‘My mental health is a priority’: Lincoln students on what they have learned in lockdown

We may be in our third lockdown, but we can only hope the end is nearing

3 years ago

As you may have noticed, the UK is once again back in lockdown, for a THIRD time. December was fun, depending on what tier you were placed in, but now it’s time to keep your doors locked and enter back into the period of March 2020. A period I’m sure most of us wish to forget.

There are positives to look out for though, by the end of this lockdown, Boris Johnson hopes to have 12.5 million people vaccinated.

But whilst we wait for that, there are plenty of things we have learned from the first two lockdown we can apply to this one, to keep our spirits up ever so slightly.

We asked our Instagram followers for their best advice on lockdown:

via @thetablincoln_

‘Checking in with friends and just having a chat really helps’

Friends are one of the key parts of the University. We spend many nights out at Scene, Keller (RIP), and Quack with them, so the sudden ‘everyone go home’ meant we were all pulled away from each other.

Social media is your advantage in this situation. Zoom has continued to ensure that their calls last longer than 45 minutes, whilst Facebook messenger, Instagram, Snapchat, and Skype continue to give people an opportunity to chat at a click of a button.

Information from a COVID-19 report by OFCOM showed ‘Adults spending record 4 hours a day online on average, as coronavirus changes communications.’

But if you aren’t too keen on the use of the internet or the odd zoom call, a good old phone call will do the trick. You are most likely not the only one feeling a little lonely.

‘Lockdown is better at uni than at home’

Many students have returned to University again, or have chosen to remain in their university city to spend this lockdown on campus. Whether you are heading back to Lincoln Courts or your uni house, it may be a better option for you to study, be around other people, or even protect your family.

Many facilities on campus are remaining open, more information on this can be found here.

Image by Chelsea Abbott

‘I’ve got to move to a better country’

If only we were all living our best lives in New Zealand, now that would be ideal.

Realistically though, you won’t be able to visit New Zealand whilst the pandemic continues. Travel from the UK will be harder with the recent removal of the United Arab Emirates airlines from the travel corridor list, and New Zealand is restricting their borders once again.

‘The general public can’t be trusted buying normal amounts of toilet paper and bread’

A sentence that you would likely scoff at back in 2019. However, stockpiling has been a huge problem for supermarkets throughout all the lockdowns. Did I mentioned, this is our THIRD lockdown.

The first one showed one of the biggest races for stockpiling toilet rolls, bread, and painkillers. But don’t fear, shops do restock their items.

‘It will eventually come to an end, but hopefully this time a permanent end.’

With vaccinations, the end of lockdown could be looming over the country. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that by the 31st of March, the UK will be out of its lockdown and easing into tier levels.

So don’t expect it to be a big change, but eventually, this will be past tense. I hope.

‘That my mental health is a priority’

Mental health is extremely important and has been an increasing topic of conversation as England went into its first lockdown. Being inside for long amounts of time isn’t a normal thing we find ourselves doing. And with a lack of interaction and the fear of catching coronavirus, it is so important to take care of yourself.

If you or someone you know is struggling, please speak to someone or contact Samaritans on 116 123 at any time. You can also contact Anxiety UK on 03444 775 774, Mind on 0300 123 3393, and Calm (Campaign against living miserably, for men aged 15 to 35) on 0800 58 58 58.

You matter.

For information on COVID rules and the governments latest updates, go to gov.uk.

Featured image via Aaron Hussain.