The past year hasn’t been easy and the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact our daily lives. It's only natural to feel anxious, stressed or depressed during such strange times.

Many of us will be experiencing uncertainty about money and work, struggling with disrupted routines and dealing with unexpected caring responsibilities.‍

Mapping the nation’s mental health‍

To find out more about mental health and how best to support you during the pandemic, the ZOE COVID Symptom Study is launching a new survey in the app this week.

We’ll be asking how certain aspects of life have changed during COVID-19, including:

• Sleep
• Physical activity
• Spending time in green spaces or with pets
• Smoking or vaping, drinking alcohol, and snacking
• Interacting in person or online with family and friends, and taking part in organised activities such as sports, social clubs or religious groups,
• Feeling more alone
• Working and screen time
• Relaxation practices such as meditation or mindfulness
• Reading, watching or listening to the news
  

We’re also asking you to complete a simple assessment to find out how you’re feeling. And we’ll ask whether you’ve ever been diagnosed with a mental health problem, have any learning needs, and if you’re getting the mental health support you need.

The survey is optional and completely confidential, and you don’t have to answer any questions you don’t feel comfortable with. For privacy reasons we’re only asking primary app users to fill in the survey so you won’t be able to fill it in for anyone you’re logging on behalf of.

Once the survey is complete, our research colleagues at King’s College London will be analysing the results to understand more about how the pandemic is affecting mental health across the nation. We’ll report back on what we’ve found via our usual channels, as well as through a scientific research paper.‍

How to take part‍

If you’re already a ZOE COVID Symptom Study app contributor, you’ll automatically be asked if you’d like to take part in our mental health survey when it’s available from Monday the 22nd of February.  

If you’re not already contributing through the app and would like to get involved, just download and start using the ZOE COVID Symptom Study app today. 

To find out more about how you can look after your mental health during COVID-19, check out these resources from the Mental Health Foundation.‍