Come dance all around the world (Blerta)

B side to Get It On - T Rex. I bought this 50 years ago!

Wie geht's?

Seriously. How are you?

Lockdowns in Auckland, Melbourne, the UK and elsewhere have affected our mental health.

Last year, very early on in the global pandemic, the University of Michigan conducted a survey during which researchers asked the participants to choose three words that best described their attitudes towards the pandemic. “Anxious,” “nervous,” “scared,” “stressed,” and “uncertain” were those that came up most often.

The same survey found that 38% of people were feeling tired or lacked energy, 36% were having sleep disturbances, and 25% were feeling down, depressed, or hopeless. Around 24% also reported having difficulty concentrating, 43% felt nervous, anxious, or on edge, 36% reported not being able to stop worrying, and 35% said that they were finding it hard to relax.

A year on, according to the article I read on the Medical News Today site:

Scientists are starting to see a global “surge” in depression. According to a December 2020 survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, 42% of people in the country reported symptoms of anxiety or depression that month. This was a huge increase from the 11% they recorded in 2019.

Another study that MNT reported on found that cases of depression in the U.S. had tripled over the course of the pandemic.

The picture looks similar worldwide. One recently published Nature article notes an increase of 9%  in depression rates in June 2020, compared with pre-pandemic times, among U.K. adults.

Another study that looked at residents in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Canada found a 14% increase in anxiety as a result of the pandemic.

If I was to survey my work colleagues, friends and family I'm sure that I'd find roughly the same findings amongst them too. 

So, what to do to counter these feelings of anxiety, stress, depression, lack of concentration, lack of energy, difficulty sleeping, and unhealthy eating habits?

Ahem. 

I'm pretty sure I did a similar post to this last year during our first round of severe Level 4 lockdown. A case of deja vu all over again, and I'd be interested to see if the advice that follows is the same. Kinda, sorta think it will be. But hey ho!

Here goes, and remember this is just stuff that works for me - I'm sure many readers will have their own coping strategies:

Laughter. Two of my best mates while away zoom breaks by engaging in a flow of dad jokes. 

Top three recently:

The worst time to have a heart attack is during a game of charades.

I put up a massive net in my garden to try and catch the Grim Reaper. The council has told me to take it down. Apparently it's a death trap.

I just swallowed a feather..and now I'm feeling a little down in the mouth.

Music. It's the best mood altering ethereal thing I've ever found (it almost feels like a substantial thing I can touch taste etc). I'm currently listening to The Marshall Tucker Band's Greatest Hits album while I type this. Pure joy! For me, that is. If Kamal, Slayer, Abba, Barry Manilow, or Lorde are your thing - chuck it on! No judgements!

Sidebar - I've been collecting records for roughly 50 years. It's an itch that I need to scratch. I do it because A) I love the music and appreciate the beauty and creativity that has gone into its creation; B) I'm have a slightly obsessive side to my personality; C) I have an emotional connection to a band or piece of music; D) I am nostalgic for my youth; E) there is some prestige attached to owning a piece of history that is hard to find;  F) It relaxes me. 

Exercise. Whatever and however you can - get away from that screen from time to time and walk outside and breathe. WHO recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week, or a combination of both. But do what you can. 

Hobbies. We all have something we are passionate about, or highly skilled at, or would like to find out more about. For Jacky it's horses specifically but she's an animal magnet; for my brother it's highly skilled engineering of models; for Adam it's making music; for Keegan it's photography; for Samantha it's drawing; for Jade it's baking, walking and gardening (she's an old soul); for a work colleague it's arts and crafts of stunning beauty. Maybe for you it's collecting spoons, or drawing and painting, or stamp collecting. Don't care. If you find it therapeutic forget about the cynics, doubters, and haters. Just do it!

Good luck. Stay safe. Be kind (assume that your workmates are doing the best they can!) 

And get vaccinated (it's the only alternative to lockdowns).

Love and peace - Dr Wozza (no charge for this session btw).