This weekend, London reaped the benefits of sunny skies, and temperatures that reached 13 degrees, with what has been some of the nicest weather of the year so far. As we move from February into March, and simultaneously from winter to spring, perhaps it is a sign that the worst of the weather has been felt; now the sun has emerged from behind the clouds, and the days begin to get longer, winter will soon become a distant memory.

Simultaneously, the UK is in the midst of a transition of its own. With restrictions set to ease, many people are hopeful that this spring could welcome the start of a new era, one where lockdown remains a thing of the past. In particular, for students, March 8th represents their own personal transition, from working at home to moving back into the classroom, amidst new regulations, designed to make teaching as safe as it can be. As outlined in the plan proposed by the government on the 22nd February, this involves regular home testing and the use of masks in all indoor classrooms and corridors. This new focus on preventative measures prioritises the health of both staff and students, and, if found to be effective, could be a key step in mitigating the risk of yet another spike.

However, for the students themselves, physical health is only one concern. Lockdown, like anything, has its pros and cons, and although it has proven to be effective in preventing the spread of coronavirus, it has also left numerous teenagers and young adults to cope with its negative mental health effects on their own. Young Minds, a mental health charity that focuses on the wellbeing of children, conducted their fourth lockdown report over January and February, exploring the effect that this third lockdown has had on young people. They found that of the 2,438 young people (between 13 and 25) they interviewed, 75% of people thought this lockdown had been harder to cope with compared to previous ones, 67% believed that lockdown would have a long-term negative effect on their mental health and 79% of people believed that the easing of restrictions would also lead to the improvement of their mental health.

I was able to ask some students at my school about their own personal mental health experiences through lockdown, in order to gauge how their experiences reflected those of the survey. Asking how her mental health had changed going into, and now coming out of lockdown, Emma Kokuhennidige told me that: “I would say during lockdown this time it was a lot worse than the last time because I feel that my whole family was tired and fed up of it, so it was just a really negative atmosphere. I also get quite isolated at times because I didn’t want to annoy my friends and family with how I was feeling and on top of that, having to turn in assignments and focus on lessons while being in a negative and foggy mindset was really difficult. Knowing it will be lifted has been good because I know I’ll be able to spend time with friends and take some time away from worrying about school and stuff. But at the same time, the stress of coming back to tests and full days of school work so suddenly is also draining.” Echoing Emma’s thoughts, Zoe Panganiban told me that compared to before this lockdown, she had noticed her mental health was “not as good as it used to be, now it is definitely worse, noticeably worse.”

It is clear to see that in spite of all its benefits, the third lockdown has had a significant negative impact. A topic once widely seen as off limits, conversations about mental health are still relatively new. However, the prevalence of charities like Young Minds reminds us that there are people noticing, and so many people who care. Perhaps, as life begins to return to normal, the need for mental health to be treated with even more importance will be recognised. In spite of the mood right now, there is hope across the board that things will continue to improve. The government’s latest forecast predict that all restrictions will be relaxed by June 21st, so it seems that it is not just the sun heralding brighter days this weekend: people are looking ahead towards a new start, where perhaps the lockdown experience will make a transition of its own, from something lived through in the present to something learned from, in the past.