It is not an exaggeration to say that everyone has been impacted by the effects of the Coronavirus to a lesser or greater degree, depending on their economic and health circumstances primarily; as we know, the virus chose us, we did not choose it.

There is undoubtedly a shared sense of PTSD across the general public; an unprecedented level of anxiety and hopelessness and with that, anger and frustration follow.

The hopelessness stemming from fear of the unknown and uncertainty; some people’s lives have changed or are unrecognisable from less than a year ago. Experiencing this ongoing level of uncertainty amongst the populous is destabilising for the country and, looking beyond this country, destabilising for Global socio-economics.

With the Coronavirus, the message it sends is that no-where is safe or offers refuge. As human beings, we are programmed to seek safety as a default, adjusting to a new way of being e.g. a “new-normal” will induce anxiety and shake one’s sense of safety, regardless of our situation.

Another new layer of feelings this year is a sense of guilt around those whose lives appeared to be more comfortable, with a house, ability to work from home and keep a job, food on the table etc v those living in cramped conditions, no work from home option and increased risk of contracting the virus in a lower paid or frontline job. They are “meant” to feel okay about their situation but don’t and it can be difficult to reconcile.

With demand for Mental Health support far outstripping supply, a large proportion of those in need could not access public services during the height of the lockdown nor could a large proportion of people afford private counselling or therapy, exacerbating the issue.

The nation’s mental health will unfortunately continue to decline until we have an effective road map which may include an effective track and trace system and a widely vaccine unless there is substantial government investment around mental health support which, given the economic situation, is highly unlikely.

If you have concerns about your own mental health, please get in touch or with We Listen Therapy for an online therapy session.