Lived Experience Forum

[cloudcore]

Hi there SANE Community, 

We have been hearing more about end of lockdown for Victoria and New South Wales lately, and want to acknowledge that while this could be an exciting time, it can also be a source of stress and anxiety. The end of lockdown can mean a big period of readjustment and change.

This is space for us to chat about how we are feeling and the kinds of emotions we may be experiencing with all the news. 

Here are some questions to consider:

1) How has lockdown impacted you?

2) How will the end of lockdown impact you?

3) How do you feel about coming out of lockdown and returning to normality?

4) What resources do you have to support yourself in the transition back to normality?

[cloudcore]

We have been hearing more about end of lockdown for Victoria and New South Wales lately, and want to acknowledge that while this could be an exciting time, it can also be a source of stress and anxiety. The end of lockdown can mean a big period of readjustment and change.

This is space for us to chat about how we are feeling and the kinds of emotions we may be experiencing with all the news. 

Here are some questions to consider:

1) How has lockdown impacted you?

2) How will the end of lockdown impact you?

3) How do you feel about coming out of lockdown and returning to normality?

4) What resources do you have to support yourself in the transition back to normality?

[CogsWhirl]

Hi,

Firstly, I was diagnosed with PTSD in 2017 as a result of a marriage from hell, where I was subjected to physical and mental abuse for 9 years.  It finely ended when I was badly injured and hospitalised after being attacked.  This is moderated so I realise I cannot say too much about what happened but it was rather severe and violent. I am also a maIe and no one ever talks about  males as survivors of domestic violence. But you hear or read about domestic violence so often and it is hard being invisible and having to suffer alone. If I watch the news or anything like that, I have the remote by my side and try and switch off if I know what is coming up.   It helps but it is not really the answer.  My wife was given a community order.  I am certain that had it been the other way around, I would be in a prison cell and this really upsets me.  Over the time, I lost the few friends I had and it is hard to get back in contact with them, because how on earth do you explain what happened.   I was seeing a Psychologist up until the end of January this year.  At that time I was doing Ok, but PTSD doesn't really go away and there are times when I am jerked right back.  The forums here have been great when I want to vent, or just to know that I am not alone.

I am from Melbourne, so lockdowns and having to stay home has affected how I feel.  At first it was alright because it was like everyone was in it together. But it is different now and I just want lockdown to end, so I can start to do things and plan for going into the future.   I don't know how I  will react when it does finish, I have a job to go back to, so I suppose I am luckier than some,  but there is also the knowledge that Covid is still out there, and how do you take the train into work every day and mix with people again.  I am double vaxed but there is that underlying feeling that it is out there.

As far as resources go, my workplace had put programs in place and I suppose I can get support there. I know what to look for, so I am OK.

I just hope that lockdown ends soon and we can all get back to some kind of normality.

Wish everybody well and thank you

[Eden1919]

personally i am scared because it means there will be way more covid than there already is and people like my family member who is immuno-compromised will be at a bigger risk even with the vaccine on board. 

[chibam]

Hi @CogsWhirl .

I don't have any personal experiance of DV, but I, too, am constantly frustrated with the way that male victims of DV are practically treated as mythical creatures in our modern dialog about this issue.

I was heartened, a few months ago, to read a submission to the government's currant inquiry into mental health & suicide, that came from a therapist, stating that a whopping proportion of her clients are men who are being abused by their wives/partners, and that about 1/3 of her domestic/psychological abuse patients are men who are the victims of women. IMHO, we need more voices like hers raising awareness of the true levels of male victimhood to domestic/psychological abuse. But at least now the government's been made aware of it. One can only hope they'll pay attention.

And perhaps the next step is greater public awareness, and a bit fairer road ahead for people like yourself? We can only hope.

[BlueBay]

Hi @CogsWhirl 

I just wanted to say hi and how very sorry I sm to read of your domestic abuse. I had tears just reading your post. 
I hope you're doing ok. PTSD never goes away. I have complex PTSD from childhood sexual abuse.  It never goes away but I'm trying to learn ways of living a better and happier life. 
I'm frim Melbourne and lockdown has been soooo long. I can't handle it at times. 
I lost my job 2 months ago and now I'm home. Glad that you have a job to go back to. 
you said you were seeing a psychologist until jan. are you not seeing anyone now? 
do have any other supports? 

[chibam]

I'm really glad you started this thread, @cloudcore !

---

@cloudcore wrote:

1) How has lockdown impacted you?

2) How will the end of lockdown impact you?

---

The answer to both is: very little. Of course, it's whittled down my hopes of finding love, family, community, ect. down to absolute zero for the duration of this pandemic; but it's not like my hopes had that far to go in the first place.

Now with the return to "normality"... well, what's a jump from 0% hope to 0.5% hope? I mean, honestly, not pie-in-the-sky "motivational poster" rationality.

One of the more disturbing features of the lockdown is that it gave me a bit of insight into the true nature of our encompassing society and that insight was disturbing, to say the least. Which just complicates an already unmanageable life even more. How do you engage meaningfully with a world that is so massively beyond your comprehension, let alone your principals and capabilities?

I sort of feel like Homer Simpson in that scene where he exhaustedly reaches the summit of the unclimbable mountain, only to look up and realize that the true summit is still further up. He could never win.

---

@cloudcore wrote:

3) How do you feel about coming out of lockdown and returning to normality?

---

Numb. And tired.

Normality always was my problem to begin with. I'm not exicted about getting back there.

I had hoped that lockdown may have given the wider world a bit of appreciation and sympath for those among us who have never had anywhere to go; or anywhere worth going.

But I think that the general public have been too wrapped up in their own woes to be mindful of those of others. I'm probably no better then them in that regard. But it still gets me down.

---

@cloudcore wrote:

4) What resources do you have to support yourself in the transition back to normality?

---

None that I know of.

[chibam]

1) How has lockdown impacted you?

2) How will the end of lockdown impact you?

[chibam]

3) How do you feel about coming out of lockdown and returning to normality?

[chibam]

4) What resources do you have to support yourself in the transition back to normality?

[TheVorticon]

Where I live has been extremely fortunate to avoid the long lockdowns. My family is in Sydney and even though they'll be out of lockdown I'm not sure if I'll be able to visit for Christmas. By the sounds of it they've been coping OK because they can all still go to work and their main social activities were based around exercise so that's continued but just in pairs instead of a group. I'm a bit concerned about whether the case numbers are low enough and vaccination rates high enough to really be opening up at the moment, but I'm not a medical expert so I'm trying to leave that concern to the experts and just do my own part with the requirements given and precautions I want to take for myself. A friend who lives there had their surgery cancelled so is stuck with an injury getting worse until the hospital system starts accepting non-emergency (but still important) patients again.