N M, North London

N M, 61, North London

The pandemic was a difficult time for me and it brought lots of feelings to the surface which I had been avoiding or trying not to pay attention to. Being locked down made the feelings a lot more intense and there was nowhere to go to escape from them. I was definitely depressed during that period and it lasted for some time. 

I didn’t go about seeking professional help because it’s not something I know much about or view as being for me. Talking therapy isn’t something that I have ever really considered properly for myself and I question how much benefit comes from just speaking about things. A lot of the challenges or negative feelings that I have come from many years ago and so I have had a lot of time to think about them. A part of me doesn't want to go and bring all of that stuff up again and so I choose to brush over it instead.

The younger generation are a lot better at choosing to talk through things, I find it very admirable. It’s not something that comes easily to me.