This page explains some common experiences of mental health problems during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, and has tips for living with mental health problems during the pandemic.
Many of us are worried about the coronavirus pandemic and how it’s affecting our mental wellbeing. For those of us experiencing mental health problems, things may feel especially difficult. These may be problems that you’ve experienced before, or for the first time during the pandemic.
This information is to help you cope if:
It covers:
Many of us are struggling with our mental health during the coronavirus pandemic. You may have experienced mental health problems before the pandemic, and now you’re finding things harder to cope with. Or you may be experiencing mental health problems for the first time.
Your experience of mental health will be personal to you, and there are many different ways in which it may be affected during the pandemic.
These are some of the common experiences of how our mental health is being affected during this time:
If you experienced anxiety before the coronavirus pandemic, your feelings may have got worse. Or you may be experiencing anxiety for the first time.
Anxiety feels different for everybody, but there are some common experiences. These may include:
You may also experience sensations in the body, such as aches and pains, sweating and hot flushes, and a faster heartbeat. Some of these sensations may feel similar to the symptoms of coronavirus. If you’re concerned about what you’re experiencing, you can talk to your GP, call 111 or visit the NHS 111 (England) or NHS 111 Wales website.
You may feel like you have less access to support and ways of coping during coronavirus. But there are still some things you can do to manage your mental health.
See our tips for taking care of your mental health during coronavirus for ideas which may help. Or see our pages on anxiety and panic attacks for more information and ways to help yourself.
During the coronavirus pandemic, you may find that you’re experiencing stronger feelings of depression.
This may happen for a few different reasons, such as if you:
If you are experiencing depression during the pandemic, our tips for taking care of your mental health during coronavirus may help. Or see our pages on depression for more information and ways to help yourself.
“I keep trying to be optimistic about the light at the end of the virus tunnel, but it seems to be a long way off and my personal life, what there is of it, is on long-term hold.”
During the coronavirus pandemic, it may feel difficult to live with an eating problem for a few different reasons.
For example, you might:
You may feel like you have less access to support and ways of coping during coronavirus. But there are still some things you can do to manage your mental health:
Those of us who experience obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) may find things more difficult during the coronavirus pandemic.
This may be because of increased levels of stress and anxiety making existing obsessions and compulsions more severe. It might also be because of obsessions and compulsions specifically to do with coronavirus, such as:
These pages have ideas to help you to manage your mental health:
“My initial reaction was fear, anxiety and uncertainty, which caused a recurrence of previous problems relating to excessive cleaning behaviours… which had been resolved for 20 years.”
A personality disorder is a term that some people use to describe a collection of different feelings and behaviours that cause you problems in daily life.
There are a wide range of experiences associated with different types of personality disorder, some of which may feel especially difficult to cope with during coronavirus. For example, you may:
You may be experiencing some of these for the first time during coronavirus. Or you may have experienced them in the past, and might have been given a diagnosis of a personality disorder by a mental health professional.
Whatever your experience, these feelings and behaviours are very difficult to cope with. Remember that you deserve understanding and support for your mental health, including if you find the term ‘personality disorder’ controversial or disagree with your diagnosis.
You may also feel like you have less access to support and ways of coping during coronavirus. But there are still some things you can do to manage your mental health.
See our tips for taking care of your mental health during coronavirus for ideas which may help. Or see our pages on personality disorders for more information and ways to help yourself.
“The important thing to remember is that we're not broken, we just think differently and experience the world in a different way... there's no shame in doing whatever we need to do to cope with our emotions in a safe and supportive way.”
If you live with bipolar disorder, it may feel especially difficult to cope during the coronavirus pandemic. This could be because of changes to your life affecting your mood, for example:
These may cause you to feel ‘high’ (mania or hypomania) or ‘low’ (depression), and to experience overwhelming swings in your mood.
If you are experiencing bipolar disorder during the pandemic, our tips for taking care of your mental health during coronavirus may help. This includes ways to think about your routine and keep a mood diary.
Or see our pages on bipolar disorder for more information and ways to help yourself.
Read Becky's story about living with bipolar disorder during lockdown.
If you experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), things may feel especially difficult during the coronavirus pandemic. This may be because you feel:
You may also experience sensations in the body, such as aches and pains, sweating and hot flushes, and a faster heartbeat. Some of these sensations may feel similar to the symptoms of coronavirus. If you’re concerned about what you’re experiencing, you can talk to your GP, call 111 or visit the NHS 111 (England) or NHS 111 Wales website.
If you are experiencing PTSD during the pandemic, our tips for taking care of your mental health during coronavirus may help. This includes tips for coping if you’re experiencing flashbacks or feeling trapped, and information on how to plan for having a mental health crisis.
Or see our pages on PTSD for more information and ways to help yourself.
If you experience psychosis, you are likely to have symptoms like hallucinations, delusions and disorganised thinking and speech.
During the coronavirus pandemic, you may feel more stressed and worried about things than you used to. These changes may affect your experiences of psychosis. For example, you might:
These symptoms may feel very difficult to live with. But there are still some things you can try to manage how you are feeling:
If you're struggling with certain mental health problems, you might use self-harm to cope with difficult feelings.
Or if you're feeling very low and hopeless, you might find yourself experiencing suicidal thoughts.
If you think you might attempt suicide or you have seriously harmed yourself, this is a mental health emergency.
If you had ways of coping with self-harm or suicidal thoughts that aren't possible during coronavirus, our tips for taking care of your mental health during coronavirus may help.
Or see our pages on self-harm and suicidal feelings for more information.
“During lockdown [my usual] mindfulness practices are not accessible for me... so I've needed to be more imaginative.”
If you’re experiencing difficult feelings or behaviours to do with washing or hygiene, here are some things you could try:
Flashbacks can be very distressing, but there are things you can do that might help:
These are some ideas you could try if you’re feeling claustrophobic or trapped:
A safety plan is a plan to support you at times when you’re having a mental health crisis. It is personal to your needs, but may include:
It might feel difficult to plan for something you hope won’t happen. But creating a safety plan could help you get the support you need.
See our pages on crisis services for more information about planning for a mental health crisis, including writing a safety plan. Samaritans also has a free self-help app which includes a step-by-step template for writing a safety plan.
“I've been honest with the people who love me about my suicidal feelings and low mood, and this has meant they know what's wrong and have context when they support me.”
“[I] try and keep a fairly normal routine and try to relax. I find closing my eyes and picturing being somewhere nice helps especially with the right music. I have someone I can ring when I get down and it helps me realise I'm not on my own.”
Breathing exercises can help you cope and feel more in control. The NHS website has a simple breathing exercise that you could try.
Our pages on relaxation also have some relaxation exercises you can try, and other relaxation tips.
Mindfulness is a way of giving your full attention to the present moment, using techniques like meditation, breathing exercises and yoga. It has been shown to help people become more aware of their thoughts and feelings. This means that instead of being overwhelmed by your feelings, it becomes easier to manage them.
See our pages on mindfulness for more information. The NHS Apps Library also lists mindfulness apps and online courses which may help.
Staying connected with current events might feel important, especially if you want to keep up with public health or travel guidance. But if you’re struggling with your mental health, it may feel difficult to read worrying news stories. Or it may not feel helpful to read information that might not be reliable.
Take care with where you get news and health information from. If news stories make you feel anxious or confused, think about switching off or limiting what you look at for a while.
Social media could help you stay in touch with people but might also make you feel anxious. This may be because of people sharing worrying news stories or their own concerns about coronavirus. Or you might see things that don’t help your mental health.
Think about taking a break or limiting how you use social media if you’re finding it unhelpful. You might also decide to only view particular groups or pages, but not scroll through timelines or newsfeeds.
See our pages about online mental health for more information.
“I have found ‘switching off’ for a while has helped my anxiety levels.”
Keeping a mood diary can help you keep track of any changes in your mood, and you might find that you have more good days than you think. It can also help you notice if any activities, places or people make you feel better or worse.
There are many mood diaries available online for free, such as MoodPanda or Bipolar UK’s mood diary.
You might find it helpful to a box of things that help you when you're not feeling well. Try to make it easy to access when you’re struggling, like having a first-aid kit for your mental health.
For example, this could include:
If you’re struggling at the moment, it’s important to be gentle with yourself and remind yourself that there is no right or wrong way to feel about the coronavirus pandemic and how it may be affecting your life.
You might find it helpful to focus on learning more about yourself and developing ways to cope, rather than trying to get rid of every difficult feeling.
“I’m learning new techniques and skills which are helping me overcome my social anxiety, as well as training my brain to accept my anxiety, and not let it control me.”
This information was last updated on 9 August 2021.
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The coronavirus pandemic is having a huge impact on our mental health. Help us be there for everyone who needs us at this crucial time.