Dave had never really struggled with his mental health before. Working in the hospitality sector in the north of England, he loved his job as a restaurant manager and gained particular satisfaction from his interactions with the public.
But suddenly everything changed. Covid-19 arrived in the UK and the consequent lockdown in March 2020 hit his industry hard. Both Dave and his wife were placed on furlough. When he returned to work in July, a shortage of staff and the consequent increase in his workload quickly took their toll on his mental health.
“I was given a whole department that I’d never worked in before,” he says, adding that the stress was almost too much to bear. “It was awful, taking me to dark places. I couldn’t sleep and I wasn’t eating, but I started drinking a lot after work.”