Taking care of your mental health during COVID19

My tips for dealing with uncertainties, particularly during our current challenging environment.

1. Get connected!
It is easy for us to become isolated as our social events have reduced. It is also easy for us to keep our uncertainties and feelings to ourselves. Now, more than ever it’s important we connect with others and share our feelings. There’s a good chance they’re feeling similarly and we can help normalise the anxiety of these feelings by sharing them! A problem shared is a problem halved!

If you need some help connecting, come and join a Growth Room with @thebanksiaproject. Safe spaces to share feelings, build trust and connect in vulnerability.

2. Make sure you’re here!
It’s more important than ever to be mindful in our day-to-day lives. Right now, it is natural to get caught up in the what-ifs, why’s, or why-not’s. It can be extremely time and energy consuming to get caught up on these challenges and this can be extremely fatiguing.

Try to remain mindful on the everyday activities and keep your mind present. I personally love to use a shower meditation - envisioning I have stress painted on my skin as a colour and imagine it being washed off and pooled around my feet after a long day! Cooking dinner, brushing your teeth and walking are all processes you can often get caught up wandering elsewhere. Try to stay mindful here!


3. Gratitude!
A daily gratitude practice can re-wire our brains to look for the positives all around us before noticing the negatives.

Try a gratitude jar! A daily post-it-note you write something you’re grateful for and put it in the jar. You can then look back at all the great things you have all around you!


4. Get Moving!
Movement and exercise not only allows you to ‘blow off steam’ and release some of your stress and tension, it goes a step further and creates positive emotions and endorphins! Incorporate something daily to improve your well-being!

Find what ever way you can to get your heart rate up everyday! If walking and running is your thing that’s great, but there are plenty of other ways - Yoga, swimming, dancing, weights, cycling, playing with pets or children are all great ways to get moving! You do you.


5. Did I mention, get connected?!
You can incorporate some of these activities with friends of family (socially distanced) and connect in the meantime. Tell your friends you’re grateful for them! Get moving with them! Be mindful over a cup of coffee with them and most importantly, share your feelings. It doesn’t have to be with everyone, but find the right people to share with!