ESCAPING THE WEB OF PHOBIAS

In a debut column on the issues expats face settling in Spain, our mental health insider looks at the pandemic and its long term mental health impacts

ALL of us can remember the difficult days of the pandemic and lockdowns in southern Spain and Gibraltar.

Our ability to do the daily things we did, like walk outdoors, go to work and meet other human beings, were all curtailed.

However, while many talked about the ‘loss’ of these basic elements we take for granted, few talked about or reflected on the mental health impacts of the pandemic, which for some have been much longer term.

The fact is the pandemic did one thing for many people: It showed that the normality of life can be disrupted and not all of the things in life are under our control.

For some, this lack of control may have spiralled into thoughts about other facets of life, creating anxieties and fears that played into long-standing phobias and feelings of being ‘out of control’.

Minister for Health and Care Albert Isola, said: “I am in admiration towards the genuine vocational care values the professionals at The Care Agency demonstrate who have gone beyond their work to support this appeal.”