One Year Into The Pandemic, And Americans Have Been Getting Steadily More Lonely, The Latest Data Says. Here’s How The Power Of Music Is Helping Our Mental Health. On the 20th of March 2020, New York State issued an executive order closing all non-essential businesses, kicking off what has become a nation-wide series of lockdowns and fundamental changes to how Americans have lived their lives. The pandemic has impacted our mental health in some dramatic ways.