Looking after your Mental Health

In Christchurch, we have had quite a bit of practice at looking after our mental health in the years after the earthquakes struck.  We have got this! All the same principles apply here as they did around previous events.  We may just have to do them a little bit differently, depending on the situations that we find ourselves in. 

Perhaps the first thing to remember is that it is quite normal to be feeling worried or stressed about Covid 19 and the things that it is doing to our world.  

Connect: This may be more challenging if you are keeping away from physically meeting people you can still  connect over the phone or over the internet in whichever way suits you.  You can also visit people but just keep a good distance between yourself and the other people (1 to 2 metres) and if you can meet out of doors then that is even better.  A great option is to get out and walk with others (and then you keep active AND connect)!  
Here is a feel good article about some folks in Christchurch who are offering help.  The best way to do this is to band together locally (ideally in your street) so that you can contact each other for help if needed and that help is managed in small groups.   Swapping phone numbers and arranging to check on people near you at regular intervals is a good idea.

Get yourself a phone buddy or two, particularly if you live alone, so that you can keep an eye on each other. If you know people around you who live alone, perhaps offer to be their buddy.  Ring or text each other every day.  If someone in your group is sick then ring them twice a day.  Make a plan about what you will do if someone gets sick and needs help (work out who you will call, whether you can enlist help with deliveries for food, medicine etc.   GET STARTED ON THIS RIGHT NOW – it is a great practice, even if there is no pandemic.

Take notice:  Notice the beauty in the world around your home. Take time to feel the sun on your skin, breathe in fresh air whenever you can, make a list of what you’re grateful for, take the time to thank someone for how they make you feel, do a mindfulness exercise on YouTube, watch the plants in your home or outside your window.  Grow some microgreens.

Keep active  Go for a walk or run in a local park or round the local streets.  Say hello to those you see as you pass them (keeping a good space between you and them!).  See how many smiles you can give away each time.  Do a yoga class online (just stay 2m away from others!), use the cans in the pantry as weights, stretch.

Give !  Give smiles or waves, give encouragement to others who might be struggling, offer help to others.  Be kind.  Give compliments.  Give people a ring to keep in touch.  Share stuff, if you can.  Think of everything you do to limit the spread or Covid 19 as something you are giving to others.  There are many ways for you to get out there and GIVE without putting yourself at risk!

Focus on what you can control rather than on what you cannot.

Here are a few resources for helping you stay on top of things

Loads of Free mental health resources are available from this page on the NZ Governments Covid 19 Website.
 
Here are some Covid 19 related resources on depression.org.nz's website  

This looks like a pretty good and comprehensive resource that has been put together for people in Vancouver, Canada 
 
Rick and Forrest Hanson have a great series of podcasts on staying mentally well and they have made this one specifically about dealing with fear in the time of coronavirus

This is the Ministry of Health resource on looking after your mental health 

A CNN article on the topic of mental health  
Feel free to add any other resources that you have found in the comments.

A Guardian article on managing anxiety 

A blog post with some simple options for dealing with anxiety or anger in the moment