"Socially distanced (green) - Hudson River Park, New York City"by Andreas Komodromos is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
As they always say, third time lucky. We can all agree that lockdown number three has been anything but. While last spring we had daily Joe Wicks workouts, Clappingfor Carers and beloved banana bread, we now have endless grey days and dark nights. The repetitive cycle of being in and out of a monotone lockdown life has affected mental health as shown in the recent University College London social study which found ‘lower levels of happiness’ reported among the 70,000 participants compared to the first lockdown.
The UCL study shows the third lockdown has been harder for many. Compared with the first lockdown, around one-third of people are spending less time doing hobbies or DIY they enjoy, and four in ten people stated they are doing less exercise than during the first lockdown. We are now experiencing some of the coldest temperatures since 1995 which make the once new and different lockdown routine feel old and tired. Last spring, the novelty of a pandemic and the increased free time it offered seemed a welcome break from the hectic lives most people led. Now, however, those fortunate enough to be able to continue to work from home, have experienced work-life without the important corridor chats and coffee break convos. The routine of sitting at a desk all day, social interaction reduced to the bare minimum, is leading to increased levels of anxiety and depression.
There is a current split in the population where some are becoming more fearful of contracting the virus and are isolating themselves more than in the first lockdown, while others are rioting to have lockdown measures eased. 45% of people in UCL’s social lockdown study (which includes 77,000 UK adults of a range of socio-economic statuses and ethnicities) are worried about falling ill with the virus; the highest level since April 2020. At the same time, there are also established groups now that protest against lockdowns, notably ‘The People’s Lockdown’. While these groups are often campaigning for health measures that are less economically challenging or for clearer support and guidelines by the government, there are also more radical branches protesting against the virus and its credibility. This indicates an increased feeling of fear and less trust than in the first lockdown.
Lockdown number one was the first national lockdown most of the nation had seen; the streets emptied in central London and people begun new schedules based indoors, escaping their homes only to do essential food shopping and the odd bit of outdoor exercise. And for some, exercise also became an indoor activity, with at-home workouts becoming increasingly popular. Joe Wicks’ daily ‘PE with Joe’ live workouts were a saviour for many families and individuals. The regular nine o’clock start was the structure in people’s days and thousands tuned in to the live YouTube workout across the world. The first ever PE with Joe won the Guiness World Record for the most people ever taking part in a live workout. The record was won when, the day after the first lockdown was announced, 24th March 2020, 955,185 households took part. Although now, almost a year later, Joe Wicks has restarted the popular workouts, after a break in the summer when lockdown eased, the vigour and enthusiasm of hundreds of thousands of participants has dropped to tens of thousands - 30 to 50 thousand households are now tuning in regularly. This could be because the morale of the general public is now at an all-time low since the pandemic first broke out. We are in the third official lockdown and it is taking a significant toll on many people’s mental health.
So, whilst the first lockdown was a time for many to start the hobby they had never got round to or learnt the language they had always wanted to speak; lockdown number three is more about surviving and trying to get through some of the toughest times people have faced relatively unscathed. If we can come through the other side of this lockdown with motivation for the future, then we have done pretty well. Although this lockdown has been the toughest so far, it has also revealed the light at the end of the tunnel. Millions of vaccines are now being administered across the world and this brings the necessary hope that all of us need. For now though, keep going!
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