All over the country we’re staying at home to protect the NHS and save lives. We’ll all be experiencing highs and lows and it’s perfectly normal to miss loved ones, get frustrated, and feel anxious or stressed. The good news is there are things we can all do to look after our mental wellbeing at this time.
If you’re feeling down or anxious about the current situation, you are not alone. In a national survey more than 4 in 5 adults said they are worried about the effect that coronavirus is having on their life right now, with over half saying it has affected their wellbeing and nearly half reporting high levels of anxiety.
NHS One You: Every Mind Matters have now released a new suite of tips and advice to help people stay on top of their mental wellbeing and cope with the challenges and anxieties of this period.
Get Your Mind Plan:
Get started with the NHS Your Mind Plan. It will show you simple steps to help deal with stress, boost your mood and feel on top of things – all tailored to you.
Simple tips for increasing and maintaining your wellbeing at home:
Stay in touch
- Connect with family and friends at least once a week by phone, messaging, video calls or online.
- Talk about your worries with family, friends or NHS-recommended helplines. You may even help someone else by sharing how you’re feeling.
Routine
- Create a daily routine. Think about how your routines can be positively changed and new goals can be set. For example, set a time to do exercise, cook, or do something you enjoy such as a hobby.
- There are resources available for wellbeing while working from home. We’ve also got our own tips for working well from home you may want to look at.
- Good quality sleep can make a big difference so it’s important to try to maintain a regular sleeping pattern. Top tips to get to sleep and sleep better.
- Limit your time reading and watching outbreak coverage and use trustworthy sources (gov.uk or the NHS website). Try having set times that you allow your self to check the news each day.
Hobbies
- Keep your mind active – read, write, play games, draw, paint, do puzzles – find something creative that works for you while you’re at home.
- Love reading? Find out more about how libraries can help during lockdown.
- Carry on doing things you enjoy – focus on your favourite hobbies if they are things you can still do at home or pick something new to learn at home.
Stay active
- Exercise is a great way to feel instantly better. It can be easy to slide into unhealthy habits whilst we stay at home, which can make us feel worse. Remember, you can go out for exercise, such as a walk, run or bike ride, once a day – taking care to keep to the social distancing guidelines.
- Or how about trying some ten minute exercises at home? Check out online resources like One You home workout videos or Sport England’s Join the Movement
- There are also lots of free classes and ways that you can stay active while at home. They are friendly for all ages and abilities. Active Sussex also have resources for adults and children and young people to help you stay active.
Eat well
- Eating healthy and drinking enough water is also vital to staying well. Avoid drinking too much alcohol and eat well balanced meals. Try these easy recipes and find out more about eating better. (It includes a recipe for macaroni cheese with tomatoes!)
- If you’re worried about your weight during this time One You East Sussex are now supporting people remotely to achieve their goals.
For even more tips please see Every Mind Matters.
We also have a handy round-up of other tools and resources for wellbeing that are available: look after your mental wellbeing while at home
If you would like further support, or are concerned about the mental wellbeing of someone you know, these mental health support services and resources can help.
