y a D Down
Courtney Jayd Lumsden talks mental health and music with Lowri Llewelyn…
The Covid-19 pandemic affected each and every one of us in our own unique way. Here in Wales we’ve endured three lockdowns, and though this proximity to loved ones may have driven us barmy at times, for many it proved essential to maintaining a positive frame of mind. However, singer-songwriter Courtney Jayd Lumsden found herself struggling without her support system while living in Luxembourg and unable to fly home. “I was always thinking: maybe next week,” says the singer-songwriter who is from Pentre, Flintshire. “Then, before we knew it, a week had turned into a year. That’s when the anxiety got worse – imagine if this goes on for two, three, four, five years? It was the first time I’d ever spent Christmas away from my family.”
goes into fight or flight mode and triggers a panic attack. It scared me
Alongside working as an events organiser,
so much – I didn’t know what was
Courtney records, produces and releases her
happening.”
own music. Inspiration for the new single Down Day came one sleepless night. “Until it’s actually
The pandemic has exacerbated
happening to us, I don’t think we know how powerful the brain is and how important it is to take care of it,” she says.
symptoms for those already living with a mental health condition, according to a July 2021 report by Mind Cymru. It found that 83% of adults surveyed
Symptoms of Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) can be both
had experienced mental distress or accessed mental health
physical and psychological, ranging from a sense of dread and
services, while this number increased to 91% for young people
restlessness to dizziness and heart palpitations. “Your body
aged 13-24.
NWM 2021 Page 21
