on the Ghan has been cancelled which is disappointing since I was looking forward to it. Now there is nothing to do and life is far more monotonous than ever when it comes to being at home. Things will never be the same. I'm now very devastated but the only things I can do is home activities. Hopefully things will go back to normal in the near future. Tokyo Olympics is now moved to 2021.

I came across this today....

Dear Pandemic,

You’re back. But this time it’s different.

You came in 1918 as the Spanish Flu, infected one third of us and killed over 50 million of us. Then you vanished as fast as you came.

You returned in 1957 as the Asian Flu, and killed two million of us. Then you were gone.

You appeared again in 2009 as H1N1 - the Swine Flu. You infected a quarter of us and 200,000 of us died - less than the deaths each year from the common flu.

And here you are again today.

Each time we call you a Pandemic.
Each time we panic.
Each time you kill far less of us but we panic far more.

Because you are not a pandemic of death or even disease. You are a pandemic of fear.

In 2009 that fear showed up in our media, in our stock markets, and in our every day lives. And you’ve given us that same big fright today.

But you’ve been here enough times that this time it’s different.

This time we see you for who you really are:
A global ghost of our worries, anxieties and deepest fears.

And as with any ghost, you can only grow if we feed you.
And if we don’t, you disappear.

So this time,
instead of fear we choose freedom.
Instead of panic we chose peace.
Instead of loss we chose love.


With love XXX


#UnknownAuthor

Thankyou so much for explaining that Fred. Appreciate it

Hi Shelley
Always a bonus to have your support on the forums
This is a difficult time we are going through for sure Shell even with the rare bogan

I hope you have a great week too! 😀🎉🎉

Mr Woof !

I live in a relatively small country town in NSW, and on Sunday had a bad panic attack that saw me needing to go to the ER.

Luckily i was only in the waiting room for about 30 minutes and was moved to a room by myself adjacent to the ER.

The problem i am having now is that the ER waiting room was half full of people coughing and sneezing and looking generally unwell as one would expect in an ER on any given day.

Now i cant stop cycling the thoughts in my head that surely one of them had the virus, and that i of course picked it up, even after being assured by the doctor i saw that i am low risk due to only being 40 years old and by practicing good hygiene and self isolation for the past 3 weeks, as well as there being no confirmed cases in my town.

I feel constantly hot, tired, and run down, all symptoms of my GAD and health anxiety in normal circumstances, but under these lock-down conditions, i'm convinced i have the virus and i am waiting for that dreaded 2 week window to pass before i will need to be on a ventilator.

I have tried to no avail to stop reading the news, and checking social media for updates on the situation, but that is almost as bad as inundating myself with the constant bad news. This is a nightmare of the likes i didn't know i was capable of experiencing, life with GAD and health anxiety was hard enough without the invisible threat of a potentially fatal illness in the air.

I don't know what else to do as i have tried everything to stay calm. From meditation, to exercise, and everything in between, and now that is compounded by a fear that i cant even go to hospital if i need to due to the demand on the system because of this virus.

I am slowly but surely losing my grip on this thing and i don't know how long i can fight it.

hello every

i am straggoling a bit with my anxiety lost my husband with sudden deth home 8 weeks ago and did develope anxiety and now with the virus even more miss to conect with my kids and grand kids

oh my goodness. It is an adventure, Shell, what a weird life. I like that suggestion. And I have heard bidets come up on the radio and tv .... i'm kind of laughing to myself that this situation has brought back the bidet!!! People love them!

Today my GP called me and it was rushed and I was in my pjamas so declined a video call. He told me I really can't go out and need to take this seriously, but insisted I go for walks. I have to stop going to the shops, which I was doing daily, just because I felt lonely. So now I'm lonely, but I have this space :)

Letschat62, welcome to fhis thread and thanks for making your first post.

I am sorry that for the loss of your husband. I can understand your anxiety at this time.

Can you phone or text or skype your children and grandchildren or even write them a letter.

Feel free to write here as much as you want. There is support here and you are not alone,

Midean, I am sorry your thought are cycling and that you are so worried after your visit to the hospital.

Can you ring your doctor and explain how you are feeling.

Is it possible to write down in a journal how you are feeling.?

So sorry about your house business and gd quirk , and now all this. l hope your setup in something at least comfortable to ride things out and can rebuild when possible and things get back together in time . Day ata time l guess for now eh.

All the best. rx

Hello letschat,

I am sorry about your husband passing away. I am not sure what else to say. But I am sorry you are hurting.

Shell xx

We are going to have the chat with our children tonight (6 &2) as to why Daddy (administrator) is now going to work from home and Mummy is still at location on her job on the front-line (retail customer service manager). There is a section on the Beyond Blue homepage on the Coronavirus which has a little bit of information. I have copied some below. What have others done to discuss this with their children?

Children and young people
Families and caregivers of children and young people should discuss news of the virus with those in their care in an open and honest way. Try to relate the facts without causing alarm, and in a way that is appropriate for their age and temperament. It is important to listen to any questions they may have, to let them know that they are safe and that it’s normal to feel concerned.
If the media or the news is getting too much for them, encourage them to limit their exposure. This video has some useful tips for talking to young people about scary stuff in the news.
Beyond Blue's Be You initiative has also developed the following resources to help educators support children and young people’s mental health during the coronavirus outbreak.

Coronavirus (COVID-19): Supporting school learning communities
Coronavirus (COVID-19): Supporting early learning communities

My anxiety has been really bad this week. I have generalised anxiety disorder so I experience all sorts of symptoms everyday, however this feels different. I’m so scared of getting this virus and ultimately of death (possibly being the result). I have asthma and therefore feel I’m more of a risk than someone my age who doesn’t have asthma (I’m 24).

Does anyone have any ideas of how to lower this certain anxiety? I’m so so scared 😔

Hi everyone,

I apologise for not having anything particularly helpful to say, but I just have some emotions that I would like to unload here. I hope that’s okay...

I’m extremely grateful & fortunate to have a job in this difficult time, & I don’t take that lightly. I’m very, very thankful...

That said, everyone at work is tired. I’m tired. Our executive staff are tired. Our frontline staff are (even more) tired. And our clients are (understandably) scared, as almost all of them are immunosuppressed.

Management were doing things that they normally don’t do...searching online, making calls & physically going into shops to try to find face masks, hand sanitiser, & gloves for our frontline staff. I am in a strange position of helping to screen & monitor clients; one that I don’t necessarily feel trained or experienced to do.

Work has become a very strange & chaotic place...

I came home on Monday night & almost burst into tears. I sat up till 10pm, wondering if I had missed something in the screening/monitoring process...

I’m not a medical professional. I don’t know what I am doing, & direction at work is unclear because the current situation is unprecedented.

But on the upside, I have had to learn to take things day by day. I have no choice. I think that might be key right now for many of us...?

I sat outside tonight, coffee in hand, & just let the sadness wash over me. Sometimes I think that I just have to feel my own emotions, even the difficult ones...

The cool breeze was comforting, & I noticed the sunset & the red undertones of a huge plant with dark leaves. Gorgeous. Even during stressful & uncertain times, it made me appreciate how there are moments of beauty....

Not sure what I am trying to suggest other than maybe let’s just take it day by day, & if you’re feeling scared or sad, those feelings are valid too.

We are all in this together :)

Kindness and care to all,

Pepper

I've now started to do some activities at home today. Right now I'm knitting a blanket for my dolls and now going to water my strawberry patch on a sunny day. Also I'll be knitting some small toys for children's charities when I'm not doing any online classes or online church services. It'll be a marvellous thing to keep me occupied at a time of loneliness and boredom. Tomorrow will be the last day to be out and about except for going to supermarkets and chemists. Also I can do some exercise at home such as gardening and cleaning in order to get fit so that I don't spend all my time sitting. Unfortunately things are very different whilst at home but it doesn't worry me. I can hope my routines are still normal but I now have to adjust.

Jacinta Ardern, NZ Prime Minister, has a good little video on Utube after putting her toddler to bed, about why New Zealanders are staying home and what is expected. You can Google it anyone interested.

Welcome everyone posting for first time on this thread,

t is great to hear the thoughts of so many people,

Mezzzzzzzzzzzzzy, welcome to this thread and well done for making your first post.

can understand you concern. If you read some of the posts they can contain ideas for lowering anxiety.

I think you can be aware of your health status and follow all the health advice and take extra precaution.

know people who have a disability and are at risk to the virus and they take extra care and practice social distancing and self isolation.

Pepper thanks for sharing your honest words. You open up and share your thoughts with others.

Just wondering has any got a fun tip for exercising indoors. ?

I do lounge room obstacle course, Around the table over the lounge under the table around the lounge.

hi and welcome.

@quirky - I will think on your question and get back to you.

not sure how I stumbled upon the link below, but I have found it helpful for myself and particularly the “calm yet cautious” approach of doing your "best to remain calm and be mindful not to contribute to the widespread
panic that can hinder efforts to positively manage the outbreak"

https://www.lifeline.org.au/get-help/topics/mental-health-and-wellbeing-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak

actually, on exercise, there is plenty you can do. however whether it is fun or not is a different story.

stay safe everyone.

I’ve suffered depression and anxiety for almost 20 years, I am medicated and generally cope pretty well, although still have a couple of down days here and there.... but at the moment with Coronavirus out there, I’m feeling it.

I was kind of looking forward to lockdown, set myself a number of jobs to get done... but Every now and then I cough, ohh no, Corona, then another time I might swallow, ohh that hurt a little, ohh no, carona, ohh am I hot... ohh temperature... oh no Corona, and today I woke feeling quite tight in the chest, had a migraine and I also get a burning sensation around my bicep. Home with kids - teenagers who are happy to game all day...which I’m not so happy about... would like then to set some projects too.

i really don’t think I have it, but I think too much media, my mind is being paranoid. Of course it’s so much worse at night.

im about to head to bed I’m finally a bit tired... hoping not to toss and turn too much.

i know things will be better in the morning and I just have to soldier on.

best wishes everyone... we can get through this. (So much easier to say this to you... )

Hi everyone,

Quirky: I just wanted to say thank you very much for your words of encouragement & validation. That means a lot.

I hope you’re taking good care of yourself, or as well as you can with all things considered xoxo

All: well wishes to all of you. We are in this together.

kindness and care,

Pepper

Hi Pepper

In response to your earlier post about your new work pressures. You just do the best you can. That's all anyone can ask and all that can be expected. At the end of the day, let it go. Release the worries because it doesn't help you or anyone else. You have to be in your best shape to carry on working, which means you have to be kind to yourself.

I'm glad you vented, as I want you to know that you are not alone. And whatever job you are in, thank you for working through this. You are a hero.

Kind thoughts to you