Things that frustrated me most about the pandemic

2020 was a very interesting year, to say the least. It held many happy moments, quite a few shocking ones and some really emotional ones. I don’t quite think that any of us will ever really live down that year! For me, personally, it was a good year despite the pandemic. Although, there were quite a few moments that had me feeling frustrated. I don’t regret anything that happened, because everything we go through is a learning curve. I do wish that my mood had stayed consistent throughout the year, but that is merely wishful thinking. No one’s mood can stay consistent for that long!

Since this may be the very last month we get to milk the heck out of 2020, I’ve decided to share my frustrations with you. I can’t promise that this will be the last time you hear of the year, but for now let’s assume it is.

Here’s what frustrated me most about the 2020 pandemic:

No takeout

This one is definitely a ‘first world problem’ considering that it was for the safety of the restaurant employees. Hmmm… is it still a first world problem if you live in a third world country? Anyways, I get it, I really do, but that didn’t make it any easier to internalize. You see, I’m all about takeout… It’s easy, convenient, and can be healthy if you are selective of where you order from. Living with my dad, we had to cook every single meal that we ate, save on special occasions. And that often meant cooking for more than ten people at once! So obviously it got boring very fast – but I digress.

Safety – yes, that’s where we were. I know it was to keep the restaurant staff safe from the virus. But what I couldn’t figure out was if the grocery stores were open, why couldn’t they sell hot food? Having a toddler home while still trying to work a very demanding job was tough was rough. I’m not proud of it, but I found myself serving yogurt or fruits as meals because I just didn’t have the time!

I was quite happy to stay indoors indefinitely, but it would’ve been nice if I could’ve ordered some sushi with it.

People trying to touch my daughter in the middle of a pandemic

I did try to keep my daughter home for the most part. But there were times when I had to take her out with me. In those times, there was almost always someone who tried to test my patience. One thing I have never quite understood is why people think that they can just walk up to a stranger’s child and attempt to pick her up. Now add a pandemic to that and you will have one hellish mama!

In case you were wondering, my daughter, is the only person I would kill for. So every time I saw someone try to touch her face, play with her hair, or even pick her up, the monster in me awakened. Now that life is slowly going back to normal, I find this happening a whole lot more. And with every new attempt, I become more and more irritated and vocal. Leave my child alone!

Level 5 pandemic restrictions

Level 5 of lockdown was the hardest for me to deal with. It wasn’t because I couldn’t see my friends… I barely have any here in South Africa. It wasn’t because my husband and I couldn’t go on date nights… We both prefer staying indoors anyway. What I struggled with most was that my routine was thrown off. For someone whose emotions are easily rocked, I struggled with how everything changed overnight to become a never-ending weekend.

If you don’t already know, I have a toxic relationship with food – surprise! I’ve been able to keep it under control by exercising quite a bit and staying busy, but the unavoidable pandemic caused me to take a few steps backward. Many of you might think I’m being dramatic, but this was probably the hardest challenge I ever had to face. With no exercise to turn to, I felt the insecurities with my body come back with full force. On any other day, my busy days would have kept me moving, but in the heart of the pandemic, the most exercise I got was the walk from the couch to the loo, or to the kitchen. On top of that, my husband and I had just moved to a one-bedroom apartment just a week before the lockdown was imposed!

My personal projects were put on hold

Many small business owners were forced to close down for the pandemic, and I really do feel bad for them. On the flip side, when you are a consumer that relies on these businesses, things can get frustrating! One particular project that my husband and I had going on was building our first home. Knowing that our project was put on hold with no definite conclusion date was a difficult pill to swallow. I found myself feeling more and more anxious with each passing day.

We had also conveniently downgraded our rental place to a tiny one-bedroom apartment. Under normal circumstances, just having somewhere to sleep at night was more than enough. But when you literally have to spend twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week in a space large enough for just a bed and a couch, it gets rough. And to make matters worse, we were still paying the mortgage on a half-built property while paying rent!

Being the statistic in the pandemic

This one really sucked. It was not fun at all, and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy! Catching CoVID-19 was bound to happen, but how we got it was something that frustrated me. We had been very diligent with staying indoors and avoiding contact with other people. We even ordered our groceries online to avoid going anywhere! But that didn’t keep us safe from those vicious germs.

Compared to many people around the globe, I do think that we were lucky enough to have mild symptoms. Trust me, I do not take that for granted. But when you do everything right, and still get it, that is really annoying! I think what frustrates me most is that some people don’t follow the necessary precautions because they aren’t afraid of getting ill. What they forget is that they can make others ill who may not react as well to it! So even after getting CoVID-19, here I am wearing masks and depleting my natural body oils with sanitiser. And guess what; it’s not for me, it’s for the other people who might not react so well to the virus!

I realise now that my blood is beginning to boil, so I’ll stop the rant here and leave the floor to you.

What are some things that frustrated you during the pandemic? What are some things you wish you could tell strangers?