Every Story Matters: Mental Health & Wellbeing – Easy Read

The Covid Inquiry is

• Finding out what happened during the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK
• Learning how to prepare for pandemics in the future

The Inquiry is divided up into modiwlau. Each module is about a different subject. Each module has:

• Public hearings: events where people talk about their experiences
• A report

Mae Pob Stori o Bwys is one way that the Inquiry learnt about people’s experiences of the pandemic.

Anyone in the UK could share their stories with us, at events and by using our website.

The stories helped us to learn about what happened, then recommend how to do things differently in future.

You might feel upset when you read people’s stories. Here is a link to information about getting support:

https://covid19.public-inquiry.uk/support-whilst-engaging-with-the-inquiry/

Mae pob modiwl yn defnyddio tystiolaeth o Mae Every Story Matters yn cofnodi.

Pob un cofnod yn grynodeb o'r pethau a ddywedodd pobl wrthym.

This document is the Easy Read version of one of the records for Modiwl 10.

All the Every Story Matters records are on our website:

https://www.covid19.public-inquiry.uk/every-story-matters/records/

Iechyd meddwl means how we think and feel.

We all have times when we feel sad, anxious or angry. This is normal.

But sometimes difficult feelings and thoughts are too much to cope with. For example, when people have:

• Depression
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Eating Disorders, like anorexia

Wellbeing means how good you feel about your life.

This includes things like:

• Having good relationships
• Feeling hopeful about the future
• Doing things that feel worthwhile

Wellbeing can be affected by your physical and mental health.

It also affects how well you recover from physical and mental health problems.

Ffynhonnell: GIG Lloegr

Many things affected people’s mental health and wellbeing. For example:

• Being scared of catching or spreading the virus

• Lockdowns and being alone
• Losing jobs and not having enough money

• Living with someone who is abusive

Things people told us:

• Some people’s mental health got worse during the pandemic

• Some people started self-harming. This means hurting yourself on purpose

• Some people used more drugs or alcohol. Others started having problems with eating

Some people felt sad, angry or hopeless. This sometimes led to more serious mental health problems

Dywedodd pobl wrthym:

• Pregnant women felt lonely and scared. Partners were not allowed to go to appointments with them

• Some parents became depressed after their baby was born

• Families felt stressed and worried: many parents had to keep working, care for their children, and help with school work
• It was even harder for parents of disabled children

Dywedodd pobl wrthym:

• They had to swap to online or telephone appointments. This made their mental health worse

• They found uncertainty and change hard to cope with
• They felt they had lost control. This led to things like self-harm and eating problems

• Some therapy and support groups stopped
• People could not get support from friends and family

Therapy is a way to talk about your feelings with a professional person to help you feel better.

Services means things like therapy, support at home or psychiatry.

People who work in services told us:

• Lots more people needed help
• It was hard to help everyone

• Most appointments were online. These appointments were not accessible to everyone. For example, Deaf people

• Many people who work in mental health services felt overwhelmed and anxious.

Some people said their wellbeing got better in the pandemic. Here are some examples of how this happened:

• Meditation and mindfulness

This means learning to be aware of your thoughts and how to stay calm.

• Doing hobbies and activities
• Meeting friends for walks

• Online support groups

People who shared their stories with us told us how governments can make things better during future pandemics:

• Make lockdown rules that let people see each other more

• Give mental health services more money, so they can help more people
• Give more help to parents

• Be careful how you communicate with the public, so you do not scare people

Download a full version of this record here:

https://covid19.public-inquiry.uk/every-story-matters/records/

You can ask for a short version of the record in other formats:

• Saesneg
• Cymraeg

• Iaith Arwyddion Prydain (fideo)