The coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak is affecting everyone's daily lives, as the government and the NHS take necessary steps to manage the outbreak, reduce transmission and treat those who need medical attention. During this time, it's really important that you take care of your own and your family's mental and physical health and wellbeing and stay connected.
Our staff wellbeing hub has been developed by a passionate team of people from Clinical Psychology, Organisational Development and Occupational Health who will review and update content on an ongoing basis.
Keep in touch with friends and family via voice calls and or video messaging. Apps such as Facetime, Whatsapp, Skype and Zoom are pretty simple to download and use. If you've never done that before or felt it's "not for you", why not give it a try. This blog tells you the best ways to keep in touch during lockdown.
Why not try to turn your hobby virtual – Join a book club, sign up to do a yoga class online, complete a Jo Wicks work out video or join the cast of stricylt who atre keeping the nation fit and happy through dancing. There are lots of ways to keep contacted, active and happy, so find the best one for you.
Social isolation can have a negative effect on your mental wellbeing and personal relationships. Read this advice from the charity Relate.
Relationships can be one of the many things impacted by the Covid-19 outbreak
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Spending too much time together: Relationships aren't built on the expectation that you will spend all day, every day with that person, so give yourself a break if you're finding this a challenge. Read more about how to cope with living in such close quarters.
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Keeping relationships healthy while working from home: Read top tips for keeping relationships healthy while working from home.
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Dealing with irritations: Don't let little irritations get the better of you. Read tips and advice on dealing with irritations in your relationship.
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Supporting our partners: Covid-19 can be a worrying time, and our partners may be feeling anxious. This short video explains how we can support our loved ones in the best way.
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Refuge is the UK's largest single provider of domestic and gender-based violence services.
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The national domestic violence helpline, run in partnership between Women's Aid and Refuge, is a national service for women experiencing domestic violence, their family, friends, colleagues and others calling on their behalf. The helpline is available for all women, concerned friends and professionals. Call 0808 2000 247 freephone 24 hours a day.
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Relate provides relationship support for people of all ages, backgrounds and sexual orientations.
Carers UK supports carers through expert advice, information and support.
Read Carers UK advice on:
It is likely that many of us, or many of our family and friends, will experience adverse financial impacts as a result of Covid-19. This section provides you with links to the best and most up to date resources to support your financial wellbeing.
Financial Wellbeing Support from the Money Advice Service
All health and social care staff can access:
•Free, impartial and confidential money advice from Money Advice Service support line
•Online NHS and Money Advice Service resources
•Web event recordings on financial wellbeing
The government has also provided information and guidance on what financial support may be available to you.
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Step Change provides free advice and practical solutions on debt and how it affects you.
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The Money Charity aims to help people to better manage their money
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Money Saving Expert has dedicated financial information for Covid-19 including:
Regardless of age, this may be a difficult time for children and young people. Some may react right away, while others may show signs of difficulty later on. How a child or young person reacts can vary according to their age, how they understand information and communicate, their previous experiences, and how they typically cope with stress.
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When your parent is a keyworker: advice for children and young people during the Covid-19 pandemic
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WHO - helping children cope with stress during Covid-19 outbreak
Supporting the emotional wellbeing of year 6 children
Catherine who is a Children's Specialist Nurse for emotional health and wellbeing in our 0-19 Team in Sefton has written and delivered classroom sessions to support year 6 children to manage worries in respect of SATS and transitioning to High School. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic the sessions have been recorded to share with year 6 pupils. The team would like to share the interventions with staff who have year 6 children to help support their emotional wellbeing. The videos have been made in two sessions Managing worries part one and Managing worries part two there are also interactive resources to accompany the videos which you can find below:
NHS support line for staff: Call 0300 131 7000 or text FRONTLINE to 85258 for support 24/7 via text to start a conversation. Calls are supported by a number of expert charities, including Samaritans, Shout and Hospice UK.
Samaritans: Call 116 123 for free or www.samaritans.org
National Domestic Violence Helpline: 0808 2000 247
At this particularly difficult time, don't use smoking, alcohol or other drugs to deal with your emotions. If you feel overwhelmed, talk to a health professional or counsellor. Have a plan: your health, safety and wellbeing are essential. You need to put your own (literal and figurative) oxygen mask on before helping others with theirs. See below for more information and links:
Here's a number of the most useful apps around to support you, try them and see what works for you and try your best to maintain this practice daily.
Chill Panda Is a family friendly relaxation, breathing exercise and activity app. Tasks include simple breathing techniques and light exercises to take your mind off your worries. It allows children and adults to understand how their bodies respond to different feelings.
WhatsApp video and messaging has announced a new update for it's app that will now make video calls easier than before on it's platform, at least for smaller groups. With this latest feature, the instant messaging app has said that members will be able to make a group call or video call using a dedicated button.
Happify. Need a happy fix? With its psychologist-approved mood-training program, the Happify app is your fast-track to a good mood. Try various engaging games, activity suggestions, gratitude prompts and more to train your brain as if it were a muscle, to overcome negative thoughts.
Sleepio is a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) based programme which can be accessed via smartphone or web. It works by helping people to resolve their persistent sleep problems by discovering their ideal personal sleep pattern.