The second wave anxiety

2020 has been a year that everyone wants to forget, it has caused a lot of stress, worry, loneliness, suffering and it feels like the end is not quite in sight.

A year ago, we would have never imagined that we would be spending most of the year indoors, working from home, separated from our loved ones, and apprehensively waiting for some good news to appear. It feels like everywhere we turn the news is full of doom and gloom, constant restrictions forever changing, and it is overwhelming to say the least.

Having already been in ‘lockdown’ for over 2 months, it felt like the tides had started to change in a positive direction with social contact allowed from a distance, work places reopening and businesses starting to thrive again but now it feels like it has all come crashing down again. I started to feel more positive as the restrictions started to lift, it was nice to be back in the office, seeing family and friends again, generally everyone was noticing the positive effects of a slightly more ‘normal’ world.

I limit myself to time spent on social media and the news as I feel it is forever fear mongering us and I noticed it was heightening my anxiety and having a negative effect on my mental health. I notice people around me having the same fears, the uncertainty of the festive season looming, wondering if we will be able to spend it with family and friends? Will further restrictions be in place? It’s a confusing and scary time for all.

Loneliness is a rising problem in the UK and it feels like Covid-19 has brought this closer to the surface in people’s lives, if people are having to spend more of their days indoors it can be hard for them to get social interaction and talk to someone on a daily basis. The simplest things like a conversation with another becoming another restriction of the pandemic.

It feels like our "normal" social interactions have become a thing of the past and we are having to get use to the 'new norm’. Will things go back to how they were? Do we want things to go back to how they use to be? Maybe It can offer us an opportunity to really think about what is important to us in life, it can give us a time to slow down and can make us realise what we are grateful for in our lives.

We have to remember during these hard times to take care of ourselves, recognise when we need support and ask for help or reach out if we are struggling, we are all in this together and will overcome this together.