Khaleej Times

Brexhausti­on: Brexit stressing people out

- Times.

london — Elly Wright can’t sleep through the night.

The Dutch native, who has lived in Britain for 51 years, keeps thinking about the black boots of Nazi soldiers marching by her basement window as they brought Jews to a nearby camp in her homeland. The flashbacks have been triggered by Britain’s heated debate over leaving the European Union, which has brought division, strife and fear of foreigners. The 77-year-old painter says it has shattered her sense of belonging.

“(Britain) is my home,” Wright said quietly. “That is being taken away from me.”

Wright isn’t alone in her angst. The acrimony over Brexit, which has reached fever pitch as deadlines come and go while politician­s squabble, is affecting the mental wellbeing of people from Belfast to Brighton.

Job uncertaint­y. Visa worries. Confrontat­ional conversati­ons between family members or friends with opposing views on Brexit. The fatigue and stress caused by three years of conflict has spawned new terms: Brexhausti­on or Strexit.

“It’s a civil war,” said Cary Cooper, a professor of organisati­onal psychology at Manchester Business School. “What the country is going through is not a war with Europe. It’s not us against them. It’s internal.”

Online meditation provider Headspace has added bespoke meditation­s to help people manage

(Britain) is my home. That is being taken away from me.”

Elly Wright, 77-year-old painter

Brexit stress, addressing issues such as having difficult conversati­ons and what to do when you feel overwhelme­d. Mike Ward, a London-based therapist who specialise­s in treating anxiety, estimates that some 40 per cent of his patients now bring up Brexit-related issues, while cognitive-behavioral clinical hypnothera­pist Becca Teers says many of her clients struggle with their lack of control over how Brexit might affect them.

Researcher­s at the London School of Economics’ Centre for Economic Performanc­e, found that the “subjective well-being,” or happiness, of Britons has declined since the 2016 referendum — regardless of a person’s position on Brexit. The researcher­s believe this is because those in favor of remaining in the EU are upset with the outcome, and those who want to leave are unhappy with how politician­s are handling the process.

The study was based on an analysis of the Eurobarome­ter surveys conducted every year that ask 1,000 people in each EU country about the economic outlook, their job prospects and issues ranging from terrorism to immigratio­n and climate change.

Business consultant BritainThi­nks asked focus groups to name a song that encapsulat­ed their emotions about Brexit. Their answer: the theme song from the classic horror movie “The Exorcist.” And that question was asked before the EU stretched the deadline to October 31, Halloween.

“People consistent­ly tell us how worried (Brexit) makes them feel,” said Tom Clarkson, research director at BritainThi­nks. “It’s just pessimisti­c mood music in the background.”

Members of Parliament aren’t immune to the stress. Lawmakers say they regularly receive death threats because of their positions on Brexit and some have publicly broken down in tears.

Andrew Percy, an MP from the governing Conservati­ve Party, said recently that he had found a cupboard inside the House of Commons where he occasional­ly retreats for a few moments of calm between debates. “It feels as if we are under siege,” Labour Party lawmaker Chris Bryant told the — AP

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