'Long, dark, tough days': Cornish student opens up on lockdown mental health struggle
Simon is urging people to reach out amid the launch of the latest 'Every Mind Matters' campaign
Last updated 6th Oct 2021
A student from Wadebridge has opened up about his mental health struggle in lockdown, as figures reveal almost half of all adults were affected by the pandemic.
22-year-old Simon Riley has admitted he experienced 'long, dark and tough days', as he was forced to study from home.
It comes amid the launch of the latest Better Health - Every Mind Matters campaign, urging people to reach out.
It is offering five questions to help people work out what support works best for them.
Simon said: "It's that contact with friends or your mates whether it's for a drink of whether it's going out or whether it's playing sports. Yeah you've got social media but social media has its own issues as well.
"Mentally it was genuinely quite tough just not seeing people and to do your own thing and seeing what hobbies you want to get into and stuff as well. For me it was exericse; I used exercise as quite a big stress relief for me.
"There's probably people all over the country who are experiencing this, never mind those students that were locked up in halls of residence during lockdown. I just say talk to people or exercise, whatever works for you. I kind of do a combination of both because, luckily, I have friends and people who I can speak to".
How can the campaign help?
People are being urged to find “what works for me” to support their mental wellbeing as the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) launches the latest Better Health – Every Mind Matters (EMM) campaign.
It aims to empower people to look after their mental health by directing them to free, practical tips and advice. By answering five simple questions through the Every Mind Matters platform, people can get a tailored “Mind Plan”, giving them personalised tips to help deal with stress and anxiety, boost their mood, sleep better and feel more in control.
New research commissioned by OHID reveals nearly half (49%) of adults in England said the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on their mental wellbeing. And more than a third of all adults in England (34% or 15.1 million) said they did not know what to do to help improve their mental wellbeing.
Younger adults reported struggling the most, with 57% of 18-34-year olds saying their mental wellbeing was negatively impacted by the pandemic, and just under half (44%) reporting that they did not know what to do to help.
This is the first campaign delivered by the new Office for Health Improvements and Disparities which was launched on 1 October with the aim of tackling health inequalities across the country.
Over 3.4 million individual Mind Plans have already been created since the campaign was first launched in October 2019.
Famous faces - including actor and presenter Stephen Fry, Mercury prize winner Arlo Parks and TV presenter Jay Blades - are supporting the new campaign, sharing their personal mental wellbeing experiences during the last 18 months and encouraging others to take steps to look after themselves.
Stephen Fry will also voice a new TV advert highlighting ‘what works for me’, depicting the little things that people can do to look after their mental health such as being active, talking about their worries or taking up a hobby.
Public Health England has more information about the campaign, or you can create your own Mind Plan on the NHS website.