Dear All,
The World Health Organisation has released some really helpful advice on protecting our mental health during the coronavirus outbreak.
Please see below further information:
Stay connected with people
Increasing numbers will join those already in self-isolation so now might be a good time to make sure you have the right phone numbers and email addresses of the people you care about.
- Agree regular check-in times and feel connected to the people around you.
- If you need to self-isolate in the future, strike a balance between having a routine and making sure each day has some variety.
- It might end up actually feeling like quite a productive two weeks. You could work through your to-do list or read a book you'd been meaning to get to.
Avoid burnout
With weeks and months of the coronavirus pandemic ahead, it is important to have down time. Mind recommends continuing to access nature and sunlight wherever possible. Do exercise, eat well and stay hydrated.
AnxietyUK suggests practising the "Apple" technique to deal with anxiety and worries.
- Acknowledge: Notice and acknowledge the uncertainty as it comes to mind.
- Pause: Don't react as you normally do. Don't react at all. Pause and breathe.
- Pull back: Tell yourself this is just the worry talking, and this apparent need for certainty is not helpful and not necessary. It is only a thought or feeling. Don't believe everything you think. Thoughts are not statements or facts.
- Let go: Let go of the thought or feeling. It will pass. You don't have to respond to them. You might imagine them floating away in a bubble or cloud.
- Explore: Explore the present moment, because right now, in this moment, all is well. Notice your breathing and the sensations of your breathing. Notice the ground beneath you. Look around and notice what you see, what you hear, what you can touch, what you can smell. Right now. Then shift your focus of attention to something else - on what you need to do, on what you were doing before you noticed the worry, or do something else - mindfully with your full attention.
Further support and guidance is also available from the following links;
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/coronavirus-and-your-wellbeing/
https://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/blog/health-and-other-forms-of-anxiety-and-coronavirus/
Kind regards,
Stephanie Rees
Assistant Manager: Human Resources
NPTC Group of Colleges
01639 648312