At times I found myself wondering why people were moaning about the government’s instructions. Why can’t they just follow them? Why can’t they see it’s for their own protection, as well as, keeping others safe too?
Here’s why lockdown was torture for some
All of the names below and fictional.
Linda has a child who has special needs. Her child, Fred, attends a school which provides him with consistency, structure, multiple ways that enable him to express himself and more. During the lockdown, although he’s vulnerable, Fred’s school remained closed. He couldn’t cope with the massive change and began lashing out at Linda. What are Linda’s options?
Rina is in her 20’s and she lives alone. She has felt deeply isolated and she’s struggled to find the motivation to cook for herself. Rina tried speaking to some of her friends but none of them are in the same position as her, so they just don’t get it. She has started harming herself.
Jackson feels suicidal a lot of the time, but he manages these feelings by going out and being active. Lockdown meant that this wasn’t possible. Without these coping strategies, the pull towards suicide became so strong and he didn’t have the tools to fight them.
Nancy has two children. She and her partner aren’t together any more but they’re civil to each other and share custody of the children. During the lockdown, Daniel didn’t want to risk exposure so he said that Nancy couldn’t see the children. Every time she thought she would be able to see them, the restrictions continued and she found it harder and harder to cope. She started drinking again and is now struggling to stop.
Duncan doesn’t have any support from friends or family. He relies on support groups to stay grounded. These groups suddenly came to a stop and Duncan has been desperate for some form of connection.
Raj and Louise have had their ups and downs but things have been so much better for the last few years. Louise was put on Furlough and Raj found it really hard to cope with the future redundancy which they both feared. Raj started taking drugs again and Louise resorted to expressing her unhappiness through violence. Raj is trapped in a physically abusive relationship. Louise is trapped with a partner who is unable to do much because he’s intoxicated.
Andre is in prison. He’s managed to cope so far because he could break up his day through working, exercising outside, attending support groups and being supported by his peer who’s been trained by the Samaritans. However, the restrictions meant that all prisoners had to remain in their cells for 23.5 hours of the day. He’s really struggled with this forced solitude and containment.
How being aware of these scenarios has affected me
I am trying really hard to be less judgemental, assume less and focus on what I can do to make myself a better person, rather than, thinking about what others are doing or not doing.
Why some people are wearing sunflower badges when shopping in Morrisons, Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s
