What is Your Level of Anxiety/Worry/Stress?

[TravelTime]

I am curious about how people are managing their anxiety/worry/stress during this global pandemic? How worried are you about getting sick and dying? How worried are you about having economic losses or the economy in general? How worried are you about your loved ones? What else are you worried about?

Use this scale to rate your overall anxiety/worry/stress level:

10 = Panic level. Beyond anxiety/worry/stress.
7-9 = Severe anxiety/worry/stress.
4-6 = Moderate anxiety/worry/stress.
1-3 = Mild anxiety/worry/stress.
0=What's the coronavirus? I am sleeping through this.

I'll start. I think I am at an overall level 5. I am very worried about the economy, my business and personal finances - probably about an 7 for this area since we have already been affected with big losses and I suspect the worst for the economy is just beginning. I am moderately worried about my loved ones - about a 5 here - since most are young but some are elderly with underlying conditions but they are staying home so I suspect they will be okay (I pray for this). I am mildly worried about my personal health and my DH (about a 1-2) since we are healthy and following SIP/SAH. Even after SIP/SAH is lifted, if we get covid-19, I have not been overly worried about one of us dying because we are healthy and 98-99% of people who get Covid do not die. I keep reminding myself of the positive parts of this crisis and everything people are doing to fix it to reduce my overall worry.

 

[Shankilicious]

1 for everything. Wife and I are both still working full time plus we have 4 months of expenses in savings without touching retirement fundings.
My elderly parents live in a very rural area and are quite healthy so should be just fine.
I'm still a 1 even if I contract the virus as there are hotels in the area ready to be used for housing for first responders who need to be quarantined.

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

 

[chapjim]

What, me worry?

Addendum: Seriously, I'm not going to do stupid things but I'm not worried. I'm well into my 70s, still work full-time, kids are grown and doing well. My wife thinks she had the virus back in January sometime. I don't think she did but I won't argue with her. If she did and I didn't, maybe I've acquired some degree of immunity. Someday, when testing becomes available to the merely curious, we'll find out.

I've been working at home for the last four weeks, connecting to Pentagon servers to do work. It has been fairly successful except there are a lot of times when you'd like to be face to face, shoulder to shoulder, or looking over someone's shoulder while doing things. Since I am in a high-risk category because of my age, staying home is probably the best thing until the whole thing subsides, if it subsides. I'm coming to detest teleconferences! Teleconferencing is an insidious impediment to getting work done.

I'd like to take a week or so off but with just about every place shut down, I'll put it off. I had a nice two weeks planned -- week in Cocoa Beach and one at Royal Vista in Pompano. I re-scheduled the Cocoa Beach week until late fall. The Royal Vista week is still available although I expect Wyndham to extend closures through the end of May.

And no, that's not Mayor Pete!

 

[1Kflyerguy]

I am probably a 5 or 6. The have been a few days when i been severely stressed. I almost had a full meltdown when my wife was still trying to have friends come over for dinner last weekend, Thankfully she finally agreed with me and canceled those plans.

I work at a major software company, and i feel my job is safe, but you never really know. I have there a long time, and certainly live through major layoffs before.

My wife is an office manager for a small medical office, she is now working from home, answering the phone, scheduling appointments, etc. They had recently laid off the only other non-medical staff person so my wife is busy, but their business is way off as many patients are deferring treatments. I am not sure how long the Doctors can maintain their offices with so few patients.

On a personal level, both of us have some level of "underlying medical issues", with my wife's being more severe. I do worry about one of catching this.

 

[VacationForever]

It is a 1 for me. I sleep well and when I worry, it is about my son who lives alone in California. Without golf, we are now 100% stuck, ahem stay, at home. We have very little risk with my husband or myself catching COVID-19 since we stay home full-time. We are being good because our PCP told us to stay home because if my husband catches it, he is toast. We cannot do anything about the stock market, it is what it is. As long as we have our health, money is just small potatoes.

 

[slip]

1 for everything. Wife and I are both still working full time plus we have 4 months of expenses in savings without touching retirement fundings.
My elderly parents live in a very rural area and are quite healthy so should be just fine.
I'm still a 1 even if I contract the virus as there are hotels in the area ready to be used for housing for first responders who need to be quarantined.

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

Pretty much the same. I’m a 1 still working and the same with finances. I don’t have parents to worry about and my kids are doing fine and both still working.

 

[Luanne]

Mine varies from day to day. But wondering about how stressed I am only makes me more stressed about what I should be stressed about.

 

[b2bailey]

I'm at 2.
Would be a zero if I was capable of not being concerned about others' --financial, emotional and physical health. My grand-daughter received a phone call telling her a good friends brother had shot himself, with his hunting rifle, in the garage, with family members at home. Don't know if it can be attributed to Covid-19, but now is when it happened.

 

[TravelTime]

I am surprised at how low the anxiety/worry/stress is so far for folks. This is good news! I would have guessed that personal worry about getting sick and dying was a 5-10 based on the comments I have been reading on TUG. People seem much more scared than me about getting sick and dying, and taking more precautions than me, and I rated myself an overall 5. Maybe I am just more sensitive to my feelings? Maybe I should have asked the question a different way?

Just added: Maybe I am just a worrier compared to other people. At least I do not worry about personal health. That is a blessing at this time.

 

[pittle]

I have been retired for 18 years, not much worries me anymore. I am perfectly comfortable at home and noticed today when I did go to the grocery (only because the Hormel Cure 81 hams were on sale for less that $1 per pound) that I had driven a total of 1800 miles in the past 8 months since I had my oil changed. Therefore, things are pretty much the same for me. One of our sons lives 3 blocks away and pops in to check on us a couple of times a week. So I suppose I am in the 0-1 category. Now if this continues and we have to cancel our 3 weeks in Puerto Vallarta in November, I will be upset. The Pollyanna in me has not cancelled reservations - I have until October 13th for cancellations.

 

[x3 skier]

Zero. If I’m doing what I can about something, worrying about it is nothing except a stress inducer. Worrying about something you can do nothing about is contra productive.

If it bothers you, do something. If you can’t do anything, worrying isn’t going to have any affect except make you worse off.

Cheers

 

[VacationForever]

I am surprised at how low the anxiety/worry/stress is so far for folks. This is good news! I would have guessed that personal worry about getting sick and dying was a 5-10 based on the comments I have been reading on TUG. People seem much more scared than me, and taking more precautions than me, and I rated myself an overall 5. Maybe I am just more sensitive to my feelings? Maybe I should have asked the question a different way?

We are definitely more scared than you in catching COVID-19 but since we reduce the risk significantly by staying at home and taking precaution, we are no longer worried.

 

[TravelTime]

We are definitely more scared than you in catching COVID-19 but since we reduce the risk significantly by staying at home and taking precaution, we are no longer worried.

Okay, that makes sense. What would you anxiety/worry/stress be if you could not stay at home for the next year and you had to go out sometimes for food and medication?

 

[geist1223]

We have been retired a little over 7 years. We have our Dog Felix and our 2 cats. We enjoy each other's company. We can sit quietly for hours together. We both cook and bake. Our retirements accounts are secure. So we are at ZERO.

 

[chellej]

I am probably at a 2. DH is retired and I work for the health dept so working from home but no anticipated furloughs. 2 kids are secure in their jobs but do worry about #1 son as he is just a year out of chemo and could be susceptible to a bad outcome if he catches it. Worry about youngest son as he and gf jobs are less secure but so far ok. DD is in coast guard & her DH has a secure contract job. Worry aa little about my 2 older brothers as they both have serious underlying conditions. We have been SIP since March 15th and just go out to grocery shop.

 

[b2bailey]

When my husband was alive and we were going through a hard time financially, we didn't use the term "worry" -- instead, we used the term 'legitimate concern' to describe things we were facing. I'm thankful at this moment in time there is nothing in my life that presents a legitimate concern. (Not even the fact that I 'm on my last roll of toilet paper.)

 

[VacationForever]

Okay, that makes sense. What would you anxiety/worry/stress be if you could not stay at home for the next year and you had to go out sometimes for food and medication?

We should not have to go out for food at all and prescriptions are mailed by CVS and Humana Pharmacy. The only thing is if we develop a health condition which requires to get us to see a doctor, that would certainly increase our stress. As of now, everything we have scheduled is preventative and can be postponed for another year.

 

[pedro47]

I have a mild anxiety only because my believe in a high authority than man.

 

[GetawaysRus]

We are definitely more scared than you in catching COVID-19 but since we reduce the risk significantly by staying at home and taking precaution, we are no longer worried.

Today is day 27 of sheltering in place for us. So long as we can stay at home, I agree that my anxiety level is low - Covid-19 is "out there" and we are safe in our cocoon. (Denial is strong.)

But we did have to finally go grocery shopping yesterday. Something as simple and ordinary as grocery shopping was quite stressful. We suited up: masks, hats, gloves, glasses, and a thin overcoat. We arrived early, during senior shopping hours. We made sure to bring some Lysol wipes so that we could wipe our hands after removing our gloves when leaving the store. We washed our hands and laundered our clothing when we got home. We spent time wiping our purchases with disinfectant wipes and washing fresh produce in soap and water.

Another thing that is stressing me is the thought of going back to work. I'm semi-retired, and only work 1-2 days per week. I still enjoy part time work, but I'm concerned that returning to work could make me ill or even prove fatal.

Bottom line: when we have to face leaving the safety of home, it's stressful.

Edit: I would be interested to know if stress level correlates with age. I'm 65, my wife is 64. I have a pre-existing condition. My mom is alive at 90 and my wife's dad is 92.

 

[TravelTime]

We should not have to go out for food at all and prescriptions are mailed by CVS and Humana Pharmacy. The only thing is if we develop a health condition which requires to get us to see a doctor, that would certainly increase our stress. As of now, everything we have scheduled is preventative and can be postponed for another year.

You may be the lucky ones then. I can‘t imagine not leaving my home for a year. It is not possible for most people. My DH will likely have to go back to working in the office as soon as SIP is lifted. My employees refuse to come back to the office and I am not the type to push them to do things they do not want to do. I am a softie in that regard. I know that many people put “safety behaviors” in place to reduce their anxiety. My question was more about how high is your anxiety/worry/stress given the normal necessary facts of life and the realistic risks. If people stay home for a year, then anxiety about getting sick and dying should be zero. But I would guess that a year long SIP/SAH will increase anxiety about possible financial losses and losing your job, unless you are retired. I know you are retired so, other than potential stock market losses and the golf course being closed, you can eliminate worry with staying at home for the next year. Believe it or not, I am not at all worried about the stock market losses. I have never been one to tie emotions to the stock market. My financial worries are only tied to the possibility of my small business going bankrupt. It is a very specific worry. But this week, my anxiety about that has eased and I am ready to accept whatever happens because it is uncontrollable.

 

[bluehende]

3 for my safety
7 for family safety
0.1 for financial.

 

[VacationForever]

But this week, my anxiety about that has eased and I am ready to accept whatever happens because it is uncontrollable.

Hakuna matata or que sera sera. I know you had said that you were thinking of retiring a year or 2 ago. If your business does indeed close, then you are retired. I know that is not how you want your business to end but in life, sometimes things don't go the way we have planned.

 

[heathpack]

I am not too worried or anxious about me personally. Not that I don’t think I could get sick and die- I know I could but the chances are low. Not that I’m not impacted financially- I know I likely (but not certainly) stay employed albeit with reduced income. We went from a very large privately owned veterinary hospital to a corporate owned practice a few years ago. So far I’ve been very impressed with the corporate response and what they’ve attempted to do for employees. But I’m also a big girl and full well understand if the business isn’t there, the coroporate generosity will end. Does that “worry” me? Not really. I understand and fully buy into the economic reality (both advantages and disadvantages) of the field I work in. There’s no magic pot of money out of which we (in vet med) are paid- we’re paid ultimately based on the revenue we generate. I’ve paid a lot of dues to get to the point where I’m a pretty valuable employee but if the economy dictates I’m not a good breadwinner anymore then my job is on the line. That’s just facts. I don’t want that to happen but if it does I’ll figure things out. So for me personally my worry level is a 1-2.

My biggest stress in all this honestly has been seeing the societal response. People politicizing things that aren’t political. People adamant they know more than people with years of expertise in infectious disease and epidemiology. People protesting vigorously if they themselves are asked to make even trivial at times sacrifices.

But the biggest thing that has just completely floored me in all this is a couple of my very religious friends have argued loudly and stridently for taking the approach of letting the virus run its course. It’s been really hard for me to hear the arguments *for* more deaths in order to preservation wealth, from people whose previous positions are pro-life in every way. Until hardship comes to their personal lives, I guess. Anyway that’s just been really hard to watch, I’d say my stress level over the societal response is around a 6-7.

 

[TravelTime]

Hakuna matata. I know you had said that you were thinking of retiring a year or 2 ago. If your business does indeed close, then you are retired. I know that is not how you want your business to end but in life, sometimes things don't go the way we have planned.

Yes, I am starting to accepted this to some degree. In all honesty, I had not yet decided about retiring early and had been thinking of continuing a few more years. I worry most about my employees and how they will feel when they learn the business is shutting down. Now I may not have a choice. If I can accept that, then a lot of my worries will be gone.

 

[WVBaker]

Anxiety and fear are cousins but not twins. Fear sees a threat. Anxiety imagines one.
Max Lucado