COVID/COVID-19/Coronavirus has had a huge impact on the country and its people. Safe Space Movement are aware of that and have also been personally affected by the negative effects the pandemic has had on the mental and physical health of the country. To that end, Safe Space Movement wants everyone to know that no one has to be alone, no one has to go through anything alone. Please just REACH OUT.
From having to quarantine, abide by lockdown rules, engage in social distancing, wear masks, everything has changed. Did anyone know what 2 meters looked like in January 2020? COVID has introduced a new way of living and it has the potential to be a very lonely, depressing and anxiety-inducing place. The terminology is hard-hitting too; lockdown/social distancing/isolation. The country fell silent on Monday, March 23rd 2020. Everything was closed or close to it and all plans were cancelled.
Between the announcement of lockdown and the VE day celebrations weekend, hospitals were bizarrely empty. What had happened to everyone? Accident and emergency departments could finally take a bit of a break although they were now preparing for an unknown quantity. Acute admissions wards were empty; this was most concerning, and staff immediately began to wonder what the fallout would be. 7 Nightingale Hospitals were formed as a precaution in response to the pandemic, but where were all the staff going to come from? The NHS is understaffed – that is public knowledge. The call was made for medical staff to come out of retirement and come back to the NHS. Would some of them due to being retired not be in the most vulnerable groups advised to shield? It was impressive the speed at which the hospitals sprung up, however. The army was of course involved in this. Would there be enough PPE/masks/gloves/aprons/visors/goggles to go around?
Five months on and too many people have been affected by the fallout. Too many people have lost loved ones who felt that they could not cope, for whatever reason, and did not/could not reach out. Suicide rates are on the up. People generally considered as “stable and fully functioning” suddenly aren’t. Laid off, their world’s turned upside down right before their eyes. Where people were financially stable and were on course with their 3-year plan all-of-a-sudden were at home with their family. Sounds like it should be a dream? Safe Space Movement acknowledges that it probably wasn’t. The pressure of spending all that time couped up with normal routines broken is undoubtedly going to build. Children didn’t understand what was going on and now the pressure was really on to keep them entertained 24/7. All of this, for some, whilst facing the real prospect of losing everything.
That is not to mention the danger that some people now found themselves in. The realities of living in an abusive relationship, unable to go anywhere to get help. Safe Space Movement can help with the effects that this has had and/or help the victim get away from the situation. Nobody has to go through anything alone.
Safe Space Movement understands how COVID-19 has heightened issues that were already present for some. We can suggest ways of trying to rebuild your social circle, to enable you to have more contact with your friends and loved ones. Do you have added anxiety about going out again after so long in lockdown? Safe Space Movement have Mental Health First Aiders who can help, or our Phone Buddy service can put you in regular contact with someone you can talk to about your concerns.
From the wearing of masks and not being able to see people’s faces. How does this work for the deaf, for people whose ability to see a person’s face is imperative for them to be able to communicate? How even more isolating.
The added pressures that the pandemic brought are fully understood by Safe Space Movement. A person already undergoing treatment suddenly wasn’t. Face-to-face sessions were cancelled. Group therapy sessions – cancelled. How was treatment going to be delivered now? How would loneliness affect the already lonely and depressed?
There is so much fallout from the pandemic and there are at least five members of the Safe Space Movement that have experienced the suicide of a loved one first-hand. We want you to feel our outpouring of support for you all and recognise that it has been such an isolating time and the immediate need for help and guidance. We are here to do just that.
The realities of the lack of accessible immediate support at ground level are worrying. Safe Space Movement wants to change this, to tackle the stigma, the lack of readily available services and to let everyone know that we want to help and we will help in any way that we can. We are trying to bridge that gap with our united love of life and respect for our fellow man. No one should have to suffer by themselves, not in this day and age. That is our ethos, that is why we welcome you with open arms reassuring you that you are not alone.
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