Improved mental health during pandemic

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I read a lot on here about the supposed mental health crisis, and saying how awful the pandemic is for school children.

I disagree with the blanket assumption that everyone’s mental health has suffered. Months of lockdown improved my mental health hugely, so much more space and peace, and so much less stress than usual.

We have students returning to (secondary)school this week after their second or third stretch if 10 days isolation since Easter. Some are pleased to be back. Many preferred home learning, and made more progress working at home, including ones with no internet, just using good old fashioned text books, like we used to

There has been a lot said about rises in the suicide rate, but all the local data I’ve seen suggests it had fallen, not risen, locally over the pandemic time

I’m sure some children hate lock down, and some people do have mental health problems. But I don’t think it’s universal, by any means

I agree. The lockdown has had positives and negatives.

The main one for me was evaluating what really mattered and whether I was socialising for the sake of it

I agree for me it’s been positive - less time commuting has meant more time for exercise, spending more time with DC, and generally less stress.

I also don’t cope well with noise & struggled in our large, loud open plan office so my working day is much calmer at home.

I’ve also joined a sports club I could never make before Covid due to a long commute

It’s nice to hear that others have also found it has had positives

If lockdown and a change in lifestyles have changed your life for the better, that’s fantastic. I’m envious!

I exercise less - walking to and from the train station, going to the gym on my way home and sometimes cycling or running to work was my exercise, which I now have to carve out of another chunk of time. Same for reading, music, podcasts - I used to listen when I exercised, now there is never any time for that. Working a few metres from the fridge means it takes a lot of effort not to snack, whereas I used to take a healthy packed lunch to work and that would be it. I loved socialising in the evenings, after work. and I miss that desperately.

It definitely hasn't been bad for everyone. I don't have MH issues but I've found it depressing personally. I've never been a homebody though and "pottering in the house and garden" is my idea of boring hell!

My work colleague has loved lockdowns though as she hates spending time with her partner's family and it was the perfect excuse not to!

I guess it depends on your living situation - my mental health suffered because it became illegal for me to see my partner indoors for most of the past 18 months (both in houseshares)- it out such a strain on our relationship constantly working out how far we were able to bend the rules in order to see one another that we ended up breaking up earlier this year. So Ive been very anxious and depressed, suicidal at times.

I also lived in a house that was pretty small with no outside space with two strangers, so those were tense relationships too, I didn't see my family for months on end and worked from home from my bed because our house didn't have a living room. So that wasn't relaxing and was way more stressful than going to my workplace and seeing people every day.
I think that whether your mental health has improved or not depends a lot on your economic and relationship circumstances - I imagine if I was married and living in a nice house with a garden I would have had a lovely time!

Well, I’m in a small flat, we ithout a garden, and SF Kent one lockdown completely alone with no human contact, and the third lockdown crammed in with 2 teenagers. I enjoyed both. Although maybe the first one was more relaxing

My mental health is exactly the same. Overall there have been more negatives than positives, but not enough to shift my general level of wellbeing.

Sorry! Typos on my phone.’ I spent one lockdown…… ‘
not ‘I sf Kent one lockdown’

Well of course not everyone is going to have been affected the same way.

There absolutely is a mental health crisis though. It started before covid and is still going strong.

@Xmassprout

Well of course not everyone is going to have been affected the same way.

There absolutely is a mental health crisis though. It started before covid and is still going strong.

Is there though? As in what? More people seriously mentally ill? More people describing themselves as slightly mentally ill? The same number of people mentally ill that there always has been, but less treatment available? It at one thing else

I work in this area, but don’t really see this much touted ‘mental hess as leg crisis’ around me, or in local statistics

I work in care. It's been stressful, staff shortages, sickness, 1 staff died, 5 residents died one week, going home thinking am I taking this home to my hubby and kids? Am I going to die? Are my kids?

Would have loved to have been working from home, even if it was in a small flat with no garden. No one who works in care has 'had a lovely time'.

In the first lockdown I coped well as the weather was good and we did lots of outdoor activities.

The home learning was at times difficult with a gcse age group student and a younger one but we got into a good routine.

I lost weight and did a lot of things outdoors in the garden I needed to.

I was a lot less stressed and my dc settled into a routine really well.

The lockdown that started this jan was stressful.
The weather bad and my youngest did definitely find it harder and frustrating. Lot their confidence and momentum for home learning and it became very hard.

That and revising for gcse with older dc who hadn't hardly seen friends boyfriend etc etc it was hard mentally.

Dh left a very stressful 70 hour week job after ending up in hospital with a suspected heart attack and so finances wernt ideal

However what it did do is make me determined to change my working life to be more flexi able and spend more time with family and be abled to wxcercise and look after myself more.

Plans are now in place and I have an 18 month time line that I can't actually wait for

Oh do fuck off OP.
In post war parlance re Ww2 style "You had a good lockdown" "I had a great lockdown".

Many people didn't.

We haven't even started to scratch the surface of the economic and societal damage that's been done.
I'm hazarding a guess that in 15 years time you'll be very hard pressed to find anyone that thought the lockdown was either proportional or a good idea..

As a teacher with small children, I can think of no positives at all. I have hated every minute of it, resent people who are still wfh and feel irritated at the idea that people could have found this past 15 months anything but horrific. And I am lucky enough not to have been sick or to have lost a loved one.

Well obviously people have had different experiences but I don't think you should dismiss the fact that a huge number of people have found the last 15 months very difficult.

I'm lucky that I've been able to wfh and haven't been ill. I'm also lucky that family haven't been ill either. However, it has been THE most difficult and stressful year of my career, trying to work full time and homeschool a 6 year old pretty much nearly broke me and DH has started to suffer from anxiety and has really struggled wfh.

I'm very resilient and positive yet I've struggled at times. DS is off school isolating again so we're back to juggling work and homeschool again and I could seriously cry.

I know I'm one of the lucky ones but I've still found it bloody hard.

My DS1s MH improved during the lockdowns too although the 'support' stopped..he said that not having to interact with idiots helped, they stayed away from his workplace ..he only had to deal with his ex who used it as an excuse to limit contact with his kids at times whilst breaking covid rules otherwise to see her family ....he worked throughout although condensed hours that certainly helped him keep a roof over his head. He is more stable now than he has been in 10 years.
I preferred the quiet streets, lower pollution, furlough suited me although it was only a few weeks for me. Financially I was fine what I lost in wages was my commute costs anyway. I exercised more, cooked healthy food, generally a better lifestyle. Not everyone found it shit.

You sound quite callous and dismissive OP. "I'm alright jack" doesn't equate to "Crisis, what crisis?"

I found positives in slowing down a little and that gave me a happy feeling. I feel lucky. Life is fine. But I'm not thick-skinned enough to think other people have had it easy.

I know people who lost their jobs. I've attended 4 funerals this year. I check in on a friend who lives alone as I know he's lonely though he hasn't directly said so.

& Even if I didn't know anyone in above situations I still wouldnt loftily assume that everyone should be, or is required to be, just fine.

This is one of those 'mental health issues?! Look just buck up and be more resilient!' posts, isn't it?

@DeeCeeCherry

You sound quite callous and dismissive OP. "I'm alright jack" doesn't equate to "Crisis, what crisis?"

I found positives in slowing down a little and that gave me a happy feeling. I feel lucky. Life is fine. But I'm not thick-skinned enough to think other people have had it easy.

I know people who lost their jobs. I've attended 4 funerals this year. I check in on a friend who lives alone as I know he's lonely though he hasn't directly said so.

& Even if I didn't know anyone in above situations I still wouldnt loftily assume that everyone should be, or is required to be, just fine.

This is one of those 'mental health issues?! Look just buck up and be more resilient!' posts, isn't it?

No, I’m not callous and dismissive at all, I am complaining about all the people who are being callous and dismissive to those of us who find the stress and pressure of ‘normal life’ worse than that if lockdown.

I know at least as many adults and children who have thrived during lockdown conditions as individuals who have suffered, abs yet our preferences and experiences are being totally disregarded

That is blatantly unfair. I’m not saying it was easy for everyone, but unlocking isn’t easy on everyone either, and people who have a preference for the quieter, calmer conditions also need to be taken j in to account

But the thing is, nothing is stopping you from living a quieter calmer life anyway if you want to. You don't need a lockdown to do that. That's the difference.

"and people who have a preference for the quieter, calmer conditions also need to be taken j in to account"

Ds has autism and has a preference for quieter and calmer more than most but he has struggled with the removal of many of his services and routines. He has only just about managed because of being allowed to stay at school and being given increased medication. Some people like him did not manage and are now in residential care.

Op does seem incredibly self absorbed to be honest, and I would be very surprised to see if she does work in mental health because I do and I deal with statistics and there has been a massive crisis looming over the last few years even prior to the pandemic with cuts in services etc

But it's fine to trill oh it's okay for me isn't it whilst ignoring the fact that huge industries have gone , people are in significant financial crisis because the middle classes have enjoyed a privileged less stressful environment

Despicable!

Yes It's not about prefering calmer and quieter but about being privileged.

I found (and am still finding) it really difficult. I live on my own, have an adult DC in supported living who I couldn't see at all for long stretches of time, and my hobby is singing and choir, and I'm still not 'allowed' to do that.

I love my colleagues, we all get along really well, so WFH is shit.

The OP is a teacher. They do not work in mental health.