Covid-19 wellbeing tips

Coping with the impact of Covid

There’s no right or wrong way to process the information and it's understandable if you’re feeling vulnerable or overwhelmed. It’s important to acknowledge how you are feeling.

As we work to help those around us at this time, it can be easy to lose sight of how the changes are impacting on us. Take time to remind yourself to look after your physical and mental health.

Here are 10 tips to help you stay strong, co-operative and well. It’s probably a good idea to pick two or three that you’re most drawn to and spend some time on those to start with. Over the next few days, weeks and months you might find that you have spent some time on all 10 and they will have long term positive benefits:

1. Be kind to yourself – it’s okay to have the feelings you are having. Acknowledge this and take time to process your feelings.
2. Show compassion – support others as well as yourself and remember acts of kindness have positive effects on us as well as helping others in the community.
3. Keep connected – humans are social beings, so take some time to connect – pick up the phone, send a text or email. Video calling is also a great way to see the people you can’t physically be with.
4. Get moving – engage in healthy activities that you enjoy and find relaxing – and make the most of being outside when you can.
5. Sleep – keep regular sleep routines to lower your stress levels, improve your memory and help your body fight back.
6. It’s not forever – remind yourself that this is a temporary period of isolation and that your effort is helping others in the community to avoid contracting the virus.
7. Constancy is key – establish a routine as best as possible and try to view this period as a new experience that can bring health benefits.
8. Take a break – try to maintain a healthy balance by allocating specific work hours, taking regular breaks and, if possible, establishing a dedicated workspace.
9. Press pause – try to limit how much time you spend on social media or watching the news as they could increase your worry and levels of anxiety.
10. Look forward – focus on the future and find things to look forward to. Think about seeing your family members, the places you’ll visit and friends you’ll catch up with. Doing small things like this can help us to focus on the positive.