A third of adults fear leaving the house while one in five workers are scared to return to the office over coronavirus fears, figures have revealed.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show the majority of adults were very or somewhat worried about the effect coronavirus was having on their life while 29% said they felt unsafe when leaving the house - but the team at Suffolk Mind have reassured us that it is only natural to feel apprehensive about the pandemic.

Ezra Hewing, the Head of Mental Health Education at Suffolk Mind said: “If some of us are feeling a bit anxious about adjusting to life after lockdown this is completely natural. Anxiety is nature telling us that we need new ways to meet emotional needs when situations are about to change.

“Our emotional needs include the need to feel safe and in control of our lives; to share attention with people who make us feel valued and respected; to feel connected to others and the wider community; to have private time and space to reflect; and to feel that we achieving and that our lives have meaning and purpose.

“The good news is that our brains are especially good at learning new patterns to adapt quickly. And, even better news is that we already know a lot of what we will need – we just need to gently reconnect and remember old patterns.”

The ONS study also found nearly half of those surveyed said their wellbeing had been effected as a result of the pandemic, with the most common issue being worries about the future. Around 20% said they feared for their safety at work, and others were concerned about returning to the office or dropping their children off to school again.

To help ease these fears, Suffolk Mind suggests some methods to ease the return to normality.

Among them is the idea of taking things one step at a time – starting with something familiar first, such as a walk in the park or a drive to work or the shops.

For those with children, the charity recommends trying to recall the first time they were dropped off at nursery or school – and how those difficult emotions eventually passed.

The advise taking time to notice how you feel when adjusting to old routines and how things are affecting you – and that it’s often easier to do things with people, while ensuring social distancing measures are adhered to.