To think there's a whole mental health aftermath to the pandemic which isn't really being addressed

[crackerscandycanes]

Just looking at people I know, people seem to be really struggling at the minute, and of course the cost of living is a big part and all the bad news etc, but I also think that some of it is the aftermath of the pandemic and everything we had to go through being locked indoors for all that time. It seems as if we're not supposed to mention it now or reflect, but I think there's a lot of mental health issues on the back of it.

This is absolutely correct.

It doesn't help that you get the "we didn't go through this in the war" tendency from people who didn't go through the fucking war anyway.

Oh and mum is in respite care and the covid crazy is still going on. No wonder they are short staffed. The funny thing is, they are wearing masks because they have to, but they are very touchy feely with me. I recognise it well - the same mentality that meant strangers hugged you on public transport or in shops.

it was a cold walk up there today, the receptionist came outside and put her arm round me before even handing me the test kit.

so many posts on here from posters like me, no friends left. Thinking to move in with mum when she comes home. My life is gone so what's the difference if I become her carer?

the hospital nurses were also surprisingly blunt in their thoughts on covid - the sort of comments that got threads pulled on here at the time. I wasn't expecting that.

Ha exactly.

I know people ask for better mh services but it’s a sticking plaster in many ways, if people had actually listened at the time it wouldn’t be so bad. Infuriating. The fear, media and abuse.

Well then something bad happened to them didn't it. For most folk just being bored and yes possibly very worried still shouldn't end up with MH issues long term. I was really really scared to start with but I'd never claim to be scarred by it.

You clearly don't get it at all, , nothing bad might have happened at that point but it can be a cumulation of things, you really don't understand mental health, and your little anecdotes about being scared are minimizing.

It's not even the staying home that caused the biggest issues. It was the doom and gloom, the anxiety inducing headlines ,the fear.

Most instinctual and basic human interaction was forbidden, most things that people would do to alleviate or manage their stress ,worries and anxiety was forbidden. We were called killers . Day after day. Sitting on a bench was considered a fucking crime ffs. Then a bunch of us got thrown right back into the world at work and schools and what not after all that massive build up. Still being bombarded with stats and fear from the media,family, friends. I had a "friend" sending me daily updates with new number of cases , red area ,whatever bullshit. I still had to go to work,DD had to go to school. There was fuck all I could do about it. I preferred not knowing so I eventually blocked that friend.Of course people struggled.Of course some still struggle. Young and old.

That's without the actual trauma of losing loved ones ,seeing them be really ill,being ill themselves. Or being stuck inside in abject poverty, in abusive or neglectful situations, in complete loneliness.

Just also want to point out that the people who work in mental health for the NHS have been through the pandemic too, were over stretched before the pandemic and are now deluged with people who need services which are way under funded and inadequate. There are record numbers of MH staff off with stress.

MH services were already awful before the pandemic tbh.

Yes and there's grief for the life we missed, and that our dcs missed - all of the things we didn't get to do, people we didn't see, changes to friendships, even the little things like no longer enjoying 'local walks' or all of the small things associated with the pandemic and how to deal with it. Then there's the collective feeling of concern and upset for all those who suffered terribly like some on this thread have done. I don't know how we process it all but I know that a lot of people are suffering and that just ignoring it isn't the answer for many.

It doesn't help that you get the "we didn't go through this in the war" tendency from people who didn't go through the fucking war anyway.

They're forgetting the war was grin and bear it in a completely different way. People were encouraged to get on with their life and keep going. To carry on . Go to work,go to school, raise kids,see family , go shopping... get on with it. Keep going.

They're also ignoring the fact that a lot of people did get traumatised, and had their mental health fucked. Either as a soldier or a civilian. What they've seen,what they did,what was done to them, survivor's guilt,PTSD,starving,illness, having to mourn your entire family.That doesn't fit the narrative. 🙄

I certainly think it's impacted many peoples MH - a lot of apathy has crept in for many - can't be arsed syndrome-I'm as guilty as others of it.

I've also had various unpleasant physical things that crept in around 6 weeks after covid and looks like it has given me fibromyalgia. My cholesterol levels also rocketed to very unhealthy levels due to far too many treaty things to make life seem a bit more pleasant and I was certainly drinking more than usual too.

My 24 year old son was stuck in his room in a shared house with no lounge trying to cope with a job that really requires in face interaction as we were abroad at the time- almost impossible for very long periods for us to visit or for him to stay with us.

We are all quite tough cookies but it certainly affected us all in not a good way

Undoubtedly. My eldest son who was due to sit his gcses in summer 2020 is asking me to pay for counselling now his out of uni.

My bf used to love going out for a drink, we haven't been to pub since 2019. I don't we will ever will again now.

My mum didn't want to see us even after the rules said we could.

Relationships that won't ever be the same. My sister said the same. I want to make new friendships because the set up of the old ones will never fully recover.

I feel burnt out and this month stopped all my voluntary work. I'm not as resilient as I was.

I don't think it's even lockdowns. We didn't have any where I live. But I still think lots of people are traumatised by the fear of catching covid. I know I am. I'm a lot more tearful than I used to, a lot less resilient. A year of having fear drilled into you takes it toll.

Interesting the mention of burn out as I feel the same and I know that some of my friends do too. Just completely exhausted all the time and finding it hard to build up energy.

@Againstmachine Hello I found the way they went about things extremely psychologically abusive. People are trying to cope with the aftermath of emotional abuse on a massive scale.

I should really NC for this comment but never mind. I'm autistic and in many ways I didn't struggle with the pandemic in the same way as everyone else. My DC are autistic too, and it almost felt like a chance to breathe in some quietness without feeling coerced into going out and doing things all of the time. The headlines were scary and there was a real sense of impending doom, but at the same time, having a break from being constantly out in the world benefitted DC and me quite a lot.

I'm well aware this is incredibly tactless and I don't mean to be thoughtless. I know that many people, especially those living alone, found the lockdowns awful.

So because we enjoyed lockdown (in a weird kind of way) I wasn't really expecting any MH consequences. But what I have discovered, to my intense embarrassment, is that I hate not knowing where people are now!! It's mortifying. I think I got so used to everyone I know being at home, and us all communicating over WhatsApp that it felt reassuring. Now everyone is out and about, on holidays, visiting different parts of the UK, or even just out and about locally, I have to work very very hard not to feel panicked because I don't know where people are.

I don't ever tell anyone this (other than DP and he's really supportive). I am utterly ashamed of how I feel but can't seem to shake it. The other morning I had a huge panic attack about someone going on holiday overseas (they were flying that morning) and I was so anxious that I was throwing up for a couple of hours. It's so, so, so stupid and ridiculous, and just humiliating. The only good thing I can say is that I would never ever tell any friends or family that I feel this way so they're unaffected by my bizarre panic.

I'm really not meaning to upset you. I'm coming across badly and I apologize.

100%. Myself and DH went through family grief in summer 2019, then followed by the pandemic. I saw a therapist in august this year because I just didn't feel right. Back to normal life this year and I was still thinking 'is this it?' I only saw the therapist once because all it took was her to validate the trauma I had been through with family grief back to back with a pandemic. I really didn't expect her to classify it as trauma, but just validating it and giving my brain the space it needed now helped hugely. I don't think a lot of people have acknowledged the trauma the pandemic had on their mental health.

Good luck to the 'stiff upper lip' brigade but that sort of attitude can actually contribute to peoples MH issues rather than be helpful. Thankfully people are more careful and aware about MH these days which is a good thing.

Yep, especially as they also ignore the voices of people who did! There's a whole cohort of people who remember WW2 and also lived through covid, and shockingly enough they don't all share a hive mind. Heaven forbid we actually centre their views rather than use them without their permission to berate others, though.

What you're saying is understandable ExhaustedFlamingo we had to adjust to one way of life, for quite a long period of time, then adjust 'back' except it's not really back. For some kids those couple of years is a big proportion of your life as well so it's a lot of change.

I remember saying at the beginning, in fact before lockdown, that there would be an explosion of mental I’ll health as a result of it.

I'm glad you started this thread op as I've been feeling this. It's like life isn't back to normal, things have permanently changed. Some of my favourite indy shops have closed, I travel differently (much less). We're still having to manage our food expectations, not because the shelves are empty (although stuff is often missing) but because of the recession. This winter's going to be tough. It's all bad news on the telly and it's going to get worse when the extent of FTX going bust and China's economic situation are fully revealed over the next year, never mind Russia's war & the energy crisis. It's doom, doom, doom...

This time two years ago we were in the November lockdown The one that was supposed to enable families to see each other that Christmas That lockdown wasnt even over, before the emotional blackmail emotional abuse and guilt tripping started These tactics being deployed by the Government media and posters on here to try and stop people from seeing their families. Oh and then putting people into tier 4 and trying to say it wasnt a lockdown. Obfuscation and gaslighting was off the scale. #neverforgetthesepeople

Being effectively held prisoner in my own house had a massive effect on me. I used to be out at an activity 3-4 times a week, out with my kids other days. Nothing wild, but the activity was ME, it was what kept me going. To have that removed and be told I cant go out and see my friends because the govt said so......was horrific for me. By May 2020 I was ignoring it all and visiting like minded friends and it kept me going.

At the time my job was getting more traumatic by the second, I would have killed myself if my friends hadnt been there breaking the rules along with me.

Loads of us were pointing out the effect this would have on MH but were called granny killers. Funny how all those people who were covid rule obsessed, making up their own rules and being so mean to us, have all disappeared!

I have 3 customers who need to be sectioned, they are seriously mentally unwell but there is nowhere to section them to. Utter travesty! So MH services are desperately trying to service them in the community, but they cant cope in the community. They will end up arrested and imprisoned before they are sectioned.