Are you worried, stressed or anxious about coronavirus?
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Many people are feeling worried or stressed about how coronavirus could affect our lives.
The Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) has put together resources for people who are suffering from mental ill health.
It is designed for people who are spending much more time at home, perhaps in isolation from the friends, family and other relationships that keep them mentally healthy.
Social distancing and self-isolation can be really hard to deal with. It’s normal to feel anxious, frustrated or bored, and if you’re worried about the effect it will have on your mental health, you are not alone.
There are things we can all do to look after our mental wellbeing during this time.
Wellbeing Assessment
We can all expect to feel under the weather sometimes, perhaps pick up a cold or sore throat.
But when it comes to the way we feel emotionally, it can be hard to recognise or admit that we’re not feeling good.
One tool. a wellbeing assessment uses the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) to measure wellbeing. Good mental wellbeing is about feeling good and functioning well. You may find that your mood goes both up and down so use this tool to monitor it over time.
The wellbeing assessment can be found here.
However, this is not intended to replace a consultation with a GP if you are struggling.
Checklist for staying at home
Sorting some of the things that might cause you anxiety
- Food: do you have a way to get food delivered if you need to self-isolate?
- Cleaning: do you have cleaning supplies?
- Work: can you carry on working, including working from home? If not, can you find out your rights to payment or benefits?
- Medication: do you have enough medication, or a way to get more?
- Health: can you reorganise any planned therapy or treatments?
- Connectivity: have you got ways to keep in contact with people you see regularly, like their phone numbers, email addresses? Do you need help setting up digital communication, like a video calling app?
- Routine: can you create a routine or timetable for yourself? And if you live with other people, should you create a household schedule? Do you need to agree how the household will run with everyone at home all day?
- Exercise: is there any physical activity you can do inside your home, like going up and down the stairs, using bean tins as weights, or exercises you can do in your chair?
- Nature: have you thought about how you can bring nature into your home? Can you get some seeds and planting equipment delivered, or put up photos of green spaces?
- Entertainment: have you thought about things to do, books to read or TV shows to watch?
- Relax: have you got materials so you can do something creative, such as pencils and paper?
Coping with anxiety
Anxiety is something we all experience from time to time.
Most people can relate to feeling tense, uncertain and perhaps fearful at the thought of sitting an exam, going into hospital, attending an interview or starting a new job.
In turn, worries can affect your sleep, appetite and ability to concentrate. If everything goes well, the anxiety will go away. This type of short-term anxiety can be useful. Feeling nervous before an exam can make you feel more alert and enhance your performance.
However, if the feelings of anxiety overwhelm you, your ability to concentrate and do well may suffer.
If the anxiety stays at a high level for a long time, you may feel that it is difficult to deal with everyday life. The anxiety may become severe; you may feel powerless, out of control, as if you are about to die or go mad. Sometimes, if the feelings overwhelm you, you may experience a panic attack.
A panic attack is an exaggeration of the body’s normal response to fear, stress or excitement. It is the rapid build-up of overwhelming sensations, such as a pounding heartbeat, feeling faint, swearing, nausea, chest pains, breathing discomfort and so on. If you experience this, you may fear that you are going mad, blacking out, or having a heart attack.
Panic attacks come on very quickly, symptoms usually peaking within 10 minutes, with most lasting between 5 and 20 minutes.
For some people they seem to come without warning and strike at random. They can also come at night and wake you up.
For more information about panic attacks looks at the SAMH advice, click here.
Some ideas to help you cope:
Staying calm
There are lots of great free apps you can use to guide you through breathing techniques and meditation that can help ease your anxiety and clear your mind of anxious thoughts. We like to use Headspace.
Why not also try some yoga as a way to relax and also get some gentle excerise which can boost your mood? There are lots of YouTube videos you can use to suit your ability and level of mobility.
Mindfulness
The Mindfulness Association is offering a free daily online meditation
from 7pm – 8pm every day, followed by tea and company.
Click here to join the daily meditation at 7pm. Please enter PASSWORD: 084153
Video calls
Phone calls are amazing, and are a great way to stay connected. But seeing someone’s face really can make a huge difference on a phone call. It can lift your mood and make you feel less lonely. There are lots of free video calling services you can use, and if you can connect to wifi this will help if you’re worried about your data allowance. Don’t be shy about going on camera – your loved ones will really appreciate seeing you, even if you're in your pyjamas! You could really brighten someone’s day.
Find a positive online community
There are lots of positive online communities, where you can make new friends, get inspired and chat about things you care about. You could try searching for groups involved in causes, music or TV shows you are passionate about.
But remember to avoid anything that encourages you to do things which are harmful for your physical or mental health. If you're worried by things you're experiencing online, talk to someone you trust.
Aimed at young people, take a look at this page on social media and mental health for more tips on how to have a positive time online.
Reach out
You’re probably not the only person feeling worried, bored or frustrated. It's a good time for a catch up, so don’t be afraid to make the first move and reach out to someone you haven’t heard from in a while.
They’ll probably be very grateful to hear from you. Send them a short and kind message and let them know you care.
Clean up your social media
You might be spending more time than usual scrolling on social media. But have you ever thought about how this could be affecting your mental health?
Try unfollowing or muting accounts that make you feel anxious, upset or angry. Find positive accounts that boost your mood and share your interests.
Read a book
Getting away from screens and reading a book can help you escape for a bit. Why not re-read one of your favourites, or get your friend to recommend one? It might be difficult to get a new book, but you can access lots of books online.
Plan your days
Your normal routine might be disrupted and that can be stressful. Take some time to write down how you want to spend your day. Creating and sticking to a new routine will give you a sense of order and normality. Decide on your new routine and make sure you build in time to do things you enjoy. If you live with other people, you could ask them to help you.
Feel productive
Make a list of all those things you said you would do but never get round to. It could be sorting out your wardrobe, doing some gardening, fixing things around your living space etc. These tasks can make you feel productive and give you a sense of accomplishment. Tidying your living space can also make you feel calmer and more positive.
If you want to take the time off to rest and not be productive, that's also fine too. Listen to your body.
Online games you can play with friends
Board games can be a great way to spend time with friends or family while giving you something to focus on. You can play a lot of these games online, like Monopoly or Chess, or via apps like Words With Friends 2.
Dealing with stressful situations at home
Walk away from tense situations if you can
Being cooped up with other people will naturally be frustrating and might create tension between you and those you live with. You can defuse difficult situations by walking away from arguments until everyone starts to feel calmer. If you and those you live with do not have any coronavirus symptoms, you could go outside for a walk.
Create a rota
If you’re in a situation where lots of people are fighting over who gets to decide what you watch on TV, who cooks and cleans, or anything else, you might find it helpful to create a rota. This can help you agree a fair system and help avoid arguments.
Reach out for help
If your living situation is difficult, please don’t struggle in silence. Speak to someone you trust. Call a friend or a helpline. If you're worried about being overheard, you could try texting or emailing instead. There are lots of helplines which also offer text and online messenger support.
If you need urgent help
These organisations can offer support if you need to speak to someone urgently:
Breathing Space
0800 83 85 87
Offers a free, confidential phone and web-based service for people in Scotland experiencing low mood, depression or anxiety.
Samaritans
116 123 (Freephone)
24-hour emotional support for anyone struggling to cope.
Shout
Text: 85258
Shout is volunteer-run and is the UK’s first 24/7 crises text service, free on all major mobile networks, for anyone in crisis anytime, anywhere.
If you need more information
SAMH offers support and information. If you’d like help seeking the correct support for you or to find out more about mental health problems, the SAMH Information Team can help. Please note, this is not a listening or crisis service.
0344 800 0550
info@samh.org.uk.
The service is open from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except on Bank Holidays. Phone calls from UK landlines are charged at local rates. Charges from mobile telephones vary considerably. The charge for your call will depend on your mobile phone provider and the contract that you have with them.
