The Mental Health Pandemic is nearly here.

Across the globe, billions of people are stuck in social isolation. Social media feeds and news outlets are full of political debates and despairs over the state of the world and its future.

There are thousands of us Brits currently without jobs, or furloughed. The self-employed, including myself, are uncertain whether we will have enough work to go back to. On top of an already stressful parental role, many are juggling full-time teaching to kids of multiple ages, whilst also attempting to remain a productive employee (if they’re lucky enough to still have a job). It’s seriously tough, I know because this is me, at home with three kids (primary and secondary education), whilst trying to make use of my time to work on my business.

The kids have zero interest in me teaching them, quite rightly so. They regard this time as an extended summer holiday and why shouldn’t they, the weather has been incredible. There will, however, be many students contemplating their futures and careers especially those left without the ability to sit their exams. There are many kids and teenagers who simply don’t understand the risk and just want the connection with their friends back. There will be those who are struggling without the routine of a structured school day. Then there’s the grieving families and NHS workers who make my struggles feel rather insignificant.

As humans our instinct is to seek justice and blame for our suffering. We look for a cause and effect to help us make sense of it all. We may blame China for not containing the virus, we may blame our government for not acting sooner. We may want to blame politics for our distrust or society for not obeying the rules. All of which may have some validity in an argument for cause but provide no remedy to the effect of the fast approaching second pandemic.

Social isolation, stress, fear, job insecurities, uncertainty, unstable economies and restricted social factors all pave the way for a second pandemic. A pandemic of mental health. We were already on the brink of a mental health crisis in our society, of which there is a direct correlation between unemployment, job loss and social isolation, yet here we are stuck in our homes, isolated from our loved ones and communities, with uncertainty over our ability to put a roof over our heads wondering what we can actually do about it right now.

Well, for the most part we’re doing just what we need to be doing. We are selflessly giving up our basic human need for connection and well-being to protect those we love. To protect ourselves our neighbours and our society. While it is incredibly sad that there is loss of lives and loss of economic stability, it is rather inspiring to watch selfless acts of love for strangers, and communities rallying together where they still can, supporting the most vulnerable.

Personally, this situation causes a lot of internal conflict in me because by nature I am a massive extrovert who likes to help others. My job as a beautician is to make people feel good about themselves and I feel very redundant right now staying at home protecting everyone including my vulnerable daughter, despite knowing it is the right thing to do.

While old skool nail varnish can make a comeback, shaving can replace waxing and DIY haircuts although awful will suffice, it doesn’t substitute the well-being factor that you get from a visit to your local salon or hairdressers. The UK hair and beauty industry generated over £7.5bn for the UK economy (2017)* so we need to address the imminent mental health crisis that face many while we’re still in lockdown. We need to address the anxiety, depression, addiction, suicidal thoughts and other self-destructive tendencies that are being brought on by the pandemic.

National hotlines have seen a huge increase in calls and contacts, and they are great for providing support in times of crisis but there’s preventative measures we can all take right now.

This year’s Mental Health theme is Kindness. It’s what Lash And Beauty Collective stands for as a business. If you’ve ever been a customer, you will have seen the big wall quote as you walk in the door “kindness is always beautiful”

You, me, us, we can all make a difference right now. Each individual act of kindness could collectively make the difference between someone coming out of this situation with a healthy mind set and possibly even alive.

There is never going to be enough experts in the mental health sector to accommodate an influx of patients so let’s take the same steps we have taken for our NHS by flattening the curve of the mental health pandemic by doing our bit in ensuring we have a loving welcoming community to return to not one we fear.

I don’t want to insult your intelligence by acting like another life coach vomiting up yet another seven-step programme of practical ways to be kind so here’s what I personally find encouraging for my mental health. Maybe think about what works for you and go and throw some of that out there to friends or by volunteering.

• Digital hangout. Video calls are amazing and there are so many creative ideas that you can do on a video call. There are also charities where you can volunteer to be a befriender by phone www.safefamilies.uk

• Texts. It’s comforting to know people are thinking of me by way of a random text.

• Asking me a specific question: what was good about today or what are you struggling with the most? Questions like “hey, how are you?” never really get answered with the truth …. “I cried uncontrollably into my cornflakes this morning and gave in to the kids whinging with 10 hours of screen time because it seemed more palatable than home-schooling".

• Post. Like postie posted post through the letter box. You can do this to local people as part of your daily exercise. Someone left me chocolate which was totally awesome.

• Encourage self-care. Getting up and putting on some make-up makes me feel amazing. I am way more productive too I have found. Be someone’s morning alarm clock or send them a little self-care package. www.etsy.com/uk has lots to offer or even better make your own. Doesn’t have to be special. A tea bag in a handmade card would make my day.

While these may all be great for well-being and positive mindset, we do recognise that there will be some of you where these measures may not be enough. If you’re someone who is really struggling with life right now, then we’ve included some national helplines. We really hope that you will find the courage to speak out, and that you will come to know just how valuable you are in this world. Every human is so wonderfully and beautifully made, including you.

*source www.nhbf.co.uk