UEA project shares Lockdown Voices through pandemic
One woman said she spiralled into depression during lockdown
To mark the first anniversary of lockdown in the UK, Norfolk's university has created a special series to share people's stories about how the last year has affected them.
Researchers from the UEA have spoken to people all over the country, as part of the Lockdown Voices project.
They wanted to understand how lockdown would impact people's physical and mental health.
More than a thousand people signed up and they were followed every day for three months in the first study of its kind.
The participants kept daily diaries on a range of lifestyle behaviours including physical activity, diet, sleep, smoking, drinking, and drug use.
They've changed people's names, but the stories are true.
Mum of two, Julie, says lockdowns have really affected her mental health:
"No one saw me, I saw no one. There was no point putting make up on, there was no point even having a shower. Often, I would just stay in my pyjamas all day.
"I definitely spiralled into depression. I just felt as if I was drifting in a vacuum.
"It was just the overpowering monotony and hopelessness of the situation, and not knowing when there was going to an end to it that just overpowered me, really."
Other people who were part of the study also showed they had to find ways to cope through isolation and lockdown.
Lauren was finishing her undergraduate degree when the first lockdown was announced.
She said:
"When you're living within those four walls, it's doing the little things and checking that off your to-do list that keeps you sane. It's like saying I managed to write 200 words of my essay or I managed to get out and have a workout. It's those things that keep you ticking through it.
"It kind of grinds you down. It's like a gradual chipping away.
“Boredom set in and it's like - if I'm going to drink, I want to get smashed because I kind of need a change of mental scenery.”