Vaccines and less serious illness mean it is time to stop locking ourselves away – for it is a bitter irony that, in a bid to preserve physical health, we have destroyed so many people’s mental health.

There is one thing that all mental illnesses have in common: they work by isolating you. They tell you you’re a freak, and that nobody will understand what you’re going through. Any chance to isolate will be catnip to a mental-health condition – and I realise now that my measly 10 days of self-isolation was really a culmination of two years of using the pandemic as an excuse to cut myself off from people. 

My OCD and depression got cosy comfortable in my frontal lobe. I may have been Covid-free for most of the pandemic, but the same cannot be said for my anxiety disorder. Cognitive behavioural therapy is commonly used to treat people with OCD. Patients are taught to expose themselves gently to the risks that the illness over-exaggerates in their brains. In time, this lessens anxiety. 

But for the past two years, we have, as a general population, effectively been doing the opposite of this. Our risk perception is now massively out of kilter, and the slightest tickle in our throats leads us to turn our bedrooms into mini labs, where we run tests to check if we are safe to leave the house. 

Our sense of personal responsibility is also out of whack. Pre-2020, we would think nothing of taking a max strength flu tablet and going to work, even though that kills people too. Today, we feel guilt and anxiety if we leave the house with a sniffle. When is a cold a cold, and when is it a virus that could kill someone you pass in a shop?

Living in a state of hyper-vigilant fear is not good for us. As humans, we need to connect with each other, face to face, even if we hate it. Especially  if we hate it. Challenging ourselves on a regular basis helps build self-esteem. 

This is not to say we should all rush out and throw our arms around each other – it’s perfectly fine if you don’t feel ready for that. But as the rules change again, try and challenge yourself to do one thing you haven’t done since the pandemic started. 

Go to a restaurant. Visit the cinema. Throw a party. The period of isolation is almost over – and after the last few weeks of crippling anxiety, I will never take my freedom for granted again. 

Needing support in later life? Some readers have the answer

A huge thank you to everyone who wrote to me after my column a few weeks ago about mental ill-health in older people. It seems you agree – there are not enough services to support people in their later years. But many of you sent information on resources that have helped you and I wanted to print some of them here.

Shirley is 86 and since the death of her husband 13 years ago, she has been part of her local U3A – an organisation that runs courses and events for people in their “third age”. They have more than 1,000 groups around the country, and more than 430,000 members. You can find out more at u3a.org.uk.

Thank you also to Paul in Maidstone, who has drawn my attention to the Ramblers Wellbeing Walks, which take place up and down the country and offer people a chance to come together through a shared love of being outside. For more information go to ramblers.org.uk.

Plus, there’s the Sporting Memories Foundation, which Rob emailed me about. It tackles dementia, depression and loneliness through sport and has clubs all around the UK for people aged over 50. For more information, go to sportingmemoriesnetwork.com. 

Please keep your recommendations coming and, as far as possible, I will keep drawing attention to them.