How has coronavirus affected you?

[Markshall]

It’d be an understatement to say that coronavirus has affected all of us in some way or another, but I’m genuinely curious to find out who has been affected in what way(s). Whether it be financially, mentally, losing your job/loved ones to the virus or just about anything.

Personally, I’ve been very fortunate in that I’ve managed to maintain my job. I work as a web developer for an oil company and we’ve been deemed an essential industry in the UK by our government (after-all, hospitals and schools still need fuels and oils etc) so I’ve been working from home since March.

I’m also fortunate that no one I know has died or become seriously ill the virus, I know people close to me who have had it, but they’ve fully recovered with no complications.

I’ve also ended up financially better off. I’ve recently paid my car finance off so I’m no longer paying £250 for that every month. I also no longer have to drive roughly 1 hour to work, and then 1 hour back home each day so that’s giving me more sleep, less traffic jams and also saving me upwards of £200 a month in petrol. This also goes hand-in-hand with the fact that a hell of a lot of places had been forced to shut during the first 6 months of our lockdown, so I was no longer spending money at restaurants or pubs so I was saving money there.

So, what about you lot? I’d also very much like to keep this thread free of politics, I don’t want to see how one country or government official handled it better/worse than another. This thread is about you, not your government.

 

[RastaLulz]

Glad to hear this year has been mostly positive for you.

This year has definitely been an interesting one; lots of isolation, and time for introspection. It started out pretty well; was going to the gym every other day, spent sometime in Denver with colleagues, had plans for traveling/working remote, etc.

Then in the middle of March, everything shut down. Initially it wasn't that bad, not a whole lot changed for me (was already working remote). I started playing a lot of League, got back into Minecraft (played Towny with @Benden and @TesoMayn), etc.

But by the end of June, I noticed I was playing lots of video games, doom scrolling on reddit, constantly checking my phone, etc. Really just trying to distract myself from other things. So I decided to take a step back from pretty much everything online (DevBest, FindRetros, Snapchat, reddit, etc.), and make the most of my summer (while being socially distant). I hiked in a few state parks, visited places like Madison, La Crosse, and Indianapolis, thought a lot about where I'm at, and what I should be focusing on (it's why I got the these

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). I'm glad I did this, since our summers don't last very long (we get about three months of nice weather). It was also interesting to not have to worry about DevBest/FindRetros for a brief moment (things that I've been running for over 13 years now).

Slowly I started unblocking things, trying to use them in a more healthy way. This worked for awhile, but eventually I noticed myself falling back into familiar patterns, and still working on figuring that out. Recently purchased a MacBook Pro, and have been using it exclusively, and haven't played any video games in a few months.

I look forward to the new year, with an end in sight with a vaccine; people being able to travel, enjoy new experiences with friends and family, etc. While 2020 isn't a year I'd want to relive, hopefully there's some positive things that I can take away from it, and find a better balance in my life.

As for COVID itself, it really hasn't affected me directly, in regards to people around me. I've also been fortunate enough to be in a position where my employment wasn't affected (quite the opposite actually, we're doing really well).

 

[TesoMayn]

Well where to begin lol


For about a year before this, I wasn't working because I was sick (was sick for about 8 months lol) so when COVID came, I was already living off my savings

And then my state decided that my industry wasn't essential (which I understand) so I was out of work for even longer

AND THEN after businesses started opening, I started getting clients, and boom, the next wave came and they all canceled, probably because they don't want someone in their house / around them that doesn't live there (understandable)

So how exactly has covid affected me? Well, I've had 0 income for about two years, apart from the $1200 and I've been living off my savings, of which I originally was saving to buy a new house in a different state.

Now, I can be working, I just need clients lol, and most that I get end up canceling shortly after because of more and more spikes.

So I've just been spending my time doing nothing productive, draining my savings away, waiting to get back to work.

Just glad I have enough savings to pay bills and shit without worries, I just don't get to spend like I used to because I have no clue how long (even with the vaccine) I'll have to be living off my savings

 

[Berk]

Got my health (mental/physical) affected the most.

My COVID-19 tests came out positive at 21 October, and it has been since fucking up my breathing. I still, right now too, feel pain in my chest while breathing, ans its really hurting. I'm also having problems with my mental health, like I use to go out with my friends, hug them, slap their asses because idk, but now I can't even get close to them, I can't touch them. I just miss my friends. My mental issues are also caused of losing like 3 teachers in the same week, who were my favourites. I probably lost like 15+ relatives because of COVID.

I also have this university exam, which determines my life, and schools are shut, special schools are shut, everyone is doing online education. The thing is, none of teachers are capable of using computers (ironic right?), which makes online classes worse and worse.

Financially, my dad lost his job, we have like bunch of bills to pay every month, taxes, etc. The Turkish economy, as I have always said, is becoming shittier everyday.

I guess its been really negative for me, but idk.

 

[Maatt]

2020 has been a difficult year for many. Whilst I haven’t had an easy year I can count myself lucky compared to most.

2020 started out so well, I was in my final year of university and, after a highly competitive recruitment process, I had just secured a graduate role at one of the best employers in the country.

By March things start to turn a bit sour. University shuts down and I find myself finishing my degree online. With a lockdown looming, I made the decision to go back home to the countryside as I knew I could enjoy the space and get some exercise here more than in the city. All my friends are in the city and I missed them a lot but on balance I made the right decision.

After struggling with my motivation and online lectures I finally finish my degree in May and I graduate with first class honours and receive two awards for best in class. I was thankful that I had worked really hard early on in university as this had helped balance out the pandemic. I unfortunately lost my graduate job shortly afterwards and found myself unemployed and recently graduated. I didn’t have much cash saved because I had spent it on rent for university.

I think summer was the darkest point for me. I felt pretty useless and I was online playing retros all day long every day. Every time I would search for jobs I could not find any roles suited to me. I ended up having to sign on to the dole for a short time so that I could afford to keep my car - which I needed for work.

During my time unemployed, I had three job interviews. The first two wanted to hire me but then the pandemic ruined their cash flow. I was lucky with the third and they ask me to start work straight away. So within two weeks I have to find a new place to live, get ready for work and join the new company. In September I finally start work after 3 months on the dole.

I am also lucky that the lockdowns and time off work gave me some more time to see my partner who I love dearly. We don’t usually get much time together in our normal lives as we are busy people who live in different countries. So this has been a real saving grace for me.

I also count myself lucky that I haven’t lost anyone directly due to Covid. Despite coming face to face with Covid in my job a few times I have yet to contract it myself (long may that continue).

Overall I miss my social life. I miss partying. I am still young and I feel like time is fading away. But I know I am lucky and I have learned not to take that for granted anymore.

 

[lepos]

I got lucky up until now. I was furloughed during the first two lockdowns in London, so I was getting paid the entire time 80% of my wages for being at home. Also got to go back to work when restrictions were lifted. Unfortunately, now they are using the remainder of my holiday pay to pay us now. I'm not sure how much longer I personally can handle being in lockdown lol.

Other than the obvious mental health effects lockdown has been having on everyone, I'm sure other people have had worse situations so I can't really complain.

Also just to spice things up, two of my housemates tested positive today!

 

[Donkjam]

To be totally honest it hasn’t affected me 1 bit as when on furlough got full pay. In fact I even saved money. I still do everything that I normally do

 

[Bran]

it's not affected me at all, i work in retail so we arn't thought about lmao, got an 10% added onto my overall wages for 2 months that's it and i've worked throughout the whole of the pandemic lol

 

[Ster]

Covid has affected my life but not me. It stopped me studying at college since I couldn’t see the point of online teaching, I doubt my carpentry tutor knows how to use a computer. It did stop everyone going to the clubs after the pub so it became boring. I left the city from south coast to move in the countryside up north to be near my family. Now it’s all good, sold the motorbike for a car, better home (the north is a lot cheaper) for me and my girlfriend so it is a lose/win situation.

 

[Weasel]

MOD's, don't warn me for bumping! So, here we go. In all honesty, I'm not even sure where to start. So much has happened since this all started, it's been a real rollercoaster. In the beginning, it was a positive thing for me. I was able to step back from a rushed lifestyle that almost got me burned out. I fully moved into my own house and starting living on myself full-time (before, I still switched between being at my mother's home and my own home).

For years, I've on and off been battling mental issues. Some years ago this started with the diagnosis of being on the autism spectrum, but it's always been more. Back when I got assistance on my autism, I refused the offer for additional mental support. It was something I was used to dealing with on my own, however, it wasn't as much as "dealing with", but rather shoving it under the rug for myself. I think now about a year ago, I kind of collapsed in on myself. Issues started to (re)surface, and it got worse by the day. Stuff got harder to deal with. This resulted in a few things, first was quitting my old job and going somewhere else. Something that was scary to do amidst the pandemic, especially with a mortgage to pay and giving up an indefinite contract to work somewhere else, without certainty. It was something I had to do though, as I was becoming unable to work at my previous employer. The second thing was, breaking up with my girlfriend at that time. I basically took the easy route out of that one. As I was unable to deal with some issues, it was simpler to just "break up". Something I, in hindsight, partially regret. Looking back at the last years, I'm full of regrets on some things. But when your mind is clouded, you can't think straight.

With the beginning of the new year, I hoped things would become easier, but sadly, they haven't yet. I did start to get help with myself this year, something that is starting to help out, but there's still a long way to go. What isn't helping is that this year already bombarded me with additional issues, something that does not help when you're trying to get everything back together. Luckily, I can carry one when there's a small bit of happiness I can ride along with, but those things have been rare the last few years or ended up blowing back into my face, making things even worse. It's an ongoing fight, with every day being a new battle. I do try to look forward positively, and search for the good things, or make amends where possible.

The fun thing is, the above actually is a TL;DR. I could basically write a book about everything that happened in the past few years. Some days are good, some days are bad. I'm trying to make the best out of it.

 

[doe]

I live in Germany. The beginning of the pandemic was actually very good for me. I was forced to deal with myself. I finally accepted myself and stopped running away from things. I took responsibility and was able to enjoy life. I went to the gym regularly, fought my way down from a body weight of 130kg to 83kg and have a great interest in bodybuilding.

Now it's just long distance running. Every day you hope that it will end soon. In Germany, almost everything has been closed for 6-7 months. Only a few stores where you can get your food and drink and a few things for the household and clothes are open. Of course everything is very isolated, you can only come in with an appointment or with a negative test and of course only a few people can go in. The gyms have been closed for 6-7 months and I have the feeling that everything I have built up is somehow going down the drain. I know it goes on and I don't really have to complain because I have an apartment, money and family and other people are far worse off. But I feel drained, mentally exhausted and I don't want any more. Sometimes I have bad days, sometimes I have good days. In Germany, life consists of getting up, going to work, and then somehow getting the day over with after work so that you can go to work the next day. On weekends you have time off work, so you have to see how you can get through the weekend.