♥️ please take care of yourself ♥️
carer wellbeing advice and support
The GOV.UK website is a great place to start for advice on keeping physically and mentally well during the COVID-19 outbreak, which is having such a massive impact on all of our lives.
We’ve picked out some of the key points that will help you to take care of your mind as well as your body. They’ll help you to cope with some of the feelings and worry that you might be experiencing.
We are also continuing our 1 to 1 support sessions via the phone so please do get in touch: 01539 815970.
If you are looking for a good way to explain what’s happening to someone you care for who may find it more difficult to understand, there’s an easy read guide that you can download.
Cumbria County Council have collated a list of useful businesses during this time. This list includes food delivery, medical, schools, transport and support.
- Think about how you can stay in touch with friends and family via telephone, video calls or social media instead of meeting in person
- Sharing how you are feeling and the things you are doing to cope with family and friends will help you and them
- Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals, drink enough water, exercise inside where possible and outside once a day, and try to avoid smoking, alcohol and drugs
- If you are able to go outside, try some walking or gardening. If you are staying at home, there are plenty of ideas for exercise on these websites:
- Easy 10 minute workouts: www.nhs.uk/oneyou/for-your-body/move-more/home-workout-videos/
- Home exercise videos including aerobics, yoga and gym-free workouts: www.nhs.uk/conditions/nhs-fitness-studio/
- Keeping active at home: www.sportengland.org/stayinworkout#get_active_at_home
- Try to maintain regular sleeping patterns and keep good sleep hygiene practices – like avoiding screens before bed, cutting back on caffeine and creating a restful environment
- Try to focus on the things you can control, including where you get information from and actions to make yourself feel better prepared
- Limit the time you spend watching, reading, or listening to media coverage of the outbreak. It may help to only check the news at set times or limiting to a couple of checks a day
- Focussing on your favourite hobby, learning something new or simply taking time to relax indoors should give you some relief from anxious thoughts and feelings and can boost your mood
- Think about things you want or need to do that you can still do at home. It could be watching a film, reading a book or learning something online. Set goals for the day
- Keep your mind active: read, write, play games, do crossword puzzles, sudoku puzzles, jigsaws or drawing and painting
- Spending time in nature can benefit both your mental and physical wellbeing. If you can’t get outside much you can try to still get these positive effects by opening the windows to let fresh air in, or arranging space to sit and see a nice view (if possible), getting some natural sunlight, or getting out into the garden if you can.