"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."
"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. By spring 2022, I was very slowly starting to get better."
A person experienced intensified health anxiety during Covid, adopting obsessive cleaning rituals, avoiding touching doors, and showering excessively. The person avoided indoor public spaces from lockdown start until September 2022, leaving home only for hospital visits and refusing to walk down streets for a year and a half. Persistent fear led to a reluctance to recover, with social venues seeming unreachable. Music, particularly the band Bastille, became a crucial coping mechanism. A vivid dream of a live Bastille gig triggered motivation to recover, prompting fitness, optimism, concert-seeking, review ticket acquisition, and interview preparation.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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