COVID-19 and early adulthood: How the pandemic shaped young adults’ lives and mental health

This blog is part of a series written by Becky, junior designer at Rethink Mental Illness, called ‘5 things damaging young adults’ mental health that aren’t social media’  

At a time I was supposed to be meeting new people and going out and exploring the world, I wasn’t allowed to.

I was in the middle of my first year at Reading University when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Fortunately, I was in a house with seven other people who I’d started establishing relationships with already, so I was able to get some social interaction, albeit still incredibly limited.

And it wasn’t without stress.

There were several times we had the police come in through our back door unannounced because they could see eight people in the living room (when the max number for gathering was six), and we had to continuously explain to them that all eight of us lived there in a bubble. One of these actually happened on my birthday, and they nearly broke our door down.

Cost of living skyrocketed during the pandemic while I was still a student. My maintenance loan (the one you get for living costs) did not increase to match that, so I was left to basically fend for myself.

The only way I actually got through university when the cost of living crisis was kicking in was because I managed to get a waitressing job when the Eat Out To Help Out scheme was launched, and my parents kindly provided me with extra financial support (which took two years to pay back).

The first case (and first death) of COVID-19 in the country was at Reading hospital, so we were shut down first. It was terrifying. We had so many emails and announcements about deaths in our area, and we were kicked out of our halls in March. Did we still have to pay for our summer even though we weren’t living there? Yes. It was just absolutely chaotic.

I still feel about three years behind where I should be financially, but there’s nothing I can do about that. And what a weird time to be 18-21 and every day being told how many people have died. That is a horrible thing to know and affected my mental health terribly at the time.

I’m just one example of this experience. And one of the lucky ones still here to talk about it. The Student Minds Hub says that 74% of students in the UK reported that COVID-19 has had a negative impact on their mental health and wellbeing at university. Even though 65% said they needed additional help/advice during that time, only 19% of those said actually got the help they needed.

While the pandemic may feel like a lifetime ago, I know many people who are still struggling with the loneliness, fear and anxiety caused by COVID-19.