With still no date to return to work I have been spending my time looking at the impact of Covid-19 on mental health, both mine and others. I, like most people, reply with the words “I’m fine” pretty much whenever anyone asks how I am. Generally I am absolutely fine, or possibly more than fine in fact. I have been in contact with many of my lovely clients and unsurprisingly they are all fine too! Which is of course fantastic, but not so great if that day or that moment we aren’t so fine after all.
Lets face it, the whole world has changed. Many of the things that help us stay happy and healthy have been taken from us. No hugs from friends and relatives; no long lovely evenings spent out with friends; no gym or team sports; no mooching around the shops as an escape from ironing ( is that just me? ); no holidays or celebrations of special days. Feeling connected to others, sports, hobbies and celebrating achievements are important pillars of our mental well being and they all crumbled overnight. Not forgetting that this was just the backdrop to the pandemic which was sweeping across our country and the world. It is not surprising if sometimes we feel far from fine!
To understand this further I have undertaken a number of courses:
Covid-19 : Psychological First Aid
Covid-19 : Psychological Impact, Well Being and Mental Health.
They have been from Future Learn and provided by Public Health England, Maudsley NHS foundation trust, Tavisock and Portland NHS foundation trust. The courses reinforced for me how important it is to acknowledge the scale of the challenges we have been managing.
The pandemic has caused huge changes to the way we live and interact with each other. Many are caring for vulnerable people or are vulnerable themselves. Apart from wartime I can not imagine a period of more fear and uncertainty for individuals and society as a whole. Some of us will have been directly affected by the virus itself. There is, no doubt, a clear psychological impact associated with Covid-19.
For many of us we will find our own ways to manage the challenges to our psychological well being. This may be by finding new ways to communicate with family, friends and colleagues or taking up online activities such as yoga or courses. I know some of you have found the resources I’ve shared helpful too. At times I have found the enforced pause comforting and restful but it can be helpful sometimes to look at more targeted support for your mental well being. Acknowledging that feelings of distress such as sadness, anger or anxiety are a natural response to the circumstances we find ourselves in can lead us to look for that support without fear that we are the only ones feeling that way.
The courses I have embarked on have helped me to think about the effects of the pandemic on a much bigger scale and in turn I feel more comfortable with my own feelings They also have provided some fantastic resources that are available to anyone who would like to explore them. Here are some links, they won’t all appeal to everyone but hopefully there may be some that are interesting and helpful.
Yoga:
NHS apps library: and select the ‘Mental health’ filter.
So, how are you ?
How am I? Well, emerging back out into the world is bringing back a familiar sense of urgency and busyness which I had happily packed away during lockdown. I hope to use my awareness of this as a way to question and potentially change this habit of “needing to get stuff done so I have time to get more stuff done”! It is a small thing but even tiny little creases in our mental health can seem big and unwieldy when we are already carrying so much. If you are concerned about your mental well being please do share this with someone, either using the resources above or another route comfortable for you.
I really hope to be able to work again soon, I’m taking bookings for August and am hopeful that by then I will have been given the green light.
Take care and I hope to see you all soon!
