COVID-19 has had an impact on all aspects of our lives. Unprecedented lockdowns, strict travel bans, and “social distancing” measures have become the norm since March of this year.
Many industries that were thriving pre-pandemic are now experiencing significant revenue losses. World-wide, hundreds of thousands of companies, spread across multiple industries, are being forced to declare bankruptcy / lay off significant numbers of staff.
As we all know, in our own country, one of the worst C19-affected sectors is events and hospitality. Across Scotland, the past nine months have seen the cancellation of festivals, sporting events, exhibitions, concerts, and weddings in an effort to slow down the spread of the virus.
Overnight, an industry worth billions of pounds in revenue has become unviable. Thousands of talented and highly motivated people – people who haven’t experienced unemployment at any point in their lives – have suddenly found themselves with absolutely nothing to do.
Not surprisingly, mental health has become an issue – a big issue!
I realised this pretty early on in lockdown. Andy Griffiths – my associate, collaborator, and friend of the past 15 years – realised it too.
Having both squared-up to anxiety/depression in the past, we both knew that, for the sake of our own well-being, we had to act quickly! We had to find something worthwhile and meaningful to do. We also knew from past experience that the best way to help ourselves would be to help the people around us – our industry colleagues – who would also be toiling… but who probably wouldn’t be able to talk about it.
So, we decided to talk about it. Now, we’re not doctors, we’re not psychiatrists (Andy is, however, a registered mental health therapist) and we most certainly don’t have all the answers. However, at various points in our lives, we’ve both spent a fair bit of time at the mental health coalface and we know exactly what it’s like to feel like shite.
If you’re currently toiling or someone close to you is – or you’re just interested/intrigued by what we’re up to – please have a listen to The Tickety Boo Podcast. All episodes (new ones added every fortnight, BTW) are available on Apple and Spotify or via our website.
Alternatively, give us a call: Andy’s on 07535 511873, I’m on 07760 162014.
