What to do with my life in this current pandemic

[Kcbell92]

I am so lost, so out of place. No sports, no entertainment, nothing to go to for the time being. I’m extremely worried about will places open up by mid April or will sports return by May. It’s bothering me that I won’t be able to handle my daily life and feel like I belong here because I have nothing to do. 

[malina]

I hear you, it's tough. I struggle with having a lot of free time and little social contact so I'm dreading it a bit too. I think this is a good ERP exercise, though! In any case, there is a lot you can do - cook, read, watch films, do some work. Don't worry about what will be open, we aren't going to stop importing goods any time soon so we should have enough to keep us going until this clears up. 

[Cub]

I completely understand! It's really crept up on us the past few days - we've realised, over the past week, how serious it is. 

You sound like a very active person who likes to move around a lot and of course social distancing and staying at home is being greatly advised, which may of course rub you up the wrong way and quite understandably. I don't know your home situation but I find it very helpful to put on my iPod and dance around. I also like to write, and to do cross-stitch - which is good when I'm feeling particularly anxious - and to cook. I'm quite introverted and tend to stay home a lot anyway, but I was hoping to go to the park tomorrow and feel gutted that I can't. I'm particularly outraged that the sun is getting warmer just as we're being advised to stay indoors!

Just take care of yourself and do your best. This won't last forever; this too shall pass. 

 

C x

[ivybasil]

I'm finding this difficult too; you're definitely not alone. I was upset about this last night and this morning and I got some lovely words of support from fellow sufferers on this board. I think by sharing our worries and sharing how we're feeling, we can help one another get through this. As the others said, this isn't forever, and we'll all get into some sort of routine soon. 

I'm in isolation, as are a few of my friends, and we've tried to come up with some digital hobbies - learning a new language together on Duolingo and planning a trip to use it in the future. Allow yourself a little bit of breathing space - allow yourself to be unproductive if you want to! Try and fill some time with things you enjoy. Perhaps make a daily timetable to help structure your day? 

Stay strong. This will pass.  

[dksea]

On 17/03/2020 at 05:39, Kcbell92 said:

I am so lost, so out of place. No sports, no entertainment, nothing to go to for the time being. I’m extremely worried about will places open up by mid April or will sports return by May. It’s bothering me that I won’t be able to handle my daily life and feel like I belong here because I have nothing to do. 

Its understandable to feel upset and anxious about all of this.  Its uncharted territory in many ways.  The relative normalcy of the outside world can be kind of an anchor for us in our times of struggle.  Sure you might be feeling down but look around, life goes on, right?  Except now that normalcy is temporarily being taken away.  You have every right to be worried about that, to. be bothered by that.  Its hard on everyone, even people without OCD are feeling more stress right now.  

Things will return to "normal" eventually.  We might not know when, but life goes on.  WW2 happened but in most places that were hit hard you wouldn't even know it today. London, Tokyo, Paris, Berlin, all absolutely devastated by war, yet not long after had returned to being vibrant cities, and I'm sure the world will do the same after this crisis, because thats what happens, things get bad for a while then they get better.

In the meantime, try to focus on what you can do and how you can help yourself.  Be kind to yourself and give yourself permission to maybe take it a little easier than normal.  Maybe you are really fighting the good fight against OCD, really pushing yourself before.  Well with the added stress of the situation around you, maybe its ok to cut back a little.  To be less aggressive about your ERP.  In a way its like being actually physically ill.  Even when you start to recover you aren't going to be at 100% right away.  You probably shouldn't jump right back in to your normal exercise routine, etc.  For now you're gonna be carrying a little extra weight than normal.  Its ok to move a little slower, to take a few more breaks, to give yourself permission to not have to try QUITE so hard.

If you are feeling isolated, maybe go for a walk outside.  Nature is a great way to fight cabin fever from being alone and isolated by social distancing.  Maybe gather with friends using virtual tools like video chat.  See if you can find activities to do that will help you be productive.  Tackle a project you've been putting off like organizing your photos or learning how to cook.  If you can check things off a list or see progress you might feel better for having accomplished things, even if they are small or seemingly unimportant things. 

Also remember its ok to feel sad, scared, worried, etc.  Thats normal in general but especially in a situation like this one.