Life on Pause – During the current corona virus pandemic, one of the feelings you may well be experiencing is loneliness. Our efforts to stay safe by isolating has had a dramatic effect on the ways we see family and friends and it can really feel like your whole life has been put on pause.

Results from a recent survey showed that 24% of adults in the UK reported feeling lonely during this lock down so social distancing is definitely having an effect on many people’s mental health.

The current advice is still to stay or work at home if you can, and only go outside for food, health reasons, essential work, and exercise. When you do go out, remember to remain two metres away from other people where possible.

So, we need to be creative in how we connect with family and friends and find new ways to stay in touch during this difficult time. Keeping up with your social connections will help protect you against poor mental health.

Staying in touch via video calls, WhatsApp or just by regular phone calls is vital at this time. Try to keep up your normal routines if you can. Example, if you used to go to the pub on a Thursday for quiz night, try to get your usual team mates to do an online quiz using Zoom or Facetime.

It is not just the loss of normal contact with family and friends that can have an effect on your mental health. Being thrown into much closer contact than usual can also feel stressful and it may be worrying, or even feel unbearable at times.

Many of us are now spending far more time than we are used to with those who share our homes, whether that be family or in the case of students, housemates.

It goes without saying that at times like this we need to be extra patient and understanding with each other. Relationships are likely to be strained but with a little more patience and understanding than you would normally exercise we can overcome the difficulties. Remember this situation will not last forever.

As students, it might be a good idea to agree on who is using which parts of your student accommodation and when.  Make best use of the space you have – this may be about planning your day, sharing, or alternating the use of space, or simply being aware of others’ needs. It may help to share out the household tasks such as shopping, washing up and cleaning. Having a daily routine will help you feel more at home, and in control, at a time when we have lost a lot of control over our daily lives.

Remember that these constraints will eventually come to an end but in the meantime, try to be as positive as possible, exercise patience and understanding with those around you and try to continue your life as normally as you can.

We hope this blog helps even if only in a small way, to overcome these exceptional times and understand it won’t always be – life on pause.