Guidance Guidance for the public on the mental health and wellbeing aspects of coronavirus (COVID-19)
What can help your mental health and wellbeing
Consider how to connect with others: Maintaining relationships with people
you trust is important for your mental wellbeing. Think about how you can stay
in touch with friends and family via telephone, video calls or social media
instead of meeting in person – whether it’s people you normally see often or
connecting with old friends.
Help and support others: Think about how you could help those around you –
it could make a big difference to them and can make you feel better too. Could
you message a friend or family member nearby? Are there community groups that
you could join to support others locally? Remember it’s important to do this
in line with guidance on coronavirus (COVID-19) to keep yourself and everyone
safe. And try to be accepting of other people’s concerns, worries or
behaviours.
Talk about your worries: It is quite common to feel worried, scared or
helpless about the current situation. Remember that this is a difficult time
for everyone and sharing how you are feeling and the things you are doing to
cope with family and friends can help them too. If you don’t feel able to do
that, there are people you can speak to via NHS recommended
helplines or you could find support groups online to connect with.
Look after your physical wellbeing: Your physical health has a big impact
on how you are feeling emotionally and mentally. At times like these, it can
be easy to fall into unhealthy patterns of behaviour which in turn can make
you feel worse. Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals, drink enough water,
exercise inside where possible and outside once a day, and try to avoid
smoking, alcohol and drugs.
If you are able to go outside, consider walking or gardening (keeping the
recommended 2 metres from others as outlined in the social distancing
guidance). If you are staying at home, you can
find free easy 10 minute work outs from Public Health England or other
exercise videos to try at home on the NHS Fitness
Studio. Sport England also
has good tips for keeping active at home.
Look after your sleep: Feeling anxious or worried can make it harder to
get a good night’s sleep. Good-quality sleep makes a big difference to how you
feel mentally and physically, so it’s important to get enough.
Try to maintain regular sleeping patterns and keep good sleep hygiene
practices – like avoiding screens before bed, cutting back on caffeine and
creating a restful environment. The Every Mind Matters sleep
page provides practical
advice on how to improve your sleep.
Try to manage difficult feelings: Many people find the news about
coronavirus (COVID-19) concerning. However, some people may experience such
intense anxiety that it becomes a problem. Try to focus on the things you can
control, including where you get information from and actions to make yourself
feel better prepared.
It is okay to acknowledge some things that are outside of your control right
now but constant repetitive thoughts about the situation which lead you to
feel anxious or overwhelmed are not helpful. The Every Mind Matters page on
anxiety and NHS
mental wellbeing audio guides provide further
information on how to manage anxiety.
Manage your media and information intake: 24-hour news and constant social
media updates can make you more worried. If it is affecting you, try to limit
the time you spend watching, reading, or listening to media coverage of the
outbreak. It may help to only check the news at set times or limiting to a
couple of checks a day.
Get the facts: Gather high-quality information that will help you to
accurately determine your own or other people’s risk of contracting
coronavirus (COVID-19) so that you can take reasonable precautions. Find a
credible source you can trust such as
GOV.UK, or the NHS
website, and fact check
information that you get from newsfeeds, social media or from other people.
Think about how possibly inaccurate information could affect others too. Try
not to share information without fact-checking against credible sources.
Think about your new daily routine: Life is changing for us all for a
while. Whether you are staying at home or social distancing, you are likely to
see some disruption to your normal routine.
Think about how you can adapt and create positive new routines – try to engage
in useful activities (such as cleaning, cooking or exercise) or meaningful
activities (such as reading or calling a friend). You might find it helpful to
write a plan for your day or your week.
Do things you enjoy: When you are anxious, lonely or low you may do things
that you usually enjoy less often, or not at all. Focussing on your favourite
hobby, learning something new or simply taking time to relax indoors should
give you some relief from anxious thoughts and feelings and can boost your
mood.
If you can’t do the things you normally enjoy because you are staying at home,
try to think about how you could adapt them, or try something new. There are
lots of free tutorials and courses online and people are coming up with
innovative online solutions like online pub quizzes and streamed live music
concerts.
Set goals: Setting goals and achieving them gives a sense of control and
purpose – think about things you want or need to do that you can still do at
home. It could be watching a film, reading a book or learning something
online.
Keep your mind active: Read, write, play games, do crossword puzzles,
sudokus, jigsaws or drawing and painting. Find something that works for you.
Take time to relax and focus on the present: This can help with difficult
emotions, worries about the future, and can improve wellbeing. Relaxation
techniques can also help some people to deal with feelings of anxiety. For
useful resources see Every Mind Matters and NHS’ mindfulness
page.
If you can, once a day get outside, or bring nature in: Spending time in
green spaces can benefit both your mental and physical wellbeing. If you can’t
get outside much you can try to still get these positive effects by spending
time with the windows open to let in fresh air, arranging space to sit and see
a nice view (if possible) and get some natural sunlight, or get out into the
garden if you can.
Remember that social distancing
guidelines enable you to go outside to exercise
once a day as long as you keep 2 metres apart from others who are not members
of your household group.