Pat Hagan

The physical toll of the Covid-19 pandemic is easy to measure. Daily updates on new cases and deaths serve as a constant reminder of the carnage that the pandemic has brought to our shores.

But what worries many experts is something much harder to quantify – the long-term impact on people’s mental health.

The danger comes not just from the fear of becoming infected with coronavirus, losing loved ones or the threat to job security, but from enforced bans on physical or social contact – the dreaded lockdowns.

“Many of us have become almost institutionalised from months of being at home and not going out or being able to do normal things,” says Dr Olga Runcie, consultant psychiatrist at the BMI Albyn Hospital in Aberdeen.

“The whole pace of life has changed and many of my patients tell me this last lockdown has been much more challenging than the first because it’s happened in the middle of winter.

“There’s tremendous uncertainty about the future.

“And even when lockdown measures are finally lifted, a lot of people will still be very anxious about the risks of getting infected.”

A study in October by researchers from Glasgow University found that six months or so after coronavirus first hit, the pandemic was having a devastating impact on people’s psychological wellbeing.

Researchers grilled 3,000 adults on three separate occasions over the spring and summer, and found the numbers expressing suicidal thoughts had risen from eight per cent to 10 per cent. But among those in their teenage years and 20s it had crept up higher to 14 per cent.

Scientists behind the study said such a rise over a short period of time was a cause for concern.

Now, with the roll-out of the UK’s mass vaccination programme well underway, experts say it’s time for the beleaguered British public to press the reset button on their mental health in order to prepare for a return to normality from summer.

Follow our essential guide on how to rescue your psychological wellbeing so you can move on and free your mind from the worst effects of lockdown.

For advice on dealing with lockdown pressures, go to mind.org.uk; for tips on curbing alcohol intake see drinkaware.co.uk, and for relationship guidance see bps.org.uk people have experienced a decline in their sleeping patterns since the first national lockdown was announced almost a year ago, according to research carried out at King’s College London.

Half those polled said their sleep was more disturbed due to financial worries and fears about catching the virus.

“Firstly, get exposure to daylight as this tells your internal body clock that you should be awake rather than dozing,” says independent sleep expert Dr Neil Stanley.

“And avoid sources of light before bed as darkness is the signal for sleep.

“Also, go to bed when you feel sleepy, whatever time it is, and don’t sleep in at the weekend as this could negatively affect your sleep during the week.”

According to some estimates, one in three people in the UK have increased their alcohol consumption during lockdowns. The charity Drinkaware is worried this could have devastating long-term consequences for the country’s mental and physical health.

Chief executive Elaine Hindal warned: “We are worried that for a significant number of people, lockdown levels of drinking may become ingrained and hard to break.

“Drinking more, whether out of boredom or anxiety, can lead to devastating health consequences, both mental and physical.”

The charity says increasing the number of drink-free days in a week, or only having one drink with dinner, is a good way to gradually reduce intake.

It’s common knowledge that regular exercise is good for the mind as well as the body. It stimulates the release of natural feelgood chemicals in the brain, such as endorphins, that can enhance your sense of wellbeing.

It’s impossible to overstate the importance of physical activity as Britain emerges from the shadows of the pandemic.

And the good news is that it doesn’t have to be exhausting.

Research by experts at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, US, showed that just 35 minutes a day of low-intensity exercise, such as yoga, is just as effective at warding off the blues as jogging or using exercise machines which get you out of breath.

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