Coronavirus: 16 tips to help you cope in the new world we live in
Covid-19 has upended our lives completely. We now find ourselves in a new world of reduced social contacts, struggles to keep work going at home and losing jobs and keeping our distance from other people. While this might have been an interesting experiment for a few days, the prospects of doing this for weeks and even months without an end in sight is particularly challenging.
Below are 16 tips to help you cope:
1) Accept your new reality
Rather than just focusing on what you have lost or the disruption to your life, make a choice to go with the flow and adapt to your new reality. Ask yourself, how can I make the most of the new situation I am in?
2) Make a plan
Make a plan for each day as well as each week. Set a couple of goals you want to achieve each day and a couple of things you would like to have done by the end of each week.
3) Keep a good routine
Just because you are at home self-isolating, don’t give up on a normal routine. Get up at the normal time, and get dressed in the normal way and set regular times for meals, work periods and leisure times.
4) Include some exercise in your day
If you can, make sure to get out for a walk or a run. A bit of fresh air and exercise will make all the difference. If stuck indoors, focus on doing indoor bouts of exercise, such as press-ups or squats or yoga stretches. Take a moment to stand at an open window or on a balcony to breathe.
5) Make the most of mealtimes
You probably now have to cook more. Make the most of these times. Try to enjoy the challenge of cooking healthy meals. Are there new recipes you want to try?
6) Plan some time for leisure
Plan something fun and interesting each day. This could be as simple as reading a favourite book, playing music, cooking a new meal, doing a crossword, starting an online class (there are lots of these now), listening to an podcast, or watching a boxset.
7) Reach out to people
Make sure to phone/ video call someone important in your life. Use all the benefits of social media to keep in touch with friends.
8) Alternate your tasks
Divide the day into manageable units of time (eg, 30 mins) and allocate your daily tasks. For example, you might alternate between meditation/yoga (one unit), breakfast (one unit), work (five units), reading a book (two units), phoning your mother (one unit), going for a walk (one unit) etc.
9) Say hello to neighbours
When going out to the shop, be polite and warm with shop assistants and say hello to neighbours from a safe distance. Even simple chats with strangers can boost your mood.
10) Think about how you can help someone
In crises it is the people who help others who cope the best. Ring an elderly neighbour or a front-line worker to see if they need anything when you go shopping.
11) Watch your mental health
Notice early if it is all getting too much for you. If you find yourself getting depressed or anxious reach out for support from friends, family or access the sources of help online or on the phone. Be gentle on yourself and realise that hard times will pass.
12) Accept your feelings
Accept that you are likely to have good days and bad days. Some days you are going to feel fed up, frustrated, anxious or depressed. Listen to and accept your feelings. Remember that you are not alone.
13) Limit news and social media streams
While keeping up with the news is important, avoid over-exposure or obsessive tracking of news coverage which can leave you depressed or anxious. Make a routine of only checking at certain times.
14) Keep a journal
Keep a journal each evening. Take a break from the screens and use a pen to write and reflect about your experiences each day. The simple act of writing can help you put your experiences into context and can be enormously satisfying.
15) Practise gratitude
Each evening take a moment to note something good that happened that day that you are grateful. This could be as simple as a pleasant chat with a colleague, friend or neighbour. Write about the things you are grateful for in your daily journal.
16) Focus on silver linings
As well as the challenges, focus on the “silver linings” of self-isolation. What is good about what is happening? What are the opportunities? Perhaps it has provided you with time to slow down or to learn and do new things.
Prof John Sharry Parents Plus
First published in the Irish Times on 30th March 2020, see original article here
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Safer Internet Day takes place next Tuesday, 7th February 2023. Sadly more than 1 in 4 young people in Ireland have experienced cyberbullying, yet only 60% of victims tell their parents. As teenagers and children spend more time on the internet, ensuring it's a safe space is ever more important. To encourage conversation about life online and help parents keep their children safe, I'd like to share a free resource created by Switcher.ie. It's a comprehensive guide which includes things like:
I thought it may be useful to share the link to the guide - https://switcher.ie/broadband/guides/how-to-keep-your-children-safe-online/ - which you can include on your website ahead of Safer Internet Day, to help parents and children who may need some extra support. We've also put together some handy top tips you can use on your website: 10 tips to keep your children safe online
- How to reduce the risks online
- How to recognise cyber bullying and grooming
- How to educate children on cyber safety
- How to set up parental controls on devices
- Talk about it:Make time to chat about online risks and how to use the internet safelyas soon as they're old enough to go online. Encourage your children to speak to you about what they view online and empower them to act if they're worried about anything.
- Recognise the risks: Educate yourself about the potential dangers children could face online so it’s easier to spot warning signs. Get to know what platforms your children use, and learn about dangers such as phishing, grooming and cyberbullying.
- Teach the do's and don'ts: Be clear about the non-negotiables. For example, teach your child not to share personal details or photos with strangers and instruct them not to click on links to unknown websites or texts. Do encourage your child to question what they see and only accept friend requests from people they know.
- Spot the signs: Pay attention to your children's behaviour whilst on and off their devices. Being alert to changes in your child can help prevent problems from escalating. Some warning signs are withdrawing from friends or family, sleeping and eating problems or losing interest in previously loved hobbies or interests.
- Set boundaries:Let your children know what they can and can't do on the internet from the get-go. Agree on what devices they can use, when, and how long they can spend online. As they get older, explaining and negotiating boundaries may be more effective.
- Take 'parental' control: These ready-made boundaries put parents in control of what children can see online. They can be set up through your internet provider at device level to block specific websites and filter out inappropriate content.
- Be social media savvy: The popularity of social media apps like TikTok and Snapchat makes it harder to keep track of what your child is accessing online. Fortunately, each social media platform has its own privacy settings and safety tips for parents. Check them out before you let children have their own accounts.
- Protect from harm:Install antivirus software on family devices to minimise the risk of cyber attacks or scams. Use two-factor authentication (2FA) for extra security on your online accounts. This can also stop children from signing into services they're not allowed to use.
- Set a great example: You're the greatest 'influencer' in your children's lives when they're young. Limiting your time online, discussing dangers you've come across, and questioning what you view can help reinforce the rules you are setting for your children and, in turn, influence their online behaviour.
- Seek support:The more you learn about online dangers, the better equipped you'll be to handle them. There are some great resources like webwise.ie, internetmatters.organd cybersafekids.ie to help you recognise and reduce online dangers and seek advice if you think your child is experiencing cyberbullying or is at risk online.
Short videos on the Importance of Play have recently launched which was a collaboration between North Central CFSN and Lifestart Services. Volume 1 https://youtu.be/xl2F2vZXhbg Volume 2 https://youtu.be/OOy4lmWggtM Volume 3 https://youtu.be/tmv40--l7fA Volume 4 https://youtu.be/Wr9bfTWddts Volume 5 https://youtu.be/7HLkBXvVTFE Volume 6 https://youtu.be/NuUXb51qZY0
Infant Mental Health Awareness Week runs from June 13th-19th.
This week provides an opportunity to focus attention on the wellbeing, social and emotional development of our babies and young children. It highlights the importance of early relationships and a relationship based approach to interventions with infants and families. As our understanding of IMH and its evidence base develops, so also does our knowledge of how to apply this knowledge and an ‘IMH lens’ to interactions with infants, parents and caregivers in health and social services.
What is infant mental health?
Infant Mental health (IMH) refers to the healthy social and emotional development of Infants starting at conception up to three years of age.
The first 1000 days of life are recognised as a critical period of opportunity to support infant mental health. Decades of research have shown that it is the quality of the early caregiver relationship that is a significant determinant of the infant’s healthy social and emotional development and in turn physical health, right up to adulthood.
The National Healthy Childhood Programme has embedded IMH as the foundation of the development of its resources and in the approach of the delivery of the universal child health service. This embedding of key messages can be seen in the My Child suite of books (www.mychild.ie/books) and also on www.MyChild.ie where key messages around bonding and relationship building have been embedded for the parent/caregiver.
In clinical practice the topic of IMH has been included for the first time in the National Standardised Child Health Record. To build on this, the National Healthy Childhood Programme have just completed a suite of three eLearning units which are now available on HSEland for healthcare practitioners / caregivers who are working with children and families.
Throughout the week you will see videos and key IMH messaging being promoted on the HSE MyChild social media pages ( Facebook / Instagram ). Keep an eye out in the National Newspapers for articles from our experts also. (IrishTimes article)
In addition The National Healthy Childhood Programme have developed a series of ten practical videos with HSE expert advice which are now available on YouTube and on the relevant pages on the www.mychild.ie website.
These videos (2-3 minutes each) are aimed at parents/guardians of children (0 – 3 years).
These new video resources are available here while lots more expert advice for every step of pregnancy, baby and toddler health can also be found at www.mychild.ie
There are a suite of posters available focusing on the promotion of IMH messaging to order from healthy.childhood@hse.ie