My last blog post was about being a Mama during Covid and the challenges it created for me at the time. But after writing it it kept playing on my mind...
I’ve had so many mental health changes recently it’s hard to know what triggered them. Was it becoming a Mama, PPD or was it simply to do with how we experienced and survived a GLOBAL PANDEMIC which shifted and changed our social norms.
So this blog post is for my non-Mama readers because Covid and the lockdowns through the height of the pandemic had a significant impact on everyone’s mental health.
Living in a state of fear, stress and anxiety for as long as we did was horrific. All scared to lose loved ones, to be the one that could pass on germs to anyone vulnerable and the consequences of doing so. I don’t know how many of you feel as I do but I feel as though my body and mind got used to that constant anxiety and got into the habit of living in that state. I have found it so much harder to cope with everyday set backs as I feel the lockdowns burnt me out and I’m still recovering.
Keeping up the theme of Covid habits developing that I haven’t broken out of - I want to touch on isolation. The lockdowns meant we had to stay at home to keep as many people safe. But I have kept myself isolated a lot longer than required. Does anyone else remember being a lot more extroverted prior to Lockdown? I feel like I lost my ability to socialise because I didn’t keep exercising that skill.
I recon the chronic stress caused by the pandemic and lockdowns may lead to a lot of long-term mental health problems, while the focus on mental health seems to be getting a lot more attention, it is still not where it needs to be to help. So, always make sure you are checking in on your pals, even now.
One last thing I find myself feeling post lockdown - The fact that the whole thing was like something straight out of a movie. It was so unimaginable and so far removed from reality and yet we lived it… That fact alone has created so much uncertainty in every aspect of life. It almost seems like anything is possible now, but not the positive way! I certainly couldn’t watch The Last Of Us without thinking “oh fuck this could happen” which is the complete opposite of what I used to tell myself while watching scary shit. My mantra was “it’s impossible so no need to be scared”… Well, now I’m not so sure about impossible.
There were also positives to come out of Covid, don’t get me wrong. It's just that I'm always in search for answers about why I feel the way I do about things. I have no idea if it was Covid or becoming a mother or a combination of both that destroyed my ability to control my anxiety and to socialise. I also don't know if it's temporary or a permanent thing... What I do know is that although I'm moaning it’s only to make sure you know that if you feel this way too, you aren’t alone in those emotions if you are finding it hard to recover.
As always, please reach out if you feel lonely or want to put forward a topic for me to cover! And follow @ginidunwell on Instagram (link at the top of the page) if you want some lighthearted comedy and insights ♥️
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