In the last couple of months we were starting to build a bit of hope that this was all behind us, and suddenly when lockdown comes it feels like, oh just a real sense of disappointment, deflation and powerlessness.
Professor Jayashri Kulkarni, who runs The Alfred hospitals Womens Mental Health Clinic and has kept a regular eye on community mental health during the Australian pandemic, said the mood in the clinic after the latest lockdown was announced was gloomy due to the uncertainty it has created.
Whenever youve got uncertainty it causes anxiety. Thats certainly whats happening. I have heard of two weddings that have had to be cancelled, and travel plans. People feel like they cant plan things and that makes it very uncertain, she said.
The second thing is that sense of despair: I dont think we can do this again.
But, she says, other people are very clear about handling it, saying:Hey, its not much, seven days. We went through hell last year with a much longer lockdown. They learned how to work from home or do online education, or what activities they could do, how to plan exercise.
There are a whole bunch of learned skills we didnt have when we went into lockdown last year that may come to the fore; it may be after the initial anxiety and a bit of shock, these kick in and we think, OK, seven days compared with months of this is do-able.
Some are confident because weve done this before and we know what to do. Others are exhausted, some are worried or feeling alone.
Dr Grant Blashki, Beyond Blue
This is exactly what you would get with a shock reaction, there will be rolling changes in emotional reactions and impact.
She says it is important people pre-plan according to what worked for them in isolation last time and to make the effort to use tecnology to stay in touch with family and friends.
Matthew Young, director of the Melbourne Meditation Centre, said it is wrong to assume everyones flying into a panic and anxious … theres probably a majority in that mode but not everyone, though he did have high non-attendance levels at the last scheduled meditation class before lockdown, last Thursday night.
Some people are completely as normal, or even kind of, oh great, I get another week where I dont have to go into work … [others] are I dont feel safe given the situation, which is not quite panic but highly anxious and a little bit irrational. Im definitely seeing that kind of mood. Its a bit surprising given how familiar we should have been with this by now.
Beyond Blues lead clinical adviser, Dr Grant Blashki said there was no right or wrong way for Victorians to feel and people seem to be feeling mixed emotions right now.
Some are confident because weve done this before and we know what to do, he said.
Others are exhausted. Some are worried or feeling alone its perfectly normal to be feeling unsettled.
If you or anyone you know needs support call Lifeline on 131 114, or Beyond Blues coronavirus mental wellbeing support service on 1800 512 348.
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