【Horror】

I delayed as long as I possibly could. But when I got to Day Seven of being home alone and Horrornot going outside, I knew the direction my mental health was headed.

My anxiety levels had already reached an all-time high due to the outbreak of the new coronavirus (COVID-19). I lay awake until the early hours of the morning, my heart pounding in my chest. I had more panic attacks than I'd ever had in my life. Rumours of an imminent lockdown were swirling and the thought of spending weeks and months alone scared the shit out of me. My parents were worried and urged me to leave London immediately. Eventually I took the difficult decision to temporarily move home. Days later, Prime Minister Boris Johnson placed the entire UK under lockdown.

I feel lucky and grateful to be in a position to up sticks and move back to Warwickshire. Moving into your childhood home with your parents after years of living independently is an adjustment, to say the least. In London, I live by myself and am used to having huge swaths of uninterrupted quiet time — something that has always felt like a luxury. In this haven of alone-time I binge-watch Vanderpump Rules, Queer Eye, and period dramas. Here, my dad loves to watch Midsomer Murdersand Agatha Christie adaptations and our nightly TV line-up is a hilariously fraught negotiation reminiscent of my adolescence. Caveat: my dad has graciously allowed me to watch Tiger Kingand Peep Show, and my mother has introduced me to a lovely new show called Repair Shop.

Now, instead of pacing the floors of my flat, I can blast the Spice Girls and dance around the kitchen with my mum. My daily government-mandated walk feels quite literally like a trip down memory lane as I walk down brambly paths I once cycled down when I was a kid. As I write this, I'm sitting in the kitchen of my parents' home. I just ate the same breakfast I used to eat before school. I slept in my childhood bedroom. I feel I've regressed back to my teenage self, but I'm trying to see this period as a chance to spend quality time with my family.

Many young people have moved home during the pandemic — be it due to mental health challenges, risks to their physical health. Several people I spoke to moved out of flats and houses they were sharing with frontline NHS workers assigned to respiratory wards. While university students have been sent home for the remainder of the academic year, other people are experiencing financial issues due to job losses because of the economic fallout from the virus. Some told me they'd moved home to help their parents pay the mortgage because they'd lost their jobs due to COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

So, how are people coping with the significant adjustment and lifestyle change that comes with moving 'back home'? I spoke to people who've moved in with their parents during this time to find out how they've adapted.

Share pop culture recommendations with your family

Now that most of us are staying home in a bid to slow the spread of the virus, our lives have changed dramatically — and so have the conversations we have with one another. For people living with anxiety, talking about coronavirus non-stop is not helpful. So, it's important to find positive, engaging things you can chat about as a group.

Gemma Ratton moved home to Sunderland to be with her family because of financial worries.

"I’m 22, so pretty skint on my first PR job in London, so it just saved me stresses and worries," she said. Ratton was finding London really stressful when the outbreak there began to escalate. "Just before I left London on the Sunday I tried to do a big shop at Lidl, as I do once a week and this guy started shouting and ramming his trolly into my back because I didn’t get out his way," she said.

This is Ratton's first time living with her parents since she was 18, and she feels like they're actually getting on much better now than they did when she was younger. Her top tip is: "Share any recommendations you have with your family to encourage everyone to get everyone talking about things they love to watch and distract everyone from coronavirus." Ratton says she's tried things she wouldn’t usually do as a result of family suggestions.

"I've got my Dad listening to Desert Island Discs and he's just watched Fleabagafter me recommending it," she said. "The hardest part is being at home and not being able to see friends, but apps like Zoom are making it bearable."

Ratton also recommended mixing up your days. "I’ve been trying to do different routes for my daily walk. Or listen to different podcasts whilst I’m walking."

Find yourself a designated workspace

Ellie Pilcher was living alone in London but decided to come home after multiple requests from her parents, who eventually demanded she come home. "I did it for my mum and dad’s mental health really," she said. "My mum has chronic asthma and my biggest worry was giving it to her, hence why I stayed in London, but after isolating for a week I felt I was safe enough to go home," she said. "My mum kept saying 'I’m so glad you’re home' every time she saw me for the next three days!"

"None of us (parents, me and older brother) have gotten ill, and we’re all in good spirits," she added. These good spirits, she believes, can be attributed to the fact they each have a designated room they can work in. Her dad works in his home office, her brother's in the spare room, Pilcher works in the dining room, and her mum has the run of the rest of the house as she doesn't work. "I feel like I’m back at school, doing revision half the time," she confessed. They all socialise as a family in the evening but have as much chill time as they like.

Set boundaries

Even though you're "home home", it might not feel like yourhome. You're not sleeping in your usual bed, you've only got some of your clothes with you (three outfits in my case!), and you've a lot less alone time than you're used to.

Pilcher told me she brought a blanket with her from her house and unpacked all her clothes so she wouldn't feel like she was living out of a suitcase. "Wear headphones when you’re working, even if just to block out excess noise. Make sure you shut your door and have as much ‘me time’ as you can. Even if your loved ones complain about it, me time is important," she added.

Even when you're working from home alone, it's easy to get distracted by household chores that need doing — particularly when the mess is bothering you while you work. If your mum or dad asks you to do a chore when you've an afternoon of deadlines or calls, it can become a source of stress or even conflict. Pilcher recommended being clear with your family about the hours you're working and "what you cannot do during that time (no quick hoovering sessions or folding the laundry) so that you keep to your structured working day without disruptions."

Do your bit around the house

Even though you're away from your usual home, it goes without saying that this is not a holiday. While none of us should be putting any pressure on ourselves to be highly productive right now (we're living through a pandemic, after all), it's important to do your bit around the house.

Simple acts like emptying the dishwasher, cooking dinner, making your bed, and keeping your room relatively tidy will relieve others from carrying the majority of the household burden.

As someone who's spending a lot of time cooking and baking with my mum, I'm seeing it as quality time with her that I don't usually get much of regularly.

Slow down and take it day by day

Many of us are struggling with our mental health right now as we witness people around the world — and indeed, people we know and love — coming to terms with losing loved ones. As we adapt to a new way of life with little idea of what the future holds, it's important to be compassionate towards ourselves and the people around us.

Clare Dyckhoff has asthma and made the decision to temporarily move home for health reasons. "Being in London isn't great for my health asthma-wise anyway so I wanted to come back to my folks' which has a lot more green space and where the quality of life is generally healthier," she said.

She rents a flat in London with two others, who also left. "We all felt if we were going to be stuck inside for a good few months we'd rather be somewhere with more space and comfort than our loveable but small flat with limited space," she added.

"Main attraction of moving home was being with my family (of which none are in the 'at risk' band), having pets to walk frequently, and lots more space to just be more comfortable during this time," she explained. "I'm very fortunate to have this option as so many don't — it just felt like the best (and so far is) choice."

As for making the adjustment, Dyckhoff has told herself, "This is what we all have to do for now, so how can I find ways to deal with it?" She is trying to take one day at a time. "I suffer with bouts of anxiety in general and I've found being forced to slow down and deal with things one day at a time, even on an hourly basis, has been my best starting point," she said.

"That and communicate to those you live with. Being back home has made me feel safer in a way — and if you can chat to family members about how you're feeling and vice versa, it can really help root you to managing this day by day, and feel a lot less alone." She's replaced going out for dinner with reading books, and in-person hangouts have given way to technology-enabled mingles.

These are tough times we're living through. If you've had to move home due to financial pressures or health issues, know that you're not alone. While researching this article, my Twitter inbox was inundated with scores of young people who've done the same. Stay safe and be kind to one another.