Lockdown Case Histories Three

Therapy helped me during lockdown. I don’t usually keep in contact with my friends, due to anxiety I always want to, and I remember constantly every day who I haven’t spoken to in a long time and how much I want to speak with them. Usually it’s in the form of wanting to ask them a question, but my anxiety makes me believe that they’ll think “oh that’s all Henry ever wants, favours, he never contacts me just to ask how I’m doing”.

So during lockdown, having a weekly therapy session over Skype really helped my sanity more than I can put into words. I wasn’t used to being totally alone 100% of the time. Usually I’ll get enough social interaction with colleagues in the office. Unfortunately being made redundant just before lockdown reduced that to 0%. Whilst I still feel bad for not making the most use of my therapy sessions (for working on myself, putting in the effort) they were immensely helpful during a period of zero social interaction.

Memory has, I think, the perfect balance of pushing me out of my comfort zone but not becoming someone who triggers me to avoid my obligations (usually it’s only by an obligation to someone else that I will actually get stuff done). At every session, Memory has helped assuage my anxiety/fears over the smallest of tasks, the biggest contribution being helping me finally send out a tweet that I’m looking for a new job 2 months after losing my last one! which resulted in my hiring literally within the following 24 hours.

Henry