Health and Sanity Check-Ins

[sprocketta]

Things are crazy now. I think we are all trying to stay healthy and maintain sanity as well. I thought I would start this thread so folks can check in and discuss how they're doing. I want all my BIC friends to be okay. I will kick this off with a first post. Take care of yourself lovelies.

[fatimamummy]

@KehDee  I’m sorry to hear you aren’t feeling well since last night, I hope you feel better soon. At the same time I am glad that mentally you are at a good place. Take care & stay safe.

[ather]

@KehDee  I’m glad your spirits are high during all of this!!!

[sprocketta]

@KehDee glad you're managing okay. Watch your health carefully.

[yuline]

@sprocketta I’m glad you created this thread for everyone to supporteach other and to share their thoughts and personal experiencesaboutthis crisis that is facing ourcountry. It means a lot to me since I am a frontline worker near NYC and I had a mini panic attack along withinsomnia this am shortly before I’m about to head out to work and made a randompost under my own thread outside here. I had serious thoughts first ever about quitting my job because I let my fears temporarily get the best of me today. Maybe my posts about theactualreality of the situation are too serious to be appropriate for BIC which tries to keep everything lighthearted but I also suspect someone on BIC is marking my posts on covid-19 as spam. I just had my latest post removed again within minutes of posting. I know some people just quietly disappear from BIC but I wanted to say a sort of proper goodbye. I am very much impacted by covid-19. The situation is not only physically exhausting but mentally as well.

[itscarin]

@yuline Thank you for your service and stay safe!  That’s garbage your posts are being deleted because whatever you’re writing is valid and deserves to be seen. The world really needs ppl like you right now. I hope you get back all the good energy you’re putting out!

[sprocketta]

@yuline thank you for your bravery and commitment. We are lucky to have front line workers who overcome their fear for the greater good. I'm sorry this is such a difficult time for you. You are a rock star!

[curlychiquita]

@yuline, thank you for being  on the front lines.  I can only imagine how stressful it is.  Thank you for keeping on.  We're very thankful for you.

[pocketvenus]

@yuline I'm sorry you're having a rough time. Every frontline worker I know is dealing with extra high levels of stress, anxiety, insomnia, and you are not alone. I hope connecting with others on BIC helps ❤️

[fatimamummy]

@yuline  I’m sorry this is happening to you and it shouldn’t. It takes lots of courage and selflessness to work on frontline given the news coming about NYC. If you have or had the thought of quitting you shouldn’t feel guilty about it. It is just human to be scared of the obvious. Sending lots of love and prayer your way. Stay safe and keep connected.

[gingerleigh]

Guys don't go out without treating every outing like it could turn into an emergency. Just a reminder to be prepared for anything! Don't be like me on Tuesday when I drove to a nearby town to help a family member get stocked up on groceries and supplies... I made some very wrong moves that were totally avoidable during this trip.

I had to take a car ferry to get into Kitsap County from Edmonds WA, drove down the peninsula, got all my errands done, so that was great. Unfortunately on the way back, my car's water pump went out and my car overheated and died.

--Had to wait for tow to respectable shop I know in the area, but it was in the next town down from where the car broke. Ate up valuable time.

--10 minutes too late to rent a car and save myself a lot of exposure

--Had to go in tow truck to drop car after hours at the shop

--Had to Uber to the ferry terminal

--Missed ferry by about 4 minutes, had to sit in waiting area for 1 hr 50 minutes, til the next ferry

--Had to go on the ferry of course

--Dumped off in downtown Seattle after 8 pm, everything closed, raining, underdressed, and my phone died. 38% to totally dead, and all I did was a little texting. I even had it on super power saving mode.

--Had to walk around deserted waterfront til I found the one restaurant open (as a takeaway window only)

--Begged them to call me a taxi

--$65 taxi to get home plus a little more exposure

Things I wished I had had with me:

-backup battery pack

-full charger with brick to plug in, instead of just my useless car charger

-umbrella

-coat hat and gloves (the day started nice)

-my medical/presciption stuff, so I didn't have to go home necessarily

-rental car in the first place, since I knew my car is nearing end-of-life. I've been preparing to give it away to a family member as a grocery-and-errand-only vehicle, (as soon as they get a driver's license) because that is all it should be used for anymore. I got a false sense of security about my car from the last maintenance I had done, where the mechanics said everything looked great. 😞

It's been almost a week and I am feeling fine but I also feel like an idiot, and I have something like survivor guilt too. Why shouldn't I get sick after doing all that. Why are other people getting sick, is it all just chance? So awful.

Please do stay safe out there everyone!

[Sunnysmom]

Just saw this @gingerleigh wow sounds to me like you had an amazing, level, calm head throughout your ordeal and handled it all so well. I think I may have crumpled up and had a good little pity party for myself and you were so strong. You came through it like a champ I’d say! 😘😘

[gingerleigh]

Thank you @Sunnysmom that is so nice of you to say. I have to admit my voice was wavering when I was asking the lady to call me a cab. Usually when I get off that ferry, there is a line of taxis just waiting for a fare, but that night there was not even one. I guess there hasn't been enough pedestrian traffic for them to bother waiting around.

[Sunnysmom]

That would definitely be unnerving @gingerleigh . What a wild weird time this all is. Thinking good thoughts for all as we navigate through this. 

[LCResz]

@gingerleigh @Hope you and your family are doing as best as you can under the circumstances. You’re right, the randomness of everything makes you wonder what it all really means, but maybe we’re all here to pay it forward. Wishing you and yours continued good health! 

[fatimamummy]

You went through so much have stress you shouldn’t be having any survivors guilt. I’m glad you finally made it home safely @gingerleigh 

[gingerleigh]

Thanks so much @fatimamummy and @LCResz for the well wishes, I appreciate them! Hope you and your families will all stay healthy too.

[gingerleigh]

Thank you @sprocketta @heartsmyface @curlychiquita  -- I'm glad I made it back okay, wandering around in a dark, deserted downtown Seattle was creepy, I mean there was almost no one around. I hope someone will be helped to be prepared in the future, by me posting about how that day just got worse and worse. And I hope you will all stay healthy through this time.

[treestar86]

@gingerleigh  what a crappy night! 😞  that reminds me of the time I went into get a few groceries, got more than I should have, and when I came out it was pouring, and thanks to the wonderful plastic bag ban, my paper bag broke before I could get back to my bike.  I made it to the bus stop and sat there for a while wanting to cry and scream lol 😞  and thought I'd just have to leave my food at the bus stop...but it finally stopped raining, and I was able to cram most of it into my basket and get home.  so yeah, now I have to remember to carry those huge heavy duty reusable bags, lol fun!

I've also been meaning to get a cheap prepaid phone, cuz I think they last longer w/o charging.  might be good to have, especially if you're taking a trip and everything's closed (and there are no pay phones anymore, sadly...).

[gingerleigh]

That definitely spiraled out of control for you @treestar86. I can understand the frustration totally. Aww!

[heartsmyface]

@gingerleigh  Survivors guilt?  I think you’ve suffered enough!  That sound a like the most dreadful chain of events!  I’m glad you made it back in one piece. 

[curlychiquita]

Oh no, @gingerleigh, what a nightmare ☹️. I'm glad you're ok! ♥️