31/05/2020
The NHS sent out some guidance about staying sane and healthy during COVID and a lot of members found this useful. In case you haven't already seen it:
https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-staying-at-home-tips/
My personal favourite so far has been "do not stay glued to the news". When this first started and we got sent home, I almost had the TV on permanently to keep up with what was going on and, by the end of week 2, I felt lousy. I was worried all the time, not sleeping properly and not taking proper care of myself.
When I read the NHS tips and started dropping out more and more of the 24-hour newscycle a lot of that went away. Yes, this is still a scary time, and yes, we all still need to be careful because fundamentally nothing has really changed since we went into lockdown, but focusing on all of that negativity every hour of the day didn't make that any better. It just left me feeling like I couldn't do anything and that feeling of powerlessness is just no good for anyone.
I'm not powerless. I can take practical steps to look after myself, and the people around me, I can look after my mental and physical health so that I don't become a problem for NHS people, who frankly already have more than enough to do, and I can look for positive ways to make a difference to other people, including what I'm doing right now.
Stop watching the news and remind yourself that you're not powerless either. Stay safe, be well, Sharon x
