Through Your Eyes

 

On Sunday, I participated in an interview with an independent film company, DT Films, for their project entitled Through Your Eyes. They are investigating the various impacts that lockdown has had on peoples lives, and giving those people a platform to share their perspectives. In my interview, we focussed on mental health impacts. I explained what I had experienced during each lockdown, from the emotional toll to the various physical manifestations of my mental state - heart palpitations, eye twitching, shaking, etc. We also discussed the major events that lockdown had caused in my life, such as my redundancy or seeing my mum's business that I have watched her pour years of training and hard work into building being closed down with a heartbreaking finality. 

With the amazing support of the crew I felt free to express my perception that the imposition of these measures has been an injustice and a betrayal to many. Johnson, who claimed to support British business throughout his Brexit campaign, has turned malevolently on his heels and swung a wrecking ball at genuine hard-working business owners, handing double profits to American global conglomerates instead. The Conservative manifesto pledge to treat mental health with the same urgency as physical health has been conveniently forgotten as the party chooses to prioritise a virus over skyrocketing child suicide rates. My concern for the youngest generation was very much in the foreground of the fears for the future that I expressed, and I was so grateful for the chance to bring awareness to this urgent issue. 

What I appreciated most about being involved with this project was the feeling that my voice was being respected, and my message being heard. A huge part of the impact that lockdown has had on me mentally has been a sense of helplessness, as though there's nothing I can do - for a long time I felt that no one was listening, so I am unbelievably thankful for the opportunity to share my experience with people, backed by this company. I spoke with the hope that others who have been affected in the same way will realise (first and foremost) that they are not alone, but also realise that they should never have been treated this way, and that it's okay to be angry about the suffering that has been inflicted upon us all.