Thursday 13 May 2021 81% anxious over lifting of lockdown restrictions and return to normal life
Top 10 social situations we fear the most revealed
Millions of Brits suffering from new phenomenon of post-lockdown anxiety
81% are daunted by the return to normality and resuming work and social lives
Top 10 social situations we are dreading include returning to the office, visiting the in-laws and dating in the real world
Being able to wear what we want, slower pace of everyday life, and time spent as a family unit are what we will miss most from lockdown
In response to the findings, TV Channel Dave have partnered with CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) and created conversational cue cards to aid social situations during Mental Health Awareness Week
Comics from the channel including Darren Harriott, Stevie Martin, Ahir Shah, Ania Magliano and Seann Walsh have also created self-help style videos about returning to normality
IMAGES AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD HERE: https://www.flickr.com/gp/taylorherringpr/rs49iP
VIDEOS LINK HERE: https://youtu.be/HxrQtath1cI
Four-in-five (81%) of British adults are feeling socially apprehensive as lockdown ends according to a new study released today.
The nations social worry is set to peak this week and next, as we can start seeing people inside, stay over at friends and families houses, go to restaurants and pubs properly and meet up in large groups outside.
The research, commissioned by UKTVs leading comedy entertainment channel Dave, reveals that many of us are exhibiting symptoms of post lockdown anxiety as we become increasingly apprehensive about re-entering real life social situations following a year spent confined and communicating via phones and screens.
Over three-quarters (76%) of Brits admit to being nervous about interacting with people in real life once lockdown ends. Our nerves are further accentuated by the prospect of attending larger social and sporting events, with all restrictions being fully eased in just over a months time
The study pinpoints the ten social situations that are giving rise to the most anxiety and has led a series of self-help style videos from some of Daves comedy friends to help people reintegrate into society which leverage humour to get the message across.
Top social situations Brits are dreading:
Greeting etiquette (wave? shake hands? elbow bump?) - 44%
Going to a party of more than six people - 32%
Interaction with staff and fellow diners in restaurants - 28%
Work meetings and presentations in real life (and not via a screen) - 26%
Trying clothes on in a shop - 25%
Going back to the dentist - 24%
Long overdue visit with the in-laws - 23%
Mixing with randomers at a festival or a gig - 20%
Making small talk with a hairdresser - 19%
Dating... in person! - 16%
Sheer uncertainty as to how to greet people in person topped the list following a year of family zooms and work teams calls, closely followed by partying with more than six people and how we interact with staff and fellow diners when enjoying a meal out. Tellingly, almost two-thirds (65%) of us admit that we are going to miss having the mute button in real life situations.
The study also shows at least half (51%) of us plan on adding some embellishments to our stories when asked so what have you been up to? to try and make our past year seem more interesting.
Were also set to struggle to know what to talk about, with well over four-in-ten (42%) of us not knowing what to say each other when meeting in-person. Shockingly, almost half of us (47%) wont know what to say to extended family after over a year of not seeing them properly.
In true British fashion, three-quarters (76%) of us admit that we will revert to talking about the weather if were unsure what to say when were back out in social situations.
In response, Dave has teamed up with suicide prevention charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) and a host of comedians to create five witty video tutorials giving top tips for how to successfully navigate these social interactions without trepidation.
The videos, which feature Darren Harriott; Stevie Martin, Ania Magliano, Ahir Shah, and Seann Walsh deal with everything from work meetings in person; to remembering how to dance in public; to tips on how to quietly leave a social situation without being noticed.
The short films form part of Dave and CALMs reintegration guide for people that are worried about having to interact with other humans after a year of screen time. The guide also includes a unique set of conversational cue cards, which give tips on conversation starters in real life, and are deigned to help break the ice as we emerge from lockdown.
Top Tips from the videos include: Pub etiquette, how to adapt back to the commute and how to talk to strangers
Furthermore, the research also revealed the things we really enjoyed about lockdown, further emphasising how we may struggle with life returning to normality.
Weve loved being able to wear what we want at home, with no worries about dressing up for social occasions. Additionally, Brits have savoured the slower pace of everyday life at home, along with being able to save money and spending time alone as a family unit.
In fact a whopping two-thirds (67%) of Brits have found themselves at times grateful for not having to see friends or family.
Top best things about lockdown:
Being able to wear whatever you want at home and for work - 35%
Slower pace of everyday life - 33%
Saving money - 32%
Time spent alone as a family unit - 32%
Working from home - 25%
Taking up new hobbies - 21%
Discovering more about ones local area via daily walks - 20%
Not having to make small talk with people throughout the day - 20%
Improving cookery skills - 16%
Being able to mute irritating people on video calls - 14%
The conversational cue cards will also cover the best thi
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
03/07/2026
New bundle & three Single Packs
Continuing to expand their already sizeable orchestral collection, VSL's latest release introduces three new Single Pack...
03/07/2026
Venue installs new ATC-equipped control room
LSO St Luke's, a unique music venue that also serves as the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, have rec...
03/07/2026
1 February 2023
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany, 1st February 2023: Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software technology for digit...
02/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
02/07/2026
A new era in unmixing and spectral editing
The latest version of Steinberg's spectral audio-editing software has just arrived, building on the strength...
02/07/2026
Aims to simplify additive synthesis
Sine Machine is the debut launch from Melatonin, a Vienna-based developer who have spent the past six years creating wha...
02/07/2026
Products to remain fully active & supported
Following the news of Native Instruments joining the inMusic brand line-up, Academy and Emmy Award-winning visua...
02/07/2026
What you missed!
Last weekend, Saturday 27 June 2026, saw the debut of Sound On Sounds new GearExpo UK event, the largest dedicated pro-audio event to take ...
02/07/2026
Thursday 2 July 2026
Tea with Judi Dench returns to Sky Arts with legendary guest, Sir Ian McKellen
Sky today confirms Tea with Judi Dench will return this su...
01/07/2026
New AI Assistant, Multi-channel Audio, ARA2 improvements & more
Tracktion's DAW software has just received its latest major update, gaining a selection ...
01/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
01/07/2026
Exclusive run of limited-edition modelling pedals
Sweetwater and Andertons M...
01/07/2026
LEXINGTON, Kentucky - July 2026 -Tyler Childers' seventh and latest studio record, Snipe Hunter, is an adventurously sprawling collection of tunes that span...
01/07/2026
** MEDIA ALERT **
BLEACH Comes to Life in Los Angeles with First-of-Its-Kind...
01/07/2026
UKTV has today announced the appointment of Matt Berry to the newly created role of General Manager - Marketing, effective 1 July.
Matt will take on this senio...
01/07/2026
Sky Zero Footprint Fund-backed TV campaign featuring Deborah Meaden challenges consumers to rethink everyday bathroom wasteWednesday 1 July 2026
Fussy asks Bri...
01/07/2026
Constituency-level analysis reveals where girls miss out most on sport - and where targeted action could unlock more than £640 million in economic and health be...
01/07/2026
Wuppertal July 1, 2026
Riedel and SKAARHOJ Expand Collaboration With SimplyLive IntegrationRiedel Communications today announced an expanded collaboration wit...
01/07/2026
Apple today introduced power-packed updates to Apple Creator Studio, a groundbre...
01/07/2026
Nectar360, the Retail Media, Loyalty and Insights business of the Sainsburys Gro...
01/07/2026
9.2 million streams on RT Player between 11 and 28 June
Reach of 2.9 million viewers during Group stages of FIFA World Cup on RT 2
23 million video views acr...
30/06/2026
Could your journalism reach an international stage?
Entries are now open for the Thomson Foundation's Young Journalist Award 2026, one of the most prestigi...
30/06/2026
Brings together saturation & lo-fi effects
Following on from the release of their Voxcraft vocal-processing plug-in, UJAM have announced the launch of Retro...
30/06/2026
New IR reverb engine, Juno-inspired chorus & more
The latest version of Rapid Flow's hardware-emulation synth plug-in expands on its predecessor with a ...
30/06/2026
Excels at heavy-handed VCA compression
For their latest release, Shy Audio have recreated the crunchy' sound of a rackmount compressor that found its w...
30/06/2026
Component scarcity drives cost increases
Shortly after Apple's CEO Tim Cook acknowledged that cost increases would soon be inevitable , the company hav...
30/06/2026
Hitachi and Bank Pekao S.A. have completed the installation of the first Hitachi...
30/06/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
29/06/2026
Four-layer instrument aimed at dark electronic music
Excite Audio's latest software instrument has been designed with dark drum and bass, atmospheric te...
29/06/2026
New AI Assistant, Multi-channel Audio, ARA2 improvements & more
Tracktion's DAW software has just received its latest major update, gaining a selection ...
29/06/2026
Details environmental policies & results
The Focusrite Group have just announced that following a long audit process, they have published their 2026 sustain...
29/06/2026
Arvato Systems Achieves AWS Cloud Operations Competency
The team behind the AWS Cloud Operations Competency (from left to right: Philipp Hellmich, Johanna Bod...
29/06/2026
RT today announced that Ger Gilroy will join the RT Podcasts team to present a daily sports podcast. Launching later this year, the new show will set the spor...
29/06/2026
RT Commercial announced OUTsurance as sponsor of the Oliver Callan show on RT Radio 1 from Wednesday 1 July.
Oliver Callan doubles the fun, delivering two ...
28/06/2026
Half-size model joins Console 1 line-up
Shortly after the release of their new Flow Studio controller, Softube have announced the launch of another new surf...
28/06/2026
New EXO Series DSP control software announced
EVE Audio's EXO Series monitor range has just gained a new software element that provides remote access to...
27/06/2026
Brings together saturation & lo-fi effects
Following on from the release of their Voxcraft vocal-processing plug-in, UJAM have announced the launch of Retro...
26/06/2026
Virtual session musician plug-in gains new percussion options
Celemony's latest update for their virtual session musician platform complements the exist...
26/06/2026
Half-size model joins Console 1 line-up
Shortly after the release of their new Flow Studio controller, Softube have announced the launch of another new surf...
26/06/2026
ELT Group and Rohde & Schwarz sign a cooperation agreement to explore commercial...
26/06/2026
Flicker Productions to produce five-part docu-reality series following women who have fallen for men in prison and have become TikTok sensations, with brands an...
26/06/2026
Catch up on the latest developments across Baselight and Daylight v7, Nara and F...
26/06/2026
26. June 2026 News
DFT is pleased to announce that a second Polar HQ film s...
26/06/2026
A fresh look at how the Irish helped shape the foundations of the United States
...
Thursday 13 May 2021 81% anxious over lifting of lockdown restrictions and return to normal life
