Covid-19 and Mental Health in the Over 50s

Recently, someone sent me this article from the Daily Mail on how the pandemic and its associated restrictions on our lives has impacted mental health. The study looked at people in the over 50 age group.

According to the article, a surge in anxiety and depression in this group is down to two main factors - a reduced amount of physical activity and loneliness. Women and the retired are particularly vulnerable.

None of this is surprising. Although this study focused on this particular age group, people across all age groups are suffering from increased anxiety and depression. We have some basic emotional needs that when not fulfilled, can indeed affect our mental health. Particular ones being affected at the moment include the need to give and receive attention, sense of autonomy and control and feeling part of a wider community.

Of course, it is important for all of us to maintain contact with others by some means since our ability to meet in person is limited. This means regular phone calls or video calls. We can maintain physical activity if able to by going outside for walks or use exercise apps and online tutorials. There are of course those who by virtue of their health conditions or age might be limited in meeting this need.

Maintaining a routine as well is paramount. If working from home, going through our usual morning routine as if we were actually going to work, is helpful. Having other activities throughout the day that are non-negotiable - we do them whatever - can form part of that routine.

Taking regular breaks. We are hard-wired to need breaks in order for our brains to function optimally. Take a look at this blog post for more on that. Taking a break every couple of hours or so and doing something completely different is the way to attend to this. This could be a short exercise online video. It could be making a phone call to a friend. It could be taking your cup of coffee out onto your balcony, back garden or even your doorstep and just drinking it there. It could be listening to a relaxation recording or some music.

And what else? One of our emotional needs is having a sense of purpose and meaning and I think it is this that we can pay attention to more closely during this time. Finding something to become completely engrossed in, something that gives you pleasure, that taps into your creativity and feels like something you can continue even past the lockdowns, can stimulate more of those feel good hormones.

As a personal example, one of my hobbies is storytelling. Before the pandemic, I had decided to branch out from only telling at my club so that I could hone my skills as well as my liking for having an audience! This led to my doing a 1 hour ’show’ for the Barbican Library although we had to do it online as lockdown had just started. All clubs having to go online however has meant that I have been able to join other clubs I would never have visited in reality, tell stories at their clubs and I have plans now to start a podcast.

My suggestion if you haven’t already done it, is to find something really engrossing that you would thoroughly enjoy doing and work at it. It’s something unique to you that you can be proud of and will undoubtedly help during these times.