14 Jul 2021

Lockdown has been taking a toll on everyone and when it comes around for a third time (I’ve lost count, but I think that’s it) it can feel a whole lot like déjà vu. Personally, I know that I’ve struggled with being productive. I've been opening the fridge more times than I can count and I’m endlessly scrolling on TikTok, eventually receiving that “have you been staring at your screen for too long?” video.

It feels like a constant, never ending cycle and we’re not here for it.

According to The Guardian, one in five Australians are reporting high to very high levels of psychological distress due to the pandemic - mainly affecting young people, women and people living with a disability.

 

Going off that point, we decided to ask how you are all were feeling during this time and our findings were quite interesting.

We wanted to know if lockdown has affected your mental health, where we found that 77% of you said yes. There’s only so many rooms in the house, sitting in the middle of the same four walls, before your wellbeing starts to decline - so there’s no surprise that the majority of you guys have been impacted during this isolating time.

Reaching out to our New South Wales residers, we asked if you were keen for lockdown to be donesos and 84% of you said yes. I think it's a fact that we’re all yearning for physicality again - we miss catching up with our mates, boogieing, travelling, that face-to-face human connection. Even the necessity that gets us by, that we would normally complain about, but miss - working. Seeing our co-workers, serving our favourite regulars (and the annoying ones), that morning coffee brew from your favourite café - give it back to us ASAP, please.

We also wanted to uncover how you’ve been feeling and to describe it to us in one word; the following were collectively mentioned. Some of you are feeling: bored, shit, lonely, hopeless, overwhelmed, sad, uncertain, unmotivated, isolated, lethargic, lazy, tired and broke. It’s such a strange and stagnant period - these emotions are completely valid. It’s so important to start a conversation, talk about how we’re feeling and know that nobody is alone in this.

If you’re struggling to find some new activities, maybe you’ll find them here! We also asked you guys to tell us what you’ve picked up as a newfound hobby, and you said:

  • Painting 🎨
  • Cooking 🧑‍🍳
  • Doing puzzles 🧩
  • Crochet 🧶
  • Reading 📚
  • Candle making 🕯
  • Exercising (walking, running, handstands) 🛼
  • Yoga 🧘
  • Making clothes / sewing 🪡
  • Learning a new language 🤳
  • Playing the piano and the guitar 🎵

It’s unquestionably a tough and uncertain time and I can assure you that what you’re feeling is completely normal. Schedule a Kahoot session with your mates, talk banter in your group chats, focus your energy on what you love and most importantly, look after yourself and reach out if you’re struggling - we're all in this together 💛

We at Year13 encourage anyone struggling to speak out about their mental health - reach out to these guys for a chat:

Lifeline 13 11 14

Kids Helpline 1800 551 800

MensLine Australia 1300 789 978

Beyond Blue 1300 22 46 36

Headspace 1800 650 890