Thoughts on wellbeing and staying socially connected

I’ve been thinking a lot, as we all have, about how to look after our mental health during this time. I think it’s important to acknowledge and normalise all the difficult emotions we will be experiencing at times while we adjust to our ‘new normal’. It’s to be expected that we, and our children if we have them, will feel anxious, sad, lonely, angry, confused and overwhelmed in these very strange and unsettling times. Noticing and naming our feelings can be a helpful way, not of riding ourselves of them but noticing that ‘anxiety is here’ or ‘sadness is here’ when they are..….and breathe. There is nothing wrong, it’s healthy to be afraid, it means we’ll all do what we need to do to get through this crisis. It will pass. 

It is also helpful to expect that at times we will feel good, safe and happy and that there may even be positives that we notice from our current ‘lockdown’ way of living. We are seeing that although we have to be physical distanced from each other we can maintain a social connectedness, with family and friends through social media and online ‘nights in’ as well as online yoga and gym classes to name a few. In our own communities we can walk and notice the rainbows in the windows and continue to be social with those we meet. Maintaining the physical 2 metres distance is hugely important and so is maintaining the social connect with others through smiling, nodding or saying hello, especially as so many of the people we meet will be on their own -lets connect in the ways we can right now. It is hugely life affirming to see all the creative ways people are finding to stay in touch and stay connected. 

With that in mind I’ve been thinking about the clap for our carers. Like loads of people I felt happy and proud to be part of the 8pm clap. Over the last few days, I’ve been thinking about it more and am keen to join again this week, although perhaps this time with a pot so I can be louder! And in my mind it’s a clap for us all….a clap for our carers, the NHS, the supermarket workers, the posties, the police, the teachers, the care staff and for all those doing the right thing and staying at home. So, I see it as a clap for all of us; a clap for our communities. We are all in this together. We can do this. 

Dr Camilla Dyer

Clinical Psychologist