I feel a bit selfish for seeking out support during this time but I'm feeling quite anxious. I had been doing really well managing my anxiety before this all happened and had not had a panic attack in months. Then the schools shut down (I teach kindergarten) and found out my sis in law may have to get tested due to contact with someone and my hubby and I had recently been with her and I had a doozy of a panic attack at work.
I know I'm in a far better situation than most right now.... My sis, hubby and I are all feeling healthy. My husband and I are at home but we're both getting paid and we have each other.... And our Weiner dog Hence the feeling guilty for reaching out for support. It's just all surreal and a bit terrifying. I miss my students and wish I could give them a hug.
Just wanted to reach out. Hope everyone out there is staying healthy, maybe if we band together this world will become a nicer place? 🙂
Thanks in advance.
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Weeniedoglady
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Welcome! I don't think you're being selfish at all for needing support. It is a very strange time and something we haven't experienced before.. you're completely justified in feeling anxious, scared, etc. I'm glad you have your husband and dog to keep you company. I have a cat and she has been the best pal this week while I'm trying to navigate my way through things..
So glad you have joined the group and think we can all definitely support each other during these times..! We will hopefully be able to share with each other things that we can do and comfort one another over the next few weeks
Loving your dog pic. Reminds me of my dog she was a doberman and slept under a blanket on my bed. I adored her. I feel anxious too I think many do. Please feel free to speak to me I am in UAE (I live between here and uk) bored and anxious x
'Surreal' is absolutely the right word. We had to go out today to get our car MOTed. That also felt weird as it was strange being out amongst other people who really don't seem to be worried! At the moment our county has a low death rate (long may it last) but I have been self isolating for a week now as I have asthma and a low white blood cell count (have had for the last 10 years) and my doc said in January after my last blood test, 'Just don't get ill'. I am really trying not to!! So today, we had a bit of a walk along a stretch of the coast path to pass the time until the car was ready. We thought it would be quiet but we passed lots of dog walkers and I felt very vulnerable. Made sure we kept the 2 metres distance apart when possible but it wasn't always possible along a coast path!! I think we are all going to become increasingly anxious in the weeks to come so we need to be supportive of each other.
My friend suffers from anxiety and one of her coping mechanisms is getting out and about and chatting with her friends so I've been thinking of how she will cope in enforced isolation should it become necessary. We normally go for a coffee once a week and have a long chat then, so we're planning to do that through Facetime or some other form of video call. Maybe you can set something up like that with friends and family?
I notice there are several pinned posts in HU so hopefully you can find support here too.
I am in the U S and it's only been in the last 2 weeks that everything has really "hit the fan"...but it's happening fast. The one thing that all the Drs here are recommending is to get out and walk or just get outside, if you are feeling well. They do say to keep the appropriate distance, but the fresh air is suppose to be so important. Our schools are pretty much all closed ( there are a few states that haven' t yet) and people are working from home when they can. That means that families are cooped up together. An evening walk is needed for mental and physical health.
I think your idea of face timing with friends is a great idea. Even in isolation we need to stay connected.
Absolutely - outside time is so important for everyone, especially people who are living in close proximity to each other. My d-I-law's sister lives in Spain. She was saying they are in lockdown now until 12th April and was despairing over what to do. She lives on her own. I asked if she could go out for a walk but she said they can only go out, in mask and gloves, to the shops. That's it. And she lives in a flat. I don't think I could cope with that
Our schools close tomorrow apart from for the children of key workers, like NHS employees, distribution drivers etc. I hope it works. Saw your Donald on telly this evening (he was looking very orange!!) but at least he seems to be listening to his advisors now. Stay well xx
Oh ChubbieChops...you just gave me a good, needed laugh. Yes, our orange faced president has been on the telly a lot lately...his favorite place to be...actually his second. Mar-a-lago is his first favorite. I sure hope he starts listening to someone with some brains soon. He was really rambling earlier today. Oh well, whats new? HAHA.
Hi Weeniedoglady...I LOVE your name and your sweet little" Weeniedog". We are all here for each other. I'm sure you are such a gift to all of your kindergarten families. My daughter-in-law teaches 3rd grade. Luckily, her school supplies the children with tablets, so the teachers are teaching online classes until further notice. We are in some unusual times.
Take this time to enjoy your little vacation.
No its not selfish to reach out for support at all as what problems appear trivial to one person aren't to another!
Totally agree with everything said so far - absolutely not selfish!
We are living in strange, alien times so I’m pretty sure we will all feel anxiety at some level - it proves your human! We all deal with any given situation in different ways - doesn’t mean one way is right or wrong! 🤗 x
Thanks for all the kind words and support everyone! It's nice to have some support through this 🙂
Hi Weeniedoglady,
Oh what a darling dog. So sorry to hear you are suffering but please don't feel selfish for being anxious. It's a perfectly normal reaction to something unpleasant that's happening in life and especially when we have no control over it. It's the perfect storm, isn't it?
But one thing you might try is turning a negative into a positive when you are feeling particularly anxious.
I don't get particularly anxious, but I can feel a bit 'down' from time to time. One I can try to do with that is to try to stay busy and focused on something else, but I also quite like to compare my own situation with someone who faced a similar challenge.
And during this crisis, I've chosen Anne Frank for fairly obvious reasons.
I once visited the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam and although it's quite hard to summon up the full horror of what it must have been like, while crowds of tourists pass through, we know how it was from Anne's diary. All of those people crammed into such a small space, unable to make a single noise until the coast was clear to do so, short of food except for that which could be gleaned from others' rations, and always fearful of discovery, only for that to actually happen and almost every one of the Franks losing their lives despite their long and arduous self isolation.
After 10 or so minutes of reflecting on that I usually find I'm not doing as badly as I first thought.
It might not be that which you choose to focus on, but by making comparisons with other difficult situations, we can actually make ourselves feel a bit better.
Hang in there Weeniedoglady. We'll all be here for each other. You aren't on your own.
Think about what it is going to be like when this is all over and you can give all your children a big hug why not write them all a little note saying how much you missed them and draw a little smiley face at the bottom of the page
I could 'Tell You Off', for asking for support- as you say yourself, you have a Husband, beautiful Dog and your Health. However you are, even if you won't admit it, Greatly 'Missing' the children- their laughter, 'silly' ways (Mary, who waves her arms, Tommy who always interrupts, Jackie and her blue sweaters.....). However I, indeed ALL of us, DO understand why you need support- mainly because We Do TOO!
This IS an 'unprecedented' time, of rather uncertain duration. I am Lucky, in that I live in Supported Living, which means that 'Someone' is available at all times- in fact, I just had a 'knock', a few minutes ago 'Was I OK, Did I Need Anything'.
Just, so long, as you don't Confuse your Husband and dog.... Put a 'Lead' on Hubby and leave Wiener to do the Dishes (Ok he would Lick them clean😬).
Lastly we do have these 'Forums' I, now belong, to a Fair few... There is a New One, dedicated to 'People Like Us', who are Self Quarantining- do Look at it.
Please DO, feel free, to contact ANY of us again, I know, that we would 'Love to here from you.
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Hence the feeling guilty for reaching out for support. It's just all surreal and a bit terrifying. I miss my students and wish I could give them a hug. 
A very windy day here today
Ok some bad jokes, I apologise in advance 😁😊
Thank you