Lockdown harms mental health by taking away choice – but there are ways to avoid feeling powerless

Being able to make our own decisions is good for our psychological wellbeing, says Ruth Cooper-Dickson. But in today’s lockdown world, much of this ability is being taken away from us.

Under a new three-tier system, English cities will be subject to lockdown measures corresponding with the severity of covid-19 outbreaks in their areas (Getty Images)

Isolation, lack of physical exercise and fresh air are often talked about in relation to lockdown measures, but one impact we rarely discuss is our lack of choice and agency.  

Being able to make our own decisions is really good for our mental health. But in today’s lockdown world, much of this ability is being taken away from us. I’ve personally just experienced this as part of my work through my community interest company, Champs For Change, and I was surprised at just how much of an impact it had on me.  

This work has taken me to Greece where I am currently volunteering with charity Indigo Volunteers. My role is to provide psycho-social support through coaching and workshops to volunteers who are working with the refugee community there. When I first arrived in Greece, I had to quarantine in isolation for 11 days, which meant that many of my go-to self-care activities and coping mechanisms were not possible.

For example, I couldn’t go out for a walk, run or a swim; my food shopping was delivered to me and I could not be spontaneous about what I wanted to eat; and of course there was a complete lack of social interaction. Additionally, I was in a strange place with none of my home comforts around me. Of course, the wonderful team at Indigo who were delivering my food parcels were an absolute godsend, and I’m delighted to now be able to take a walk and have a chat with them in the daytime.

While my situation may sound fairly unique – obviously not everyone is volunteering on an island in Greece many miles away from home during the pandemic – there are many people experiencing this lack of agency.  

Students who have been forced to self-isolate in halls and are having food parcels delivered to them by strangers; people who are stuck in hospitals or care homes and are unable to receive visitors; and generally, the extroverts among us who are used to socialising regularly with friends and who are now spending Friday nights in watching movies and ordering takeaways alone.

What I quickly discovered, however, is that while my usual choices were being removed, others opened up to me. I could still practice self-care and I could still create little routines but I kind of had to start from scratch.

For example, I would usually take a daily walk in the fresh air to decompress and, with this option being removed, I needed to find a new way to relax after a day of work. I found myself putting on my headphones and dancing around the apartment to 90s music which was great for just making myself move around, as well as having fun and lifting my spirits and energy levels. I also found that my taste for TV shows and movies changed dramatically. I have never been one for romcoms – yet I found myself tuning into 90s romcoms because I just needed a light-hearted distraction. Putting in regular Zoom meetings with colleagues back home has also been a lifesaver and having these in the diary adds structure to my week and something to look forward to.

I’ve also found that I’m connecting more with family – for example, I’ve been calling or messaging my mum on a daily basis which is great for our relationship, and I’ve found my journaling has increased which is good for creative expression.

Additionally, in this full-on, fast-paced world that we live in, it’s actually been nice to find the downtime to rest and nap – something we should never feel guilty about doing because at the end of the day, we need it to thrive and to be our best selves.

I am not in any way suggesting that lockdown is a doddle – far from it. But I would urge people to look at their self-care routines and coping mechanisms and try to mix them up and make them work in the current environment.

While we work our way through these incredibly difficult times we need to be more aware of the tools we have and the opportunities we can create to support our mental health now and in the longer-term. Because as we know, it is highly unlikely we will return to exactly the same lifestyle we had in 2019.

Ruth is a positive psychology practitioner and qualified and accredited coach. She is the founder and managing director of Champs.