I was afraid to be near people for two-and-a-half years, but then I got a chance to meet the band I loved – and the experience changed everything
I
have always had a degree of health anxiety, but when Covid hit, it really spiked. At home with the family, I made sure we washed all our food and even then I didn’t feel safe eating it. I would bring in the post and then be worried about touching the front door. I’d shower for ages, trying to wash the virus away.
I’m a journalist, so before the anxiety set in I was a pretty outgoing and adaptable person. But from the start of lockdown until September 2022, I didn’t go anywhere indoors other than home or the hospital. I didn’t even walk down a street for a year and a half, for fear of passing too close to someone.
For a long time, I didn’t want to get better. I felt so scared by the world. It seemed like my old life just wouldn’t happen again, that I’d never feel OK being in a bar, a club, a gig or anything that involved being near lots of people. Music became really important as a way to cope – especially a band called Bastille, who I was late to discover but instantly loved.
