The Mental Impact of the Transition of COVID
Humans are social by nature; this isn’t a new concept or hypothesis, we have ‘literally evolved to be social creatures’. So, when a global pandemic forced us to stay away from other people, it inevitably took its toll. Poor mental health worsened by 8.1% on average for a variety of reasons, and people were generally feeling more anxious, stressed, and bored. Not only that, but we’re now so used to approaching people, ourselves, and objects in a hyper-vigilant way that doing otherwise feels weird.
Pre-COVID, I didn’t think much about germs and viruses when someone faced me on a busy train, inching closer as we squished together to make room for people who couldn’t fit in the carriage; yeah it was annoying, but I only felt mildly disgusted if they coughed or sneezed. Now, it’s all any of us can think about, isn’t it?
We’ve had a ‘COVID-mindset’ for almost a year, and according to Helpline ‘it can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days for a person to form a new habit and an average of 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic.’ If that’s the case, we’ve surpassed the maximum figure by 52 days – it’s been 306 days since the UK’s first lockdown. What’s going to happen when we’re allowed to mingle with people again? Will being in a crowded area be overwhelming? Exciting? Daunting?
I decided to speak to people from different backgrounds to gain some insight.
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Extroverts
I assumed that every extrovert would be desperate to socialise again, whether in a large capacity or not. One friend, Fey (who loves live music and socialising), met that assumption when she enthusiastically said, ‘I’m going to be very eager to get back to busy crowded events as soon as it’s permitted and don’t feel any anxiety whatsoever about doing so. I can’t wait. I’m excited for it!’
Max, who dubs himself an ‘introverted extrovert’, echoed this in part by saying that he’s mostly looking forward to being in crowds again, seeing friends, and living a normal life, but he’s also ‘happily become a creature of comfort’. I resonate with these feelings – I miss going to events in the city centre, it’s a huge part of Bristol’s allure, but I’m also in love with my own company so it’s been nice to indulge in that more.
Jordon, an extrovert with social anxiety, explained how this causes a bit of conflict when she imagines being in crowds again: ‘I want to go out and socialise more but the thought of going out and things going back to normal scares me too’. It’s as if her extroversion is wanting one thing, but the social anxiety is insisting otherwise.
Already Didn’t Like Crowds
‘The thought of being around a large group of people again is definitely daunting,’ Emma frets. ‘I only felt uneasy in large compact crowds in gigs or concerts, but thinking about being in a queue at the shop or even walking through the town centre on a busy day is something that is giving me anxiety.’ This highlights that it’s not just an adjustment to large crowds that people will have to contend with, it’s adjusting to being around lots of people in a casual setting too.
One person’s point of view really piqued my interest: pre-COVID, Ruby was housebound due to chronic illness/disability, but despite having social anxiety, shielding, and finding familiarity within four walls, they express an eagerness to be more social: ‘I can't wait for gigs, festivals, birthday parties, meeting a friend for coffee, etc.’
Shielders
Even though a lot of us haven’t been able to socialise freely, at least we’ve been able to leave the house. For those that are or have been shielding, I’m sure that their approach to being in crowds again will be influenced by how socially deprived and mentally affected they’ve been during the pandemic.
Another friend was shielding last year and it went downhill – they didn’t want to go in their back garden due to fear, had panic attacks when doors were left open, and struggle to leave the house now even for a walk. This has culminated in mild agoraphobia, alongside depression and anxiety that were already present but are undoubtedly worse now. They add, ‘I know that once things go back to “normal” I’ll still stay inside […]. I feel like things will be overcrowded for a while so I don’t see myself leaving the house any time soon.’
Whilst Ruby‘s experience intersects a little with my friend’s, the way they both anticipate being in crowds again is wildly different.
Children
The younger you are, the more of your life will have been spent in a pandemic. If you’re, say, ten years old, almost a tenth of your life would have been away from people in a normal capacity, so I wondered how it would feel for them once they’re allowed more freedom.
Jess and Ashley are eight and twelve, respectively, and they both seem generally unphased about being in crowds again. Jess says she misses being around lots of people, but she’s happy interacting with friends online – Facetiming and playing Minecraft. Whilst Ashley laments not being able to do ‘normal things’ like going outside and riding his bike, he doesn’t have any anxieties about being in crowds again and figures he’ll just get used to it.
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As you can see, even people with similar circumstances have different feelings towards being in crowds again. I reckon it’ll feel strange whether we’re looking forward to it or not, purely because it’ll be a ‘new’ experience. The first lockdown also felt weird at the beginning, but we got through it at our own pace, and we’ll do it again.
Written by Shanade McConney
My name is Shanade and I’ve been passionate about writing for as long as I can remember. I've been known to play Fortnite for an obscene amount of time, I love putting a good outfit together, and I process life insurance applications near Bristol, where I’ve been based for 2 years. I’m trying to live my best life, whatever that might look like, and hope I never lose sight of the things that bring me joy.