I became a father in April 2020, a few weeks into the UK’s first COVID-19 lockdown. The challenges of being a new parent and continuing to hold down a job during the chaos and uncertainty led to a decline in my mental health and, ultimately, to burnout and an anxiety attack.
Parenting on Hard Mode
I was able to be there when my son was born but then had to leave them in the hospital to recover for the first two days of his little life. When I did bring them home, we had to learn how to be parents and deal with a range of health problems without any outside support. Meanwhile, I had to return to work (from home), and pressures continued to mount. It wasn’t long before I was burnt out and everything became too much to bear. The resulting anxiety attack meant I had to take two months off work and give up my other responsibilities. It took me a long time – and a lot of hard work and therapy - to recover physically, mentally and professionally.
It was the most difficult time in my life. We had to learn how to be parents for the first time with no outside support. The first few weeks were chaotic, as I had to look after my wife - who developed mastitis and anaemia - and we both had to look after my son - who had acquired a broken collarbone during his pretty dramatic arrival.
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Then, a few weeks later, I had to return to work. But we were still trapped in the house, I could hear the crying from downstairs.
This got a bit easier over the summer, when things opened up and we could do garden visits and form bubbles. But it
