Couple of pints in the pub, and start an MA or MPhil in Eng. Lit.
Martin Humphreys
4 years ago
I’m half-American and live in America, but this article has made me wish desperately that I could return to England and see more of it.
hfdileo
4 years ago
“Health anxiety is hugely inflamed by media coverage. So, with a disease like coronavirus ” which has achieved ubiquity like no other news story in recent years ” it is easy for it to infect our minds even as our bodies remain healthy.” Beautifully put, Ed, and thank you for the candour with which you write about your experience. For an interesting read, try “Why Do People Get Ill?: Exploring the Mind-body Connection” by Darian Leader and David Corfield. Or for light relief, read “Three Men in a Boat” by Jerome K. Jerome and console yourself that you are not and have never been alone in your concerns. As an extra observation, it worries me (I’m a psychotherapist BTW) that one of the Government’s strap-lines for raising awareness about coronavirus is “Act like you’ve got it. Anyone can spread it.” This encouragement of a change of perspective is admittedly designed to change the mindset of those who don’t think about whether they might be a risk to others, but in the context of your article, runs the risk potentially of creating within someone who is not infected (and therefore not contagious) the fear, terror and belief that they might be, or inevitably will become so. This can lead to somatisation, where the mental and psychological distress causes physical symptoms, as well as heightening levels of distress as you have described. We need to be so very careful with ourselves, especially now.
Jon Bosart
4 years ago
Have to agree with the general sentiments of Polly and Justin. As a previous inveterate traveller, with the restrictions of movement, social distancing and all that entails, the situation has thrown up certain truths. Ones that were shoved to the back of the mind as one struggled through yet another airport security, checking yet again for the train or plane times and which darned platform was it on anyway, would it be on time, would I manage the connection . . .?
Rushing along, rush, rush, rush, caught up in the torrential maelstrom of bustling humanity, not distancing, but bumped repeatedly against the hard uncaring bubble of their important world, business or even holiday chaos, pushing you aside, rush, rush, rush!
What a joy therefore to walk out to my local golf course just the other day and after walking (not playing) 2 holes (this, for my one hour of allowed exercise), I felt I was in a parallel universe, surreal and somehow different, and then I stopped.
I stood in total, utter silence! No hum of distant traffic, no noisy rushing people – just – me.
Well I may be one of the vulnerable ones with underlying goodness knows what, with age related parts wearing out, faulty bits here and there, but that day, for me – Well, I’ve never felt so alive!
Maybe we all need a lock-down every so often, just to re-align who and what we are – it’s better than any holiday I can remember!
And for those contributors who still want to DO something – maybe do an update piece, one year from now. My advice? Live the life – You’ve written about it, so don’t waste the thought – do it!
You’re allowed to take as much exercise as you like. The legislation makes no mention of limits. https://www.legislation.gov…
bethannmacmillan
4 years ago
Be alone! Trapped with one person (my husband) in the house is driving me nuts!
andy thompson
4 years ago
Get drunk in Spoons and moan about all the families stuffing their faces with cheap steak and frozen chips; like its a pub not a family restaurant with a bar! (which is exactly what it is)
Couple of pints in the pub, and start an MA or MPhil in Eng. Lit.
I’m half-American and live in America, but this article has made me wish desperately that I could return to England and see more of it.
“Health anxiety is hugely inflamed by media coverage. So, with a disease
like coronavirus ” which has achieved ubiquity like no other news story
in recent years ” it is easy for it to infect our minds even as our
bodies remain healthy.” Beautifully put, Ed, and thank you for the candour with which you write about your experience. For an interesting read, try “Why Do People Get Ill?: Exploring the Mind-body Connection” by Darian Leader and David Corfield. Or for light relief, read “Three Men in a Boat” by Jerome K. Jerome and console yourself that you are not and have never been alone in your concerns. As an extra observation, it worries me (I’m a psychotherapist BTW) that one of the Government’s strap-lines for raising awareness about coronavirus is “Act like you’ve got it. Anyone can spread it.” This encouragement of a change of perspective is admittedly designed to change the mindset of those who don’t think about whether they might be a risk to others, but in the context of your article, runs the risk potentially of creating within someone who is not infected (and therefore not contagious) the fear, terror and belief that they might be, or inevitably will become so. This can lead to somatisation, where the mental and psychological distress causes physical symptoms, as well as heightening levels of distress as you have described. We need to be so very careful with ourselves, especially now.
Have to agree with the general sentiments of Polly and Justin.
As a previous inveterate traveller, with the restrictions of movement, social distancing and all that entails, the situation has thrown up certain truths. Ones that were shoved to the back of the mind as one struggled through yet another airport security, checking yet again for the train or plane times and which darned platform was it on anyway, would it be on time, would I manage the connection . . .?
Rushing along, rush, rush, rush, caught up in the torrential maelstrom of bustling humanity, not distancing, but bumped repeatedly against the hard uncaring bubble of their important world, business or even holiday chaos, pushing you aside, rush, rush, rush!
What a joy therefore to walk out to my local golf course just the other day and after walking (not playing) 2 holes (this, for my one hour of allowed exercise), I felt I was in a parallel universe, surreal and somehow different, and then I stopped.
I stood in total, utter silence! No hum of distant traffic, no noisy rushing people – just – me.
Well I may be one of the vulnerable ones with underlying goodness knows what, with age related parts wearing out, faulty bits here and there, but that day, for me – Well, I’ve never felt so alive!
Maybe we all need a lock-down every so often, just to re-align who and what we are – it’s better than any holiday I can remember!
And for those contributors who still want to DO something – maybe do an update piece, one year from now. My advice? Live the life – You’ve written about it, so don’t waste the thought – do it!
You’re allowed to take as much exercise as you like. The legislation makes no mention of limits.
https://www.legislation.gov…
Be alone! Trapped with one person (my husband) in the house is driving me nuts!
Get drunk in Spoons and moan about all the families stuffing their faces with cheap steak and frozen chips; like its a pub not a family restaurant with a bar! (which is exactly what it is)