CLOSER NEWS REPORT
A recent survey revealed that two-thirds of Brits feel their mental health hasn’t been the same since Covid. During Mental Health Awareness Week, Closer speaks to one woman who first suffered anxiety during lockdown and is still struggling…
A quick glance at Natasha Howells’* Instagram page shows her enjoying nights out with friends and smiling on holiday with a cocktail in hand.
What you won’t see in those pictures is that Natasha, 39, suffers from anxiety – and has done since lockdown rules were enforced in March 2020.
Natasha, who lives with her husband Simon*, 48, in Manchester, says, “I’ve lost count of the times I’ve said that I was last truly happy in 2019. I often say it light-heartedly, but I mean it. Life pre-pandemic was fun and while there were inevitable stresses, it was generally care-free. Then the pandemic hit, and everything changed.
STRUGGLING
“Even when restrictions eased, we were faced with war in Europe and a cost-of-living crisis. There’s so much to worry about now.”
A report published by the British Medical Journal said that Covid’s impact on some people’s wellbeing was “minimal” at best. However, many disagreed. In fact, a survey from the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy found that two-thirds of Brits say their mental health hasn’t been the same since the pandemic.
The cost-of-living crisis has had a huge impact on people’s state of mind too. This week, mental health charity Mind revealed that nearly half of people in England and Wales have been negatively affected by the crisis, rising to nearly three-quarters for those with existing mental health problems.
Julie Cameron, Associate Director at Mental Health Foundation, says, “Anxiety is a part of life, and we will all experience it. Living through the Covid-19 pandemic, or struggling with the increased cost of living, has caused many people to experience anxiety, but it becomes a more serious mental health problem when it is long-term or interferes with our lives. Healthy coping mechanisms can help us to manage this.
“We hope that by having a national conversation about anxiety during Mental Health Awareness Week, people will better understand how anxiety is affecting them, what they can do to help manage it and feel more comfortable in seeking support.”
Natasha hadn’t struggled with mental health pre-pandemic. She says, “My life used to be nice dinners with friends, holidays and weekends away. I’ve got a quite a robust character and even though I have a busy, full-on job, I could switch off pretty easily.”
When lockdown hit, Natasha went from working in an office for her HR job to being completely remote. Although this wasn’t an issue at first, as the months passed, she struggled.
