Coronavirus - Support and Helplines

 

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Covid-19 is an extremely challenging situation. We know that individuals and families are under increased amounts of stress due to new financial pressures, isolation and lack of normal outlets for stress and frustrations.

 

Helplines and Advice

Recovery from Covid-19

For information about recovery from Covid-19 please click here 

 

Supporting Children

 

Mental Health Guidance

We understand that the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is worrying for everyone. You may be feeling anxious, stressed, lonely, sad or frustrated during these uncertain times. If you are already living with a mental illness you may be finding it particularly difficult. It is important to remember you are not alone.

There are lots of resources available to you and things that you can do to look after your mental health and wellbeing during this challenging time. We have summarised some of these for you here, and hope you find them useful.

 

Connect with others

More of us will be spending a lot of time at home and our normal social activities will be restricted. Keeping in touch with friends and family is really important, now more than ever. Connect via social media, telephone calls, video calls (e.g. Skype, FaceTime).

 

Develop strategies for managing difficult feelings

You may be feeling concerned about the coronavirus pandemic and this is OK, but some people may experience intense anxiety which starts to affect their dayto-day life. Try to focus on the things within your control (e.g. your behaviour, who you choose to speak to) and try to avoid things which may trigger your anxiety (e.g. spending a lot of time on social media or reading the news). If you are struggling to control constant thoughts which are making you feel very anxious or overwhelmed, the following may help:

 

Maintain good sleep

Good-quality sleep is really important for keeping you at your best mentally and physically. Try and stick to a regular sleeping pattern. Help yourself by avoiding screens (e.g. phones, TV, laptops) before bed and cutting back on caffeine and alcohol. If you are struggling with sleep, here are some resources you may find helpful:

  • Tips to improve your sleep
  • The Headspace App – currently offering FREE access to a set of meditations designed to help support people through this current time (the collection is called “Weathering the Storm”):
 

Have a routine

Things are likely to feel very alien at the moment, but sticking to a routine can help to bring some structure and normality to your day. You may find it helpful to write a plan for the day or for the week ahead. Make sure you leave time to do things you enjoy. You could use the opportunity to learn something new, for example a language or how to cook a new recipe.

 

Look after your body

Your physical health will have a big impact on how you are feeling mentally and emotionally. Try to stick to a healthy diet, stay well hydrated, and take regular exercise. Try to avoid
smoking, alcohol and drugs as these are likely to make you feel worse. The following may be useful:

If you can, get outside once a day for some exercise and fresh air. This doesn’t have to be anything too strenuous, a simple walk is fine. Remember to adhere to the social distancing rules.

If you did fancy pushing yourself a bit more, the Couch to 5k programme may be a good place to start

 

Help and support others

If you are in a position to, consider helping others who may also be finding it difficult at the moment. This could make a big difference to them and may make you feel better too. Reach out to family, friends or neighbours who may need help with collecting shopping or medications, or may just need someone to chat to every now and then.

 

Other useful resources

 

Physical Health Guidance 

We understand that the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is a worrying time for everyone. Most of us are facing disruption to our normal lives and daily routines, spending more time at home and not being able to socialise with friends and family. This can be really hard. Now, more than ever, it is really important that we look after our physical health and mental wellbeing. 

There are lots of resources available to you and things that you can do to look after yourself during this challenging time. We have summarised some of these for you here, and hope you find them useful.

 

Keep moving

Regular exercise is a great way of keeping your body and mind in the best possible shape. At the moment, many of us are being asked to spend more time at home. Some of us will be having to self isolate because we, or someone in our household, is unwell. There are still lots of things you can do to keep active during this time. We have provided some ideas here:

 

Keeping fit whilst staying at home

You don’t need to have any specific exercise equipment to keep fit at home. The important thing is to keep moving. Doing housework, dancing, gardening, going up and down the stairs all count. Try not to spend too much time sitting in one position.

Online exercise videos can be a really good way to keep active from the comfort of your own home.

There are many available, here are a few examples:

 

Keeping fit outdoors

If you can, get outside once a day for some exercise and fresh air. This doesn’t have to be anything too strenuous, a simple walk is fine. Remember to adhere to the social distancing rules.

If you did fancy pushing yourself a bit more, the Couch to 5k programme may be a good place to start:

 

Eat right

It is very easy at the moment to fall into bad habits when it comes to food. The foods you normally enjoy may be difficult to get hold of, and you may find yourself snacking more whilst you spend time at home. It is really important, however, that you try and maintain a healthy, balanced diet.

Also remember to keep yourself well hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids throughout the day. As a guide, the NHS recommend 6-8 glasses of fluid per day. This doesn’t have to be water; tea, coffee, sparkling water, sugar-free drinks and low fat milk all count.

For advice on eating a healthy, balanced diet, and some useful recipe ideas please click here

 

Limit alcohol intake

For many, this is a really stressful time, and in times of stress we can find ourselves drinking alcohol more often or more heavily. Drinking too much alcohol, however, can have a negative impact on our physical health as well as our mental wellbeing.

If you do drink alcohol regularly, it is important to be aware of how much you are drinking. To keep health risks from alcohol to a low level, the NHS recommend the following (for both men and women):

  • Drink no more than 14 units of alcohol per week
  • If you are regularly drinking 14 units of alcohol per week, spread this over at least 3 days
  • Try to have several alcohol-free days each week

For more information, including help on calculating units please click here or visit this website