Babylon Health has analysed over 200,000 real-time tweets to find out which London boroughs are the most stressed about covid-19.
Tweets were considered since the UK went into lockdown, and were scraped for words related to the pandemic including: self-isolation, corona and social distancing.
The tool TensiStrength was used to estimate the stress levels in these tweets, by analysing them on a scale of -1 (no stress) to -5 (very highly stressed), based on the classification of words related to stress, frustration, anxiety, anger and negativity.
Hillingdon is the most stressed borough in London, with 44.3% of tweets relating to the coronavirus in this area measured as ‘stressed‘. Hounslow ranks second on our list (42.5%) and Merton third (42.1%).
| London Borough |
% of Stressed Tweets
|
| Hillingdon | 44.3% |
| Hounslow | 42.5% |
| Merton | 42.1% |
| Kingston upon Thames | 41.8% |
| Islington | 40.9% |
| Richmond upon Thames | 40.4% |
| Wandsworth | 40.2% |
| Barking and Dagenham | 40.0% |
| Bromley | 39.9% |
| Bexley | 39.8% |
| Tower Hamlets | 39.7% |
| Croydon | 39.7% |
| Royal Borough of Greenwich | 39.3% |
| Barnet | 38.9% |
| Newham | 38.4% |
| Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea | 38.3% |
| Hackney | 38.2% |
| Sutton | 38.0% |
| Enfield | 37.9% |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 37.6% |
| Lewisham | 37.5% |
| Lambeth | 37.2% |
| Redbridge | 37.0% |
| Haringey | 37.0% |
| Southwark | 37.0% |
| Camden | 37.0% |
| Havering | 37.0% |
| City of London | 36.8% |
| Ealing | 36.1% |
| City of Westminster | 36.0% |
| Waltham Forest | 34.5% |
| Brent | 34.2% |
| Harrow | 34.0% |
We spoke to two doctors to find out more about controlling your health during this time.
What steps would you recommend to someone to help them look after their mental health during the lockdown, due to covid-19?
Dr Sarah Wells
Social distancing can bring up some challenges, especially if you live alone or are single. Here are some tips for keeping sane and positive:
-
- Keep motivated by writing down a daily schedule and setting yourself a routine
- Make time each day to call/video call a friend or family member
- Consider joining a group on Facebook i.e. Global Support for Covid-19 which offers free video yoga, meditation and virtual social meetings.
It’s also important to keep active and get outdoors for an hour, once a day – walking or running and being outdoors, in nature especially, will give your endorphins a boost. Alternatively, you can check out online fitness classes on YouTube and Instagram to do at home.
How much daily exercise is recommended to keep a healthy mind and body?
Dr Claudia Pastides
