Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Gen Z kids need us just as much as elderly
Today marks the end of Mental Health Awareness Week, but the struggle for millions of anxious minds is only just beginning.
With all the focus on protecting over-70s, it’s our young adults who’ve been overlooked.
Around 23 million people are dealing with mental health issues during lockdown, but it’s the 20-somethings feeling it most.
Yes, the physical health risks are lower for them and they can seem like an alien species to anyone who’s ever plucked white hair out of their eyebrows. But they are at a far higher risk of depression, suicide and self-harm.
While a third of the population feels that lockdown measures have battered their mental health, it’s the under-24s – so-called Gen Z – feeling the most lonely and sad, and battling insomnia. It’s surprising that the people we assume would not miss social contact because of their digital lives are the ones struggling the most.
But their lives have changed overnight – no mates, no school or university, stuck at home, maybe with nagging parents, 24/7. Worried about jobs. No parties, festivals or a hangout at the park. Not feeling excited about the future. If that had happened to me in my 20s, I would have gone to a dark place. I probably wouldn’t have been able to express it to friends and family either.
Loneliness is also a killer. One in five people are living on their own so have gone months without human touch. In Manchester, 76,000 people are doing lockdown solo – many in that younger age bracket – the excitement of living in a city replaced with loneliness and anxiety.
But there is hope. Research by the Eden Project found that six out of 10 people are now more likely to say hi and chat to strangers.
But while we might be asking after older people, how many of us can say we’ve reached out to the younger generation – asked how they are coping with it all?
Community is key to getting us through this. The Eden Project is running The Big Virtual Lunch on June 6 and 7, which aims to bring neighbours together to share food and chat.
Six million took part in the regular Big Lunch last year, with events in gardens and halls.
It will be different for 2020, but the message is the same. Connecting with your community. All of it. I’ll be getting involved, baking scones and leaving them on doorsteps. And I won’t be overlooking the younger faces on my street.
INSPIRING Kate Garraway
After watching her On I’m A Celebrity, I knew Kate Garraway was tough. But I’ve seen the strongest side to her yet, banging pans for the NHS with her two young children, while her husband Derek is in intensive care fighting Covid-19. He’s been in a coma for seven long weeks now. They have been married for 15 years and planned to renew their vows after former Labour adviser Derek said he fell in love with her all over again while seeing her take on the jungle trials. Even now, Kate’s talking about “green shoots of hope” in the country, instilling positivity in others. Because even in the most desperate situation, you should never stop hoping.
With new pet Vera
The risks to their mental health are much greater