This is meant as a light hearted post about my personal experience of anxiety and COVID. It helps me to think about COVID in this way because I am able to stay more positive for my partner who is very sociable and has had a very hard year of loss.
Last week I had my first Gastroenterologist appointment in 6 years. I felt like yet again I had been diagnosed before I walked in the door. At one point I felt like the consultant was trying to get me to ‘admit’ that COVID has made my symptoms worse…
I am very lucky, that I believe this is far from true.
- Outside of work I am not a very sociable person, I always joke that I run out of social skills when I have finished my shift.
- I do not like physical contact. Honestly, it goes through me when I even feel somebody’s coat brush against mine.
- I have kept a bottle of anti-bacterial hand gel in every bag since I was a child. I even have a stash in my ’emergency box’. My partner jokes that I have been preparing for this event for my whole life.
- I have opened and closed doors with wipes, my feet and elbows since I was a child. So many people have laughed at me for my cautiousness but they’re all doing the same now.
- I am unwell and barely leaving the house at the moment. My anxiety side loves knowing that nobody can just appear at my door. I view my home as my personal space, my hideaway from the outside world and I do not like letting people into it. I feel very uncomfortable when somebody is here. Plus, at the moment I live in the bathroom. I do not want any more competition for the toilet!
On a serious note,
- I do miss my family, they live too far from me to just appear outside of their window to say hello and they have been extra cautious shielding themselves since the start of March.
- I have always made a conscious effort to buy from small businesses, but I have made even more use of them this year. It is amazing how many beautiful products I have discovered.
- I am in a very fortunate position that myself and partner are considered key workers so we are secure and able to continue our normal jobs.
Is anybody else experiencing less anxiety during this time?
Intolerance with Confidence 