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The decision to lift the restrictions in England on July 19 is already leading to increased anxiety, as therapists see people voicing fears of loss of control with the removal of the “comfort zone” of measures designed for them. protect.
One in five people say they suffer from what mental health experts have called Covid-19 anxiety syndrome, with 40% avoiding touching things in public spaces and 23% avoiding public places for fear of the virus, according to research.
The investigation, led by London South Bank University, was released as the country prepares for the revocation of most of the many Covid rules on July 19.
Research from a number of mental health charities supports high levels of anxiety. Mind found that 55% of adults and young people feared seeing and being around others once restrictions were completely relaxed, with 46% of those previously vaccinated saying they were still worried about catching coronavirus.
Since the roadmap was announced to lift restrictions in England, Lucy Shepherd, director of services at the therapy center, said the themes of the counseling sessions had changed, with clients in the UK expressing “deep concern. about how quickly the restrictions are lifted and how they no longer have control over their own decisions ”. (Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all have their own timetables to end the restrictions.)
Shepherd expects anxiety levels to worsen: “We would expect people’s anxiety to increase because not only will they lose control, but others, like employers, will regain control. their choices. “
“There is an underlying discomfort in general,” says Lee Chambers, psychologist and wellness expert at work. “A lot of people unfortunately know someone who has been seriously ill or has died from Covid; it’s affected us all in some way over the last 18 months… it’s not the easiest thing for people to pull away from it.
Concerns about lifting the restrictions come against a backdrop of rising levels of mental distress. According to Mind, one in four adults experienced it for the first time during the pandemic, with NHS figures showing the number of people in contact with mental health services is the highest since the first lockdown.
For many, like those who are unvaccinated or vulnerable due to underlying health issues, one could argue that a high level of anxiety makes perfect sense. “For a lot of people, anxiety works as it should, as a survival mechanism,” says Chambers.
But Professor Marcantonio Spada, who led the research at South Bank University, believes that many have adopted unnecessary coping strategies that will prove difficult to shake even, as he puts it, because “we are approaching a situation. which is clearly different from before… are not full, a very large part of the UK population has been vaccinated ”.
People’s anxiety level, he says, is often not affected by their individual risk factors, as his research found that vaccination status was not associated with a lower presence of the syndrome.
“Even if you tell people that you are doubly vaccinated, you are very young… for a number of people it will be very difficult to say, ‘I’m going to drop the mask, or go meet new people, or go to the theater ‘, “he says. A professor of addictive behaviors, he believes that the problem with the habits that many have developed, such as constantly checking information, avoiding social situations, is that people go” into a perpetual state of threat. are exhausted ”.
Individuals need to recalibrate their behaviors “gradually, in a tailored fashion,” he says. Regardless of your level of risk or anxiety, Chambers advises to “treat yourself with kindness, be clear about boundaries, and respect others – we all need to do this at our own pace.”
CASE STUDY: Claire, 41, manager of a convenience store in Essex
“I fall for it, but speaking on behalf of my colleagues, they are anxious. We work in convenience stores, so it’s very difficult to distance ourselves socially and we can’t force people to wear masks.
“All of a sudden there is this date [19 July] but cases are increasing – not everything will magically turn out on that date. You can ask people to be reasonable, but as we know people couldn’t do it when they had to, let alone when it was a choice.
“I think everyone is wondering what’s going on. Of course, we want to get back to normal, but I just wish that in certain environments there was more protection.
“We will continue to ensure our safety and that of our customers as much as possible. But to suddenly get a sense of not having to do this and that, it’s very weird.
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