COVID 19 and Your Mental Health
It’s a strange time and we want to share a few tips with you about COVID 19 and your mental health that we would hope will help you from being anxious, nervous and worried.
Remember there are many people like you feeling nervous about themselves, family and friends. We are being inundated with information every time you turn on the TV or radio and let’s face it, there is a lot of scaremongering on social media too which can lead to anxiety and even panic.
But remember that there are things that you can do to alleviate those bad feelings. First of all “take a deep breath”, seriously this can really help. A deep breath draws in air to the lungs and helps you to calm and reduce stress. Go on give it a go.
We have to realise that it’s normal to panic.
The stress of the unknown can cause us to stress and panic and once we realise this we can do something about it. This is why it’s important to take advice and your information from official agencies or trusted sites that you visit. Be aware of fake news and scaremongering. Once you are aware that you have control of what you read you are starting to focus on a coping strategy. Remember, breathe.
Stick to what you can control.
Even though schools are closed and many people are working from home you can still have a routine. We are creatures of habit and if we break that habit we often feel uncomfortable. If you are used to bringing the dog for a walk, for example, bring the dog for a walk. There is nothing against you getting some exercise. Eat well because this will help your immune system and help battle even the common cold.
You don’t have to feel alone.
It’s important to stay in contact with people and even though we’re in a time where experts are advising against ‘get togethers’ (and rightly so) you can still phone or even video chat friends and family. We’re all in this together so remember we can still stay in contact with everyone. If there are neighbours that are alone, get their phone numbers as they might be grateful for a chat and a chat might be uplifting for you too.
Perspective is everything.
While the majority of people will not be infected with COVID 19 people will still get the common cold so don’t panic if you meet or see someone on the street that is coughing. The simple thing to do is keep your distance as you would do with anyone with a cold.
Life goes on so enjoy it.
Believe it or not people are still having birthdays and babies are born each and every day. Take time out to consider all the good things in life. There are people out there that are working hard to ensure that services are not disrupted. The medical teams, doctors, emergency services are working hard to keep us all safe. We even have some tips to keep your kids entertained which you can access HERE.
So remember just to follow the guidelines that we have all seen, wash your hands regularly, cough into a tissue or your sleeve, keep your distance from others and remember, take a deep breath and stay calm.
We will get through this.
