My anxiety has hit the roof

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I'm so overwhelmed now by all this global pandemic that's going on. Now the UK is beginning to descend into lockdown mode, and I don't want to have to stay indoors for weeks on end.
All my boyfriend does is smoke.
And if we will be forced to stay indoors for weeks like the news is saying could happen, we will probably end up arguing and getting on each other's nerves.

I can't have any social life. I want to be able to spend mother's day with my mum. I want to be able to spend my 30th birthday with family. I want to be able to enjoy spring, and see friends, and go out and do things. I have a doctor's appointment coming up that I've been waiting ages for, only to be told the surgery is closed for God knows how long so now I've got to have the appointment over the phone, which isn't the same, as it's going to be more rushed and I need a blood pressure check too.
This whole f*****g coronavirus thing is really disrupting everything and is stopping everyone from living our lives.

I'm suffering EXTREME anxiety and depression, and I don't know who to turn to to talk about my fears. I hate all this uncertainty. I want this nightmare to be over and everything to be back to normal. Tell me, will life return to normal some day, or will this go on forever?

At least with personal problems I feel a little more in control of them and I can resolve them or seek support. In a global problem like this, it's impossible to control, and whenever you express your fears people just say "everyone is having the same problem", and all you've got to do is keep watching the news or searching the internet for reliable updates (avoiding the fake news), which I rather NOT, as it is the exact thing that is causing me to become mentally ill.

I know I keep posting here about it but I don't know where else to turn to. I'm having panic attacks in the night, and all I want to do is be in a coma until all this blows over.

Oh, and f**k you China for starting all this. If this causes a global recession, it should be up to China to f*****g put it right. Serves them right for eating bats.

I'm really sorry you're feeling this anxiety.

There are many folks here who share your anxiety.

It's actually good to talk about it, let it out.

Eventually, we will be "locked-down," too.

It's good for all of us to share our experiences with this Coronavirus crap.

That would suck. I'm sorry you have to go through this. Make your boyfriend smoke in one room so the rest of the house can be smoke free. It's getting warmer so you can open a window. Now would be a good time to have an indoor hobby. At least you have someone in your life. I wish I had a boyfriend right now to talk to. I ain't got no one. Hang in there joe.

I am just so scared. What a waste of springtime. By the time all this is over, it will probably be autumn again, the time of the year I suffer with seasonal depression. I can't believe all this has to happen during the spring and summer months.

I've heard that the mobile networks are going to be overloaded by more people making phone calls. So even if I wanted to phone someone to talk, I might not be able to. I hope this doesn't affect the internet too.

I'm scared I'm going to descend into madness.
And I've heard bus services are already going to be reduced next week. I got on a bus yesterday, which is normally full of college students, pensioners and shoppers, but it only had two people on. So the bus companies are going to miss out on business if the majority of people are not going out. To keep buses running there needs to be at least approximately 1,000 passengers a day.

I don't know what to do. Will I be allowed to go out and see my own mum on mother's day? Or do I have to live in quarentine until June with no social contact to the outside world?

There's no emoticon to express how furious and fearful I am. I rather just GET the f*****g virus and get it over with, get immune to it. Sometimes these viruses are nature's way of getting back at us for destroying the planet. You can't always stop it by taking away our freedom. It's a bit like stopping the weather. You can't. Let nature run its course.

Even people on “lockdown” could walk in the park.

Things are already essentially locked down for two weeks. The reason for that is because it takes up to 14 days for a virus to incubate.

I wish I had my own apartment so I could descend into madness.

Are you at least allowed out for a walk? What about sitting outside of your apartment?

^ the UK is not currently on lockdown. Yet.
I expect it’s coming though.

@ joe90: there are new measures to help people financially being announced daily, sick pay is going to go up and they’re going to extend it to zero-hours workers.
The government is also looking into speed legislating to make it much harder for landlords to evict tenants who fall into rent arrears over this period.

I’m wondering if there’s anything you and your boyfriend could do to plan for lockdown: plan in the sense of making sure there’s things to do with the kids indoors so you don’t drive each other crazy.
Board games?
Puzzles?
Card games?
Get a second-hand x-box with multiple controllers and some kind of group quest type game?
If there’s a Hobbycraft or similar near you there might be time-killing artsy projects?

Just throwing out suggestions with no real idea of your family’s tastes & budget... ... ...In the hope the line of thought is inspirational even if all my suggestions are useless to you!

Even in the Bay Area, where there's a "lockdown," people can still go to the park---though not in groups of more than 5 people.

And, of course, they can go shopping for groceries.

I'm sure people with houses can stay in their backyards.

Joe you could still see your mother. You each drive to a meeting point and go for a walk together. Just keep your distance without touch. I know she hasn't been well and she has lowered immunity so for her sake, no hugs. To be extra safe you could wear a mask and / or gloves. It's not ideal but it's better than not seeing her at all. You'd have a nice time outside on a sunny spring day and the sunshine would you do both well.

I'm sorry you're so stressed.

Re: Smoking. Your boyfriend needs to curb that behaviour if you are in the house with him all day. Ask him to smoke outside instead. That's not fair for your living space especially on lockdown and especially when you have money concerns.

As a smoker I whole-heartedly agree with this.
Feeding his/my lethal addiction is one thing: inflicting the consequences on others is quite another.
Nag him into either a) smoking outdoors regardless of the weather, or b) going electric vapour system with it.*

*which after the initial outlay is about a third of the cost of rolling tobacco, and I guess less than a sixth of the cost of cigarettes: I made the switch and was amazed at how healthier my bank balance became.

I have poor attention span, meaning I cannot focus too long even on video games.

We haven't got any kids. We've got pet rats.

My boyfriend does smoke only in the kitchen but sometimes the smell of the smoke actually makes its way through the wall. I've tried getting him to vape but he won't. I've bought him nicotine patches but he won't use them. He just seems too afraid to give up smoking. Maybe he thinks the withdrawal symptoms will be worse than cancer?

My mum lives a car or bus ride away. It's also hard to not get too close, especially when I don't have any coronavirus symptoms.

I heard this is going to go on until June. Trust me, that is going to increase crime rates. Millions of people aren't going to want their freedom taken away, especially when the days get longer and the weather gets warmer.

I don't have a garden, not a private garden anyway. The only person that has a garden is my mum.

I feel like the restrictions will be let go sooner in the UK than in the US, to be honest. I hope so, for your sake.

Hmmm.... yes, that’s tough for this type of situation
Not sure I can think of anything at the moment... I’ll see if anything occurs and repost if it does.

Sorry: my mistake! where did I get the idea you’ve got kids from? Somethings got wrongly associated somewhere there

I’ve tried to quit cold turkey before: I was a fiery ball of frustrated temper, and I put on two stone from compulsive eating (oral fixation). Have you asked him what his concern is?
I was wary of the e-cigs for that reason: I just couldn’t believe that they would sate the craving... but now (post wifely persuasion) I’ve got one of those big £50 jobbies, if anything it’s stronger than the roll-ups I used to smoke!
I’ve also got most of my senses of smell and taste back, and have more energy in general.
And I don’t stink like a fire in a sewer any more either.

I know what you mean: my parents are a long journey away that will be prohibited whenever Bozo the Magnificent gets round to declaring lockdown properly, and my mum in particular is very ‘huggy’: it’ll be hard not to see them, and even if we do: very difficult to maintain minimum distance.
I also have a nephew with cystic-fibrosis... if he gets this he’s a goner, and sis (his mum) will be in a hospital to give birth this week or next worried for all of them, since they’re so close to London

Yeah, I suspect we will see armed patrols knocking heads together if it lasts that long: best to focus on making sure you & yours keep it together and don’t get caught up in any of that if it comes to pass.
I’m also worried that instances of domestic violence may soar, whilst victims shelters are under lockdown and no longer offering protection

Is there a communal outdoor space where you live?
Just thinking if you had permission to rig up some temporary divisions with that orange plastic construction fencing or similar (old pallets out of a skip with binder twine would do: you could even paint them jaunty colours! ) it might be a way of having outside space for you and your fellow residents whilst maintaining a sanitary separation...

I've heard that Tesco (and hopefully lots of other supermarkets too) are limiting to no more than 3 of the same item per customer, which is one good thing. It's not fair people rushing to the supermarkets as soon as it opens and raid the shelves, leaving nothing left for the folk who are not part of the panic buying herd. Also crowds of people panic buying loads is actually going to spread the virus more than anything.

My boyfriend can't survive without the TV, but the only thing about having the TV on all day every day is I'm going to go crazy hearing the same annoying TV adverts (commercials) repeating over and over. There are some adverts that are so annoying it's enough to make you want to hurl a shoe at the TV.