Resource

For clients of the Helen Bamber Foundation: The team at HBF are here to support you, so please call us if you feel things are getting worse for you (02030582020). 

Our therapy team will be here to listen and help you as much as we can. We know you may be struggling. 

You may be feeling anxious. This is completely understandable, but try not to let your worry become overwhelming. Here are some tips to care for your mental health:

• Avoid watching, reading or listening to news that cause you to feel anxious or distressed. Seek information updates at specific times during the day, once or twice. Try to focus on reading factual reports from reputable sources, e.g. the government or NHS websites, in order to help you distinguish facts from rumours.
• If you notice you are spending many hours a day worrying, try to limit the time you spend worrying to just one set time in the day (e.g. 9.00-9.30am every day). Outside of these times, write down your worries on a piece of paper and then focus on them during your next allocated ‘worry time’. This will mean you can focus on more helpful activities at other times of the day.
• Seek support from friends (or HBF, if you are a client of ours) if you need it. 
• Engage in activities that are meaningful and enjoyable. 
• Protect yourself and be supportive to others. If and when you feel well enough (and it is safe for you to do so), see if you can also get involved in helping your housemates, neighbours and wider community. Being someone who helps others in difficult circumstances can be as helpful to you as it is to the person you are helping.

If of interest, here is some formal guidance from the World Health Organisation: https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/mental-health-considerations.pdf?sfvrsn=6d3578af_2