COMING OUT OF THE WORLD’S LONGEST COVID LOCKDOWN THE ONTARIO LOCKDOWN – THE END OF AN ERA?
ONTARIANS REFLECT ON LIFE AFTER A 14-MONTH LOCKDOWN Ontarians are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel as the province unveiled its reopening plan to start this month. This has got many people starting to remember what their lives were like pre-pandemic, and in many cases wondering if they ever will be able to go back to things how they used to. But as it doesn’t seem that there will be a hard reset back to February 2020, it looks like they won’t have to! Parts of Ontario have been under one of the world’s longest lockdowns, becoming a joke of sorts on multiple social media platforms. And after over a year of social and physical restrictions, many are taking stock of the last year, how things have changed for them and what changes they expect to make once they are set loose in the “real world” (vs the “reel world” of zoom meetings). The impact of the pandemic has been different on women and men, as a study by the Cleveland
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Clinic shows. According to the research, 77 percent of men report their stress level has increased as a result of COVID-19, 59% of men have felt isolated during the pandemic and nearly half (45%) of men say their emotional/mental health has worsened during the pandemic. Three-in-five men (59%) feel COVID-19 has had a greater negative impact on their mental health than the 2008 recession. Brilliant-Online spoke to two men in Ontario and asked them for a self-assessment of the impact COVID-19 has had on their mental health, the changes they’re planning to keep and the ones to ditch once the province opens up again.
DARREN BARDSLEY, SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER When the stay-at-home order was issued, Darren had to juggle work, housework, AND the online schooling of his two young children alone for a large part of the day, while his partner, an essential worker, had to go into work. And you guessed it, “Yes,
most definitely, my stress levels have increased significantly. I feel more tired physically and mentally, and less motivated. Despite this, I have not started drinking, smoking or doing drugs to manage my stress which I am happy about.”
“A source of much frustration is having to work from home because the schools have been shut. All other activities are relatively unaffected.” But what were the counter measures he took (it has after all, as stated earlier, been 14 months!). “I am trying to go to bed earlier, to get better sleep and I take high doses of vitamins B12 and vitamin C and D. I have also made sure to make time for my hobbies, such as reading and playing the guitar, as they help with stress relief.” And there are positives to take away from this ordeal. “I think I have become more aware of my
