Mental health & COVIDD-19 | Marymountonline

Your Mental Health and You in times of the COVID-19 pandemic
STAY SAFE !!!

Safe – a word which has a renewed meaning. It involves keeping ourselves safe as we ensure the safety of others; personal hygiene, safe and clean environment and a safe mind. The outbreak of this virus may be stressful for all of us as fear and anxiety about the disease can be overwhelming for adults and children alike. This fear, sadness and anxiety may be caused by, but not limited to:
• Fear and worry about your own health

• The loss of jobs by parents/guardians which makes it difficult to provide for the family

• Having elderly family members and people with chronic diseases who may be at a higher risk of the disease

• Having family members who are essential workers such as doctors, health-care providers, soldiers, police officers, correctional officers, security guards, among others whose health may be compromised during this time

• Having to practice social distancing which is a new normal for adults and children alike

• Having to leave children alone at home because you (parent/guardian) are an essential worker.

In order to cope with this stress it is important to be safe by taking care of yourself, your friends and your family. As you stay physically safe, remember that your mental state is very important in dealing with the stress. Below is a list of things you can do to guard your mind:

• Guard your mind from malicious and/or fake news and digest the facts. Share the facts about COVID 19 and understanding the actual risk to yourself, friends and family members as this can make people feel less stressed. Seek information only from trusted sources so that you can take practical steps to prepare and protect yourself and loved ones. Get the facts; not rumours and misinformation. Gather information at regular intervals from the WHO website and local health authority platforms in order to help you distinguish facts from rumours. Facts can help to minimize fears.

• Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories, including social media. Hearing about the pandemic repeatedly can be upsetting. Seek information updates at specific times during the day, once or twice. The sudden and near-constant stream of news reports about an outbreak can cause anyone to feel worried.

• Make time to unwind. Try to do some other activities you enjoy. During times of stress, pay attention to your own needs and feelings. Engage in healthy activities that you enjoy and find relaxing. Exercise regularly, keep regular sleep routines and eat healthy food. Keep things in perspective.

• Connect with others via social media during the period of social distancing, isolation. Talk with people you trust about your concerns and how you are feeling.

Tips for Parents
• Take time to talk with your child or teen about the COVID-19 outbreak. Answer questions and facts about COVID-19 in a way that your child or teen can understand.

• Limit your family’s exposure to news coverage of the event, including social media. Children may misinterpret what they hear and can be frightened about something they do not understand.

• Since schools are out, create a schedule for learning and fun activities especially for the younger children (some primary schools have done that). For older children help them create a timetable/schedule for studying and see to it that assignments/coursework sent by teachers are completed and sent in on time.

• Since children are no longer at school, they no longer have that sense of structure and stimulation that is provided by that environment. They now have less opportunity to be with their friends and get that social support that is essential for good mental well-being. Parents and children can therefore plan family activities such as games etc to reduce stress, fear and anxieties.

• Parents who are essential workers need to make proper arrangements for their children to stay at home. Being at home can place some children at increased risk of or increased exposure to child protection incidents if the home is not a safe place.

• Parents need to manage their own stressors so that they can be models to their children. Find DIY (Do It Yourself) activities on YouTube and/or Pinterest that are of interest to you and do them. They will help to keep your mind busy. These can build your skills and may provide job opportunities for you later.

• STAY AND THINK POSITIVE

Tips for students
Students will have difficulty concentrating, will feel demotivated and distracted at this time. It may take some time to adjust. However, this new normal (online schooling) requires setting realistic goals, pacing onesself and completing and submitting assignments on time. It is therefore important to:

• Treat your online classes as though you were physically at school. You can use your class time table or develop a new one to prevent waste of time. Take your breaks as though you were on lunch break or dismissal time.

• Complete and submit assignments, classwork, activities on time and provide feedback to your teachers based on platform agreed on.

• Limit your use of social media as this can help reduce fears and anxieties about the disease.

• Keep in touch with your friends and families via video conferencing, phone calls, etc

• During your breaks or weekends you can find DIY activities on YouTube and Pinterest that you are interested in and do them, you can read a novel, play board games, among others, with those at home.

• STAY AND THINK POSITIVE

References:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (n.d.). Coronavirus Disease 2019; Mental Health and Coping during COVID 19. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html

World Health Organization (2020). Mental health and psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/mental-health-considerations.pdf

World Health Organization (2020). Mental health and psychological resilience during COVID-19 pandemic. Retrieved from http://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/health-emergencies/coronavirus-covid-19/news/news/2020/3/mental-health-and-psychological-resilience-during-the-covid-19-pandemic

Guidnace and Counselling Department
Marymount High School

Your Mental Health and You in times of the COVID-19 pandemic STAY SAFE !!!

• The loss of jobs by parents/guardians which makes it difficult to provide for the family

• Having elderly family members and people with chronic diseases who may be at a higher risk of the disease

• Having family members who are essential workers such as doctors, health-care providers, soldiers, police officers, correctional officers, security guards, among others whose health may be compromised during this time

• Having to practice social distancing which is a new normal for adults and children alike

• Having to leave children alone at home because you (parent/guardian) are an essential worker.

In order to cope with this stress it is important to be safe by taking care of yourself, your friends and your family. As you stay physically safe, remember that your mental state is very important in dealing with the stress. Below is a list of things you can do to guard your mind:

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• Make time to unwind. Try to do some other activities you enjoy. During times of stress, pay attention to your own needs and feelings. Engage in healthy activities that you enjoy and find relaxing. Exercise regularly, keep regular sleep routines and eat healthy food. Keep things in perspective.

• Connect with others via social media during the period of social distancing, isolation. Talk with people you trust about your concerns and how you are feeling.

Tips for Parents • Take time to talk with your child or teen about the COVID-19 outbreak. Answer questions and facts about COVID-19 in a way that your child or teen can understand.

• Limit your family’s exposure to news coverage of the event, including social media. Children may misinterpret what they hear and can be frightened about something they do not understand.

• Parents who are essential workers need to make proper arrangements for their children to stay at home. Being at home can place some children at increased risk of or increased exposure to child protection incidents if the home is not a safe place.

• STAY AND THINK POSITIVE

• Treat your online classes as though you were physically at school. You can use your class time table or develop a new one to prevent waste of time. Take your breaks as though you were on lunch break or dismissal time.

• Complete and submit assignments, classwork, activities on time and provide feedback to your teachers based on platform agreed on.

• Limit your use of social media as this can help reduce fears and anxieties about the disease.

• Keep in touch with your friends and families via video conferencing, phone calls, etc

• During your breaks or weekends you can find DIY activities on YouTube and Pinterest that you are interested in and do them, you can read a novel, play board games, among others, with those at home.

• STAY AND THINK POSITIVE

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Your Mental Health and You in times of the COVID-19 pandemic
STAY SAFE !!!

Tips for Parents
• Take time to talk with your child or teen about the COVID-19 outbreak. Answer questions and facts about COVID-19 in a way that your child or teen can understand.