'I feel my life is being sapped away': Scots reveal how they've dealt with nearly 10 months of Covid restrictions

The last 10 months have been some of the toughest we’ve had to endure as a nation in living memory.

We've seen businesses close, loved ones pass away, mass redundancies, children home schooled and countless other hardships. But with the end now hopefully in sight we wanted to hear from you, our readers, to find out your experiences of the pandemic.

So we posed the question on The Scotsman’s Facebook page and we were flooded with responses.

Alexandra Negrea is one of many who are feeling bleak, having seen businesses suffer from lockdowns and restrictions: "I'm the owner of a small pub with rooms in the Cairngorms. There’s no money, no help, no socialising, and no future in sight. The independent hospitality industry is finished.”

The people of Scotland have been living through difficult times since March 2020

Meanwhile, Joanna Ka has joined the thousands now looking for a new job: "I have been made redundant and am considering selling the car now. I’m currently living on £380, having never been without work before.”

Even those who weren’t badly impacted by the initial lockdown are now feeling the strain. Gerard Keegan said: “Coped well but this latest turn of events has really got to me. At 65 every day is precious and I feel my life is being sapped away, principally because of Government incompetence and mismanagement.”

Others are trying to take a more positive view of the restrictions, focusing on the sliver linings. Gillian Smith said: “I have been on lockdown since March 17 and was isolating for a lot of that time. I can’t complain as I’ve been able to work from home and keep in touch via Teams so I’ve enjoyed it. I love working from home! I hope it continues for a while longer personally!”

Mike Scales is also looking on the bright side: “It’s been easy. I retired in January and although I had to cancel multiple holidays and gigs I just focused on the house and got tons of work done that I was planning for 2021 and 2022.”

Maintaining a sense of humour certainly seems to be a priority for many. Carla Belekiawicziute said: “I’ve been a homeworker for three years and an Open University student for the last eight so little has really changed for me. On the other hand, having the family home every day is not going down well with me or the dog!”

Finally, Tom Hamilton is certainly staying positive: “Brilliant. The drink has been flowing whenever required and I’m getting well paid to sit in the house. Absolutely loving it.”