Coronavirus has plunged the world into uncertainty and the constant news about the pandemic can feel relentless. This constant pressure can increase our anxiety, so we must make sure we do what we can to protect our mental health.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) released guidelines for our mental health to deal with the stress caused by the pandemic. These include
- Avoid watching, reading, or listening to news that could cause you distress or make you feel anxious.
- Seek information mainly to take practical steps to prepare yourself and your loved ones.
- Seek information at specific times of the day, say once or twice only. The constant stream of news reports can increase our anxiety if we check the news regularly.
It is also beneficial to make sure that you are getting your news from verified sources, such as government and NHS websites and not from your social media stream or your neighbour who always has an opinion on everything!
Social media has become a great way for people to stay in touch during this period to prevent isolation, but it is also wise to try and step away from it from time to time, try and read your favourite book, watch something light and entertaining on TV – a binge of old Friends episodes maybe?
As we all join the ranks of home workers, and home schooling parents, it is important to stay in touch with people as much as possible. Get people’s telephone numbers and email addresses, and even better video call those elderly relatives that are missing out from seeing their grandchildren. All of these ways to connect will help everyone involved and ease our anxieties about getting ill and being lonely.
The internet can be a scary and confusing place for some, but it can also be a wonderful place to gain information, so maybe whilst we are all sitting at home rather than wondering what is going to happen in regards to Covid-19, how about a quick “google” to find out how to learn that skill you always wanted to know – anyone for French lessons?
