Coronavirus and Mental Health

For nearly all of us, this is the first time we are being placed under house arrest by the government. I am sure with this lockdown; we all know the rules about when we are allowed to leave our homes.

The “stay at home” rules are everywhere from the internet to advertising boards. You cannot even switch on your TV without hearing the effects of the coronavirus. Yes, this virus affects your physical health, but it also affects your mental health also.

Almost everyone is used to going out almost everyday to go work, see friends and to have some food, but not every job allows you to work from home. Office related jobs mostly allow you to work from home, and a large amount of the population do have office jobs, so plenty of stress will be created by this lockdown, and we all know stress is the worst thing for your mental health.

The first and most important way that this virus can affect your mental health is due to affecting your finances. If you are not a key worker or you are unable to work from home, you will be earning little to no money at all.

This can lead to lots of stress and uncertainty about being able to pay your bills, as they still have to be payed even though we are in lockdown. Rent can be delayed due to the coronavirus, but for the rest of your bills, it is all down to the discretion of the companies you are paying the bills too.

There is also a lot of job uncertainty, as people could lose their jobs which will cause a lot of stress and possibly depression. One of the worst things in life is not having a source of income to survive on, and because you are unable to provide for your family, you will lose your sense of value.

The second way our mental health is impacted is due to our loss of freedom. Before this lockdown, we were able to leave our homes and go anywhere to have fun, and for lots of extroverts, their source of joy was ruined.

Some people live for socialising in pubs and clubs, so losing that access can throw them into a state of depression, as they can’t have fun and not everyone is able to just stay at home all day. Due to certain individuals having the need to go to work and socialise. It allows them to avoid being miserable inside their homes, as not everyone has an amazing home life.

Certain individuals are also trapped in a foreign country, far away from home and are unable to get back to their home countries. This will also add further mental stress, as they miss their families and friends and their home country, as it is stressful being stuck in a place and not knowing how you are getting back home.

The third way is due to a lack of physical contact, which us as human beings thrive upon as we are social beings. Sure, we can use technology to see our friends, but for some people that is just simply not enough as they need the physical interaction too.

If you are in lockdown away from your lover, that can put strain on your relationship and be a source of stress. If you live alone and have to do things yourself with no help from others, even though you can talk to people, you will still feel lonely without the physical presence of someone there. We need touch and company.

Hopefully, in the next 2 months these lockdown restrictions can be lifted, and life can go back to normal.

By Rajay Walker