Essex mental health charity expects rise in service users as a result of second lockdown

England will be put into lockdown for a month from tomorrow, 5th November.

Author: Arlen JamesPublished 4th Nov 2020

Today marks National Stress Awareness Day and we've been speaking to Mid and North East Essex Mind to find out what we can do as we prepare for another lockdown.

The Prime Minister announced at the weekend the country would go into lockdown from Thursday 5th November until Wednesday 2nd December in a bid to tackle rising cases of coronavirus.

Mid and North East Essex Mind is expecting the ongoing pandemic and second lockdown to result in a rise in demand for their services.

Marketing and Fundraising Manager at the charity, Julie Arthur, said: "We are expecting to see a rise in people wanting our services because of the lockdown and coronavirus. We are aware that there are people out there suffering with isolation.

"We still have a very big waiting list and we envisage that to get bigger and bigger."

As we prepare for the heightened measures, Julie said it's important we know how to deal with the stress that it might bring.

She continued: "With the virus and lockdown, we have to look at our lives in a different way. We've been told we can't do things and that's an added pressure, it's the restriction that we might find really stressful, but it's just a time to plan to ensure we can come out the other side.

"If you feel that you're struggling, the best thing for you to do is to reach out."

Anyone who needs help with dealing with stress or mental health, the Mid and North East Essex mind is encouraging them to visit their website.