The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak may cause you to feel anxious, stressed, worried, sad, helpless, overwhelmed, confused or angry - being kind to yourself and others can help change that.
Be kind to yourself and others this Mental Health Awareness Week
This Mental Health Awareness Week, it’s important to remember it is OK to feel this way and that everyone reacts differently to different events. We've prepared a comprehensive list of services you can call upon for support, as well as 10 top tips from our Public Health team on improving your mental wellbeing. We've also created a mental health support page that's tailored specifically for young people.
Remember, it's important to take care of your mind as well as your body. Try to exercise regularly – Sport England can help you do so.
Stay connected with current events, but be careful where you get news and health information from. If news stories make you feel anxious, think about switching off or limiting what you look at for a while.
Social media could help you stay in touch with people, but might also make you feel anxious including if people are sharing news stories or posting about their worries. Consider taking a break or limiting how much you use social media.
Staying alert and socially distant may be difficult too, but you are helping to protect yourself and others by doing it.
For more help, have a look at:
- The Barnet Wellbeing Service.
- The NHS’s Every Mind Matters.
- The NHS’s mental health and wellbeing hub.
- The comprehensive list of easily digestible tips on coping with the coronavirus outbreak by national mental health charity Mind UK.
- The free online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy from SilverCloud to help with anxiety, stress and sleep difficulties.