By Matt Williams
LOCKDOWNS, restrictions, and a constant sense of uncertainty. It has no doubt been a mentally challenging time for us all over the past year. However, with a sense normality is edging closer, BBC political reporter Hayley Mortimer says we still have a long way to go when discussing mental health.
(Credit- twitter)
BBC Radio Gloucestershire’s Hayley Mortimer gained significant traction on social media last October, when tweeting about the effect’s lockdown was having on her mental health.
The viral tweet, which stated how she felt she was ‘existing not living’ received 97k likes, 12.3k retweets, and more than 3,000 comments, with many readers resonating with her struggles.
Anyone else feel like they are just existing, not living? It feels like all of the fun and vibrancy of life has gone. I’m really struggling with it all 😔
— Hayley Mortimer (@BBC_Hayley) October 7, 2020
The 30-year-old says she was surprised by the overwhelming reaction to the tweet.
“I had no idea it was going to take off like it did, I didn’t realise I tapped into something that so many people were feeling. It was comforting to know that other people felt the same.”
“It was also quite overwhelming because people were sharing their stories with me and I was in a place where I couldn’t really deal with my own thoughts, and then having to take on other people’s trauma was really difficult.”
The 2015 South West Reporter of the Year says lockdown restrictions made it difficult to aid her mental health struggles, with everyday coping mechanisms a luxury unaffordable at that time.
“I think if I was feeling how I was in October in normal times, I think I would have been able to use all of the traditional coping mechanisms that we have, like meeting your friends, going out, distractions, doing fun things, goal-setting, having things to look forward to, and I think all of those things would have really, really helped me.”
“Unfortunately, all of those things have evaporated, and we can’t do those things. So, for me, my only option was to go to my GP and go on medication, which still feels like a bit of a taboo to talk about.”
She continued, “I don’t want to be an advocate for self-medicating, but I think in that moment of my life it was the only thing I really could have done because there was no other way of fixing how I was feeling.”
The Ex-De Montford University student says she sees her candidness on mental health as a natural by-product of her journalistic nature.
“I keep getting told I’m brave for talking about it, but it feels like the most natural thing for me to do as a journalist, is to talk about it. My job is to talk about things.”
She continued, “the more I’m talking about it the more people are saying they feel the same, and it’s people in all walks of life, people in all sorts of situations.”
“It’s not just people like me who live on their own, it’s not just people my age, it’s people across all age groups.”
Gloucestershire’s Mortimer says there is still a long way to go when discussing mental health, with a societal reluctance to speak out still existing.
“I still think we’ve got a long way to go. Just the fact that so many people messaged me privately rather than being willing to post it publicly showed there’s still some people who just weren’t in a place to speak publicly about it, but I do hope that changes.”
She continued, “your mental health is just as important as your physical health and you wouldn’t hide that you have a broken arm out of shame, so why should you be ashamed of not being okay in your mental health?”
Mortimer believes one positive to come out of lockdown is the light it has shone on the magnitude of mental health.
“One thing this year has done is it has put mental health out there, on the agenda.”
“It has got people talking about mental health and the impact that lockdowns have on mental health. So, I do hope more people talk about it in the future.”
