Do You Think Losing Friends Anc Acquaintances Can Have Some Bearing On Your Mental Heslth

[Bobbisox1]

I’ve always been a glass half full person but lately I’m feeling very down , I have lost quite a few people only in the last few months and another a year ago through COVID , I’d think it’s around 6/7 of my friends and acquaintances have passed away within a short time of one another, I’m looking at my own mortality more at 75,something that would never have entered my head only a few months ago , does anyone else feel the last two years have taken their toll on us?

[pixie374]

Yes, I'm sorry.... my own concept of "old" may be different from how people feel!

Is it time then, to go back to normal, and stop the influx of statistics... and hope everyone has absorbed what they can, from the News? It seems odd, that the people we are apparently "protecting" are finding it the hardest.

[Redhelen72]

Absolutely I have lost 3 very dear friends and it has certainly taken a toll on my mental health

[Sqad]

This looks like a female thing.

You play the cards that you are dealt and life is all about how one plays them.

This leads to various categories of people of which I will not name as I am not a Psychiatrist.

No the last 2 years haven't bothered for various reasons and no my mental health hasn't been affected , but I can understand how it could affect certain emotional and fragile psychological types.

We are all going to die and no I do not consider my mortality.

Get on with life and just play your hand.

[Redhelen72]

Lol I have never been called fragile - thanks Sqad!
I don’t question my own mortality I suppose my reasoning is very selfish, I miss my dear friends and our chats and laughs and *itching sessions

[pixie374]

"Emotional and fragile"... tbf, sqad, this is normal human behaviour when you lose someone, or are worried about it.

[Old_Geezer]

Maybe. YouTube has been recommending lots of NDE videos for me lately ;-)

(Not taking the hint though.)

[pastafreak]

"Emotional and fragile types" sounds astonishingly condescending.

[gness]

Emotional and fragile! Me!! Most answers are from females, Sqad because most of the women on AB....most not all....can chat back and forwards without bickering.

Thought I'd had a boost from toyboy. He's bought two new sets of saucepans. Gness...can you get out all the old saucepans from the two low cupboards. Ahhhh....so I'm fitter and more supple than you?.....No....you're just a lot nearer to the floor than I am. :-(

[Bobbisox1]

well I can only say (to Mrs Cheese) if shes around, far from dismissing my worries , all the answers here have been rather reassuring

[sunny-dave]

The thing I'd say is that I have profound gratitude to whatever fates brought us here as a couple - I'd hate to have gone through the last two years on my own and I know gness agrees with me on that.

'Fragility' is not a man/woman thing - it can hit anyone at any time - last night it was me that was having a mope (dreary day yesterday and a dreary looking week/month ahead) - but having someone to gently edge you back into positivity is beyond price.

Next time it may well be the other way round - so far we've avoided both hitting the buffers on the same day - but even if we did, at least the tendency to dwell on bad things is far less than if I was flying solo, like so many people at the moment.

[pixie374]

Exactly dave, and so glad you are both happy:-) I worried about you lol. I don't have a partner, but my sister is very close by... I think I would feel very differently, if I was properly isolated, or didn't get on.
We recently had to have just 10 days off work, and both of us went downhill fast, tbh. Much better now we have gone back.

[gness]

You've no idea how many people worried about Dave, Pixie.
You're going to live in the wild west of Ireland with....Gness!!!!!

[pixie374]

Lol... he sounds ok... ? I thought you might be making dolls of him... x

[gness]

Proving difficult to get that much wax, Pixie. ;-)

[pixie374]

Lol!

[gness]

Had to google NDE video, OG. Will I be getting them now?

[jourdain2]

Yes, both of us have aged disproportionately both mentally and physically.

[barry1010]

Of course it does, Bobbi. It is hard to say our last goodbyes to good friends, and can be a shock to hear of the death of our acquaintances.

As we get older the fewer friends of our generation are left. Parents gone, maybe siblings and cousins, too. We lose our support network bit by bit and it is hard to come to terms with

[jennyjoan]

I will reading your posts soon but before I do - yes the last two years have taken two years off us and it has had a bearing on our mental health. My two lovely feisty headed friends have died one 4 years ago and the other 6 months ago and it feels like a year. They came to me on christmas day and I really missed their craic and music.

Also two friends I thought had fallen out with me but thank goodness all is good there as I couldn't stand it cos I didn't know what for. Another sent me a Christmas card and mentioned the 3 year loss of our friendship and what a mix-up of what she thought and I thought. Haven't seen each other yet but we will do.

Because of this I am also a little light headed as I do love my friends. When I get together with each of them (they're not friends together) we have the greatest laugh. Can't wait for that.

That's my answer Bobbs

[Bobbisox1]

And a lovely answer it is JJ xx