Maintaining your health and wellbeing during COVID-19
It is normal to feel afraid, anxious or overwhelmed during these uncertain and rapidly changing times, so it’s important to:
- Allow yourself time to adjust and acknowledge your feelings: Whilst not dwelling on them, naming our feelings helps us manage them far more effectively
- Practice Mindfulness: Even 3 minutes a day has proven benefits. Suggested Apps are Calm, Insight Timer and Buddhify
- Show compassion and kindness to yourself and to others and where possible, practice gratitude and enjoy the simple pleasures of life
- Focus on maintaining a “calm and cautious” perspective, challenging negative thoughts you may have with realistic thoughts or evidence
- Monitor your exposure to constant media reports or other messaging: You are allowed to ‘turn down the noise’
- If working from home or self-isolating, where possible:
- Think ahead and plan for what you may need, such as:
- Food and medications
- Cleaning products
- Work materials
- Games and other activities for your children
- Access to internet and phone services
- Be organised and plan your day with a realistic to do list
- Implement routines and set boundaries between work and personal time, and allocate specific work hours in a dedicated work space: Our emotional health is strongly affected by regular routines so try to maintain your normal wellbeing routines
- Take regular breaks and keep MOVING
- Think ahead and plan for what you may need, such as:
- Be conscious of eating healthy food, exercising regularly, getting outdoors as much as possible (ensuring you follow health official directives) and getting enough, quality sleep
- Relax & reset: Take time to do something that is relaxing for you
- Be cautious of not becoming a ‘Do It Yourself (DIY)’ expert which may lead to injuries
- If you have financial concerns, speak to your employer or to Centrelink
Children
- Readjust your expectations of what they, and what you, can achieve in a day: Whilst having boundaries and maintaining safety, you may need to be more lenient with children’s screen time
- Try and incorporate as much fun and play in their day as possible
- Children may need extra attention at this time: They will remember your calm, patience, love and care during this time more than any ‘home schooled lessons’
- Provide truthful information, at an age appropriate level and minimise their exposure to news reports or overheard conversations
- VCE students may require extra practical and emotional support during what is already a stressful period: Check with your school for advice on how best to support their studies
Keeping safe
- Isolation, financial hardship, job loss and uncertainty may add additional strain to you, your family or your support network. If you or someone you care for is unsafe, developing a safety plan may help. If you are in immediate danger call 000
Staying connected
- It is especially important during this
time to maintain social
connections, even whilst adhering to ‘social
distancing’ policies
- Utilise available technology such as the telephone, Whatsapp groups, online tools such as Google Hangouts, Facetime, Zoom
- Be creative: Set up challenges for yourself or with others, share thoughts about TV shows, create an online book club etc
- Participate in community ‘online’ events
Bookings and more information:
To book an appointment for counselling or for more info on our services or workshops, email heartlinks@familylife.com.au or call us on (03) 8599 5488