When lockdown affects the mind, home becomes a prison with no way out.
So, we are still in lockdown and whilst restrictions are beginning to ease little by little, the same cannot be said for the mental health problems of the many that are overwhelmed by them.
People are still isolated in their homes, either self-isolating as a result of the virus or underlying health conditions. Whilst some are in the neighbourhood, others are in remote places. And it’s those who are cut off from people and vital services which they need and in these times of self-isolation home can become more of a prison than a place of comfort.
For those who know people living with mental health problems, this is all too familiar territory, for those who don’t let me try and explain it in a simplistic way; You have spent many days, weeks, months even dealing with issues such as anxiety, depression and other dark thoughts, in that time you have had access to various services which offer much-needed support. Also, you have enjoyed regular contact with friends and family who are further away as you have been able to go out and
see them, and they travel to see you and so on. Overall, you have been making very good progress and gradually you’ve been rather well in regards to where you are with your mental health state.
However, since lockdown, it all comes to a sudden halt as you can longer go out to see friends and family, they can’t travel to you and you can no longer access vital mental health services so easily. You find yourself no longer being able to go out, you don’t know how people in your social circle are as you are unable to contact many or all of them. And because you can’t go out the one place which was once a calm and peaceful sanctuary is slowly becoming more of a prison. Slowly but surely your become more and more overwhelmed by a deep, deep darkness that you feel you cannot escape from. It becomes a nightmare all over again.
And that is just a small number of ways in which the lockdown can affect the state of mental health.
But there is a way in which we can start helping each other and one of those ways is by keeping in contact on a regular basis. Message through Facebook, pick up the phone, email or better still just knock on the front door and say Hi. Just remember to keep the 2-metre distance. It’s the small things like this which can make all the difference, and for those with mental health issues it can mean all the difference feeling alone to showing them someone’s there, regardless of distance.
