Mental Health Challenges Facing Londoners Today, & Things To Do To Conquer Them

* This is a collaborative post on mental health challenges and things to do to conquer them

There are many different reasons why individuals struggle with mental health, mainly due to the unique challenges and difficulties faced in the modern world. 

However, many individuals still overlook the importance of supporting one’s mental health and how this can impact other areas of their lives.

For example, links have long been drawn between an individual’s mental health and their physical health, with many mental health disorders such as anxiety being linked to physical effects such as those to an individual’s heart rate variability (1).

These physical symptoms can then go on to affect their mental health, creating a vicious cycle.

This article aims to focus on mental health struggles faced commonly by those residing in London, as well as suggesting steps and activities that these individuals and others may find beneficial in the reduction of their mental health symptoms. 

Common mental health issues faced in the modern world

Mental health struggles can be experienced in countless different ways by a range of individuals. 

No two people will ever experience mental health in the same way, and it is important that these disorders are never labelled in a specific way; everyone will experience them differently. 

The mental health disorders that follow below are some of the most commonly diagnosed issues:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Bipolar disorder
• Addiction 
• Schizophrenia 

Specific challenges faced in London for mental health

As well as the challenges external to living in one of the most populated and busy cities, London itself brings a series of unique challenges that individuals are faced with on a daily basis, and often experienced multiple at a time. 

The following subheadings outline some of the most common issues facing Londoners at the time of writing and how these can impact mental health.

Though these issues may be faced in other cities and areas of the world, London is a unique city in terms of other underlying political, transportation, and current climate features. 

1. Commuting

One of the most notorious features faced while living in London is the transportation and travelling difficulties faced by many individuals on an average journey. 

Run by one central corporation, most of London’s travel systems are often struck with heavy delays, busy services, and high costs in some areas.

Though this is a beneficial system to many people, there are many who will struggle with the mental challenges faced during a typical journey such as a commute to work. 

Busy services can often worsen an individual’s social anxiety or fear of crowded places, and knowing that they must complete this journey (including the buildup to the journey itself) can cause unnecessary stress on an individual i.e., the thought of ‘will I make it to work on time with all this traffic?’ or ‘how many more people can physically fit on this train?’ – both of which can cause additional anxiety. 

2. Noise and sleep struggles

Unlike more rural areas and areas which are less populated, London sees a much higher strain on the emergency services, meaning that there are often many sirens heard when staying in London for a short period of time. 

This can impact individuals in many ways. Those struggling with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), for example, may be triggered by siren noises, causing additional stress, and individuals struggling with insomnia may find their condition worsened by late night sirens and additional noise of the city. 

Sleep struggles in themselves are a different issue entirely due to the ways in which a lack of sleep can impact an individual’s mental health and general wellbeing. 

Studies have shown that a lack of sleep can lead to increased psychological stress in some cases (2), highlighting the importance of sleep for a person’s wellbeing. 

3. Financial struggles/cost of living

Though many people struggle with financial difficulties, Londoners often find themselves struggling with the rising cost of living, as well as the other issues previously mentioned across this article. 

Travel, for example, can be very expensive for individuals who need to commute on a daily basis, but it is often the only option due to the difficulties faced in traversing the city in ways other than public transport. 

In addition, health services are known to be overloaded and overworked in London specifically, meaning that individuals may have to seek private healthcare options for serious health problems that are not receiving adequate attention. 

This can be an incredibly costly service, especially for those having to deal with rapidly increasing bills, rent costs, and other services that are increasing in price across the country. 

4. Social situations

Though often due to the individual’s own preferences and choices, London is a city of many bars and a popular drinking culture, meaning that this is often first choice for activities among friends and other social groups. 

For many people, this can be where issues with alcohol consumption begins – an entirely separate issue in itself. 

Specific issues with alcohol and mental health

Every individual has certain pre-determined factors that make them more or less likely to engage in different psychological or mental behaviours. 

However, alcohol can greatly increase the risk of individuals developing mental health issues (3); alcohol is known to be a depressant and often causes individuals to begin to experience serious consequences to their mental wellbeing with long-term or heavy consumption. 

Treating an individual’s mental health makes up a large portion of an individual’s time in an inpatient alcohol rehabilitation facility, for example, which shows how important this aspect of an individual’s life is. 

When does drinking alcohol become an issue?

When alcohol begins to impact an individual’s everyday life, then they should seek support as soon as they are able. This may be something as ‘simple’ as choosing a drink rather than an activity that they previously enjoyed but can also be something more ‘serious’ such as effects to their physical health and stopping them attending work, for example. 

If you suspect that a loved one may be struggling with an alcohol addiction, then it is vital that you contact a support or advice service as soon as possible in order to get the best possible next steps and suggestions. 

1. Seeking support for mental health in London

Across London, there are countless different services that an individual can access in order to support their mental health, as well as any potential alcohol issues that may or not be a part of this.

As well as the services offered through local doctors’ services and advice services, there are also many referral services and independent support services that are available to the general public.

Individuals will be able to access vital services through these services to support their mental health, as well as getting specific advice on services such as drug and alcohol rehabilitation and other specific mental health support. 

2. Activities to engage in to support mental health

Within London itself, there are many activities that an individual can partake in before beginning any source of formal support and advice.

The following list highlights some activities that individuals can partake in – starting today:

• Meditation – great for focussing the mind, appreciating the little things in life, and controlling breathing
• Yoga – similar to meditation, this focusses the mind, draws attention to the breath, and promotes a healthy exercise regime
• Walking – London is known for its green spaces which also promotes a healthy exercise routine, gets the body moving and blood pumping, as well as having the opportunity to interact with others
• Community groups – many organisations, often through the support of local cafes and other community spaces, organise social groups for those who may not have the opportunity to interact with others outside of their household, for example

Further support and finding help today

For serious cases of mental health, and alcohol addictions, it is important that the emergency services are contacted as soon as possible.

For less serious cases, individuals should start by contacting their local services or attending groups in person in order to find the right source of support for them and their specific needs. 

References

[1] Kemp, A.H. and Quintana, D.S., 2013. The relationship between mental and physical health: insights from the study of heart rate variability. International journal of Psychophysiology, 89(3), pp.288-296.

[2] Milojevich, H.M. and Lukowski, A.F., 2016. Sleep and mental health in undergraduate students with generally healthy sleep habits. PloS one, 11(6), p.e0156372.

[3] Liu, Y., Liu, Y., Cheng, J., Pang, L.J. and Zhang, X.L., 2023. Correlation analysis of mental health conditions and personality of patients with alcohol addiction. World journal of psychiatry, 13(11), p.893.