Dear LPG,

I just want to ask a question that I was asked when my friend called me the other day.  She asked, ‘are you one of those people that will use any excuse to not go out these days; like it’s raining or my parcel might come today.’   I am wondering if there are any other readers who have experienced this particular aspect of lockdown fallout that I have heard called FOGO or ‘Fear of going out’.

I always thought of myself as your average pensioner because like most, after wondering exactly what I was going to do with my retirement.  I started out spending a lot of time missing my workmates who were still busy working all week.  I think that this must happen to quite a few people, particularly if they live alone when they find themselves facing this quite major life change.  But gradually, I found myself visiting a day centre or two and making a few friends there. In fact, I couldn’t believe how busy life got before I knew it.  

Then came the dreaded Covid-19 and that advice to stay at home as much as possible.  We all got told that we would be safer at home, especially us older people and for me it started all over again.  I found it really hard to be stuck at home again at first but with electronic video calling, television and other distractions I got used to all that quite quickly.  But now that we are being encourage to get out again I am not finding it at all easy.

I have been to the shops a bit more often than usual and still take my mask with me.  I really breathe out when I get home and continue to talk to my friends a lot more by phone rather than in person.  I still do my exercise class on zoom and dread the day that they decide that they stop all that and return to face to face sessions for everyone.   I have not had any visitors since we have been told it is safe and, in spite of a light bulb that my neighbour would have changed for me if I asked, I have not.

I am wondering why I am choosing to be a bit of a recluse even though we have been given the official ‘all clear’.  Is it because I am still worried about what is out there that I could catch, because I have had a whole year and a half to become really lazy or because I have become a bit of an Agoraphobic.

Now that I have taken a look, I thought it might be a good idea to share some of the solutions and other information I have found so that anyone who has read my message and feels the same can take a look at what the internet has to say about getting back out there.

VM, Surrey

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