The Lockdown and Wellbeing

As the second part of our new blog series, we explore the lockdown which has led to tremendous changes in our daily lives and its impact on health and wellbeing.

The lockdown seems to touch on every moment of our lives these days.

What began in March as a response to the Coronavirus pandemic has come to shape the whole year. Impacting who we see, what we do and where we go everyday. This has the potential to affect every element of our wellbeing, whether it be our mental, physical, or emotional health.

Any change of this size was bound to have a major impact on people’s wellbeing – this is certainly true of the lockdown. As the months have passed, this impact has received more and more attention.

As a positive, this has led to a much-needed conversation about mental health and wellbeing, covering issues like isolation, anxiety, depression and much else.

In May, the majority of adults reported that their mental health had become worse during the lockdown. For young people the figure was over two thirds. Along with this,  nearly two thirds of people said that loneliness was impacting their mental health, with younger people particularly affected.

Whilst many people have been impacted, research from the Mental Health Trust highlighted that young adults, people in later life facing isolation, single parents and Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities were amongst groups particularly affected.

Nonetheless, the impact of the lockdown on mental health has affected people from all kinds of backgrounds.

Along with its impact on our mental health, there has also been its impact on our physical health. The shift to home-working and learning from home for many, along with the experiences of those shielding, has meant that many people have had fewer chances to exercise and to be outdoors.

For others, the opposite has happened – with more leisure time being taken as a chance to take up new physical activities and hobbies and visit green spaces.

All of these changes have been impacting people’s wellbeing.

Here at Meridian Wellbeing, we are offering a range of online services looking to support every aspect of wellbeing. These are easy-to-access and suitable for all. These services range from Wellbeing Workshops to Chair Yoga, from Group CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) to Flower Workshops.

They are a chance to have your wellbeing needs met, learn about managing your mental health and wellbeing, and to meet others or get active.

You can find out more here.