Mental health in lockdown

It is mental health week this week and everyone's mental health is all too important at this time. Although it is mental health week this week, I don't think mental health should only be discussed at this time. I think it should be talked about openly all the time. Even as I typed that sentence, I felt the anxiety of having to open up to someone about my mental health even though I know it is the right thing to do.

I worry that there are going to be so many more cases of mental health during this crisis. This is when people really need it. Even people who don't suffer from mental illness are suffering right now.

I recently attended an online mental health seminar and I found it so insightful. It is harder to see if someone is struggling whilst in isolation and not together. That is why it is more important than ever to reach out to people. After last weekend's events, I found some people reached out to me to see how I was and that meant so much to me. After attending the seminar, I made a point of reaching out to those who had reached out to me but also some people who I haven't spoken to or heard from in a while. Just to say hello and check they were ok.

I am a massive worrier and overthinker and so being in isolation where I have noticed I am finding it harder to switch off and not catastrophise something very small, for example over a month ago I couldn't understand why someone had put an exclamation mark at the end of a sentence. They never do that normally! It is all too easy to read too much into everything. It is so much harder as you are emailing and messaging and things can be misinterpreted via email. Even the video calls are hard, sometimes it's hard to talk because I don't know what to say. I struggle. Some days are better than others but we need to go easy on ourselves. While I have been concentrating on running throughout this lockdown it doesn't stop my brain from overthinking scenarios. I am a classic overthinker and while I could ease it and do other things more to stop the overthinking, it is harder to stop the noise under lockdown. I am trying more mindfulness and meditation to help me. I am also reading a book on overthinking.

This situation is hard for everyone, we don't know their situation at all. They may been loving lockdown at first but could e struggling now. We don't know and sometimes all you need to do is have a simple conversation. It is all too easy to say we are fine when we aren't. It is time to be honest and admit when we are struggling. Find someone who you can talk to openly and say what you need to say. I think opening up to others you will realise you aren't alone in this. None of us are alone. We can all take steps even small ones to help each other.

Please take care and look out for each other.