BACKGROUND

We've all seen massive changes in our lives recently. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions mean we have changed our habits- social interaction and exercise are two aspects of our day-to-day lives that haven't been the same since. Many have experienced different mindsets and feelings, and worries about mental health as a result has increased a lot in our society.

With this website, we hope that people can learn more about how their brain and mental wellbeing has been affected, especially by changes in exercise and social interaction, throughout the pandemic.

If you are worried about your mental health, please talk to a trusted adult, a health professional, or use our listed resources here.

SURVEY

We carried out a survey in February 2021 which asked people about their habits and changes they've felt since lockdown began. The survey was widely distributed and we received over 320 responses, with ages participating ranging between 12 and 65. We asked questions that covered how people felt before and during lockdown, and what sort of things were causing them stress or worry. Here are some of our most impactful findings:

82% of respondents said they met up with family or friends less often during lockdown, and 10% said they texted or online messaged friends/family less in lockdown.

The 6 words most commonly used to describe how people felt before lockdown were:

Happy
Excited
Stressed
Calm
Confident
Peaceful

Whereas the 6 words most commonly used to describe how people felt during lockdown were:

Unfocused
Lazy
Anxious
Stressed
Frustrated
Irritated

In lockdown:

72% of people said they felt more sad than happy, and 9% said they felt more happy than sad
59% of people said they felt more angry than calm, and 14% said they felt more calm than angry
67% of people said they felt more detached than emotional and 12% said they felt more emotional than detached
87% said they felt more isolated than sociable, and 5% said they felt more sociable than isolated.

When we asked respondents about areas of concern, stress or worry, 57% said that their mental health was a source of stress for them, and 60% were worried about academic achievement over lockdown. Other causes of worry included the British and Scottish governments and respondents' own and loved ones' physical health

The survey also asked participants if they had experienced any specific symptoms on a list for the first time since the beginning of lockdown. The respondents didn't know at the time, but the symptoms were those listed as symptoms of depression and anxiety, taken from reliable sources like the NHS website. We found that 84% of participants recorded at least one of these symptoms, with around half experiencing a loss of motivation or interest in things. We made sure to include resources for participants to access if they are worried about their mental health.

A Biology and Psychology teacher from our school, Mr Alexander, has kindly made this informative and detailed video explaining how our brain chemistry and structure affects us, and how the restrictions and changes we are facing due to the pandemic has had an impact on young people in particular.

Massive thanks to Mr Alexander for his help and this amazing presentation!