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Depression and Anxiety

It’s important to look after your health and mental wellbeing, especially during times of anxiety and stress. Physical distancing and isolating yourself from others in the age of COVID-19 is creating new and unique challenges, particularly for older Australians

If COVID-19 has you feeling concerned about your wellbeing, The Beyond Blue Coronavirus support service can provide useful information and counselling to help, specific to your needs. Here are some tips to help get you on the right track:

Stay connected

Social connections are not only essential for mental health and well-being, they can also help us cope in stressful situations. Staying in touch with friends and family, including grandchildren, can be as simple as picking up the phone, but video call systems such as Skype and FaceTime can be really helpful too, as they allow for face-to-face catch-ups from a distance.

If you need some help using this kind of technology, consider signing up to Be Connected, a free online learning program designed to help older Australians connect digitally.

Perspective is key

It’s understandable that you might be fearful about becoming unwell at the moment, and whatever you’re feeling, know that it’s okay.

However, instead of imagining worst-case scenarios, try to keep things in perspective – and remember that this situation is temporary.

When things feel uncertain and beyond your control, instead of allowing your mind to spend too much time pondering those “what-if?” questions, it can help to focus on the actions and things in your life that are within your control.

Even though your daily routine may have temporarily changed, how you fill your day and what you spend time doing is still within your control. And while it’s natural to think about the activities you can’t do, make a conscious effort to focus on what you can do.

Stay busy doing things you enjoy, whether that’s gardening, reading, listening to podcasts or watching television.

Create a new routine

Making sure your days have structure, even though your usual visits and away-from-home activities have been put on hold for now, can help provide a sense of normality and purpose. Schedule tasks, like cleaning and doing the laundry, make ‘appointments’ to catch up with people from a distance and spend time on activities that you like to give your day routine.

Focused breathing

This basic and easy-to-practice breathing exercise involves the deliberate expansion and contraction of your ribcage as you focus your awareness on your inhalation and exhalation. This practice can be done while you are sitting at a table.
Close your eyes, this brings your focus inwards.
Straighten your spine, you may like to place your hands on your ribcage to feel the movement there.
With every inhalation feel the expansion of your ribcage front, side and back.
With every exhalation slowly contract your ribcage.
Keep breathing in this way for a while, consciously expanding and contracting your ribcage.
As you move more deeply into the practice you will begin to feel you are drawing energy into your whole body with every inhalation.
With every exhalation you are letting go of tension in your body.

Look after yourself

It’s really important to maintain a healthy lifestyle, so focus on eating a healthy diet, getting enough sleep and doing some regular physical activity, whether that’s going for a walk around your garden – if you have one – or finding a way to exercise at home.

This information was provided by Beyond Blue. Contact the Beyond Blue Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service 24 hours, & days a week on 1800 512 348

Domestic and relationship strain

During the COVID-19 crisis and social distancing restrictions, families and relationships can be put under more strain. Family and domestic violence isn’t always physical. It can happen to anyone, at any time.

For example it could include:

· verbal abuse or

· technology facilitated abuse which could include checking your computer and phone use

· or controlling behaviour which makes you do or believe things you wouldn’t normally. You may be stopped from seeing people or leaving the house

If you are feeling impacted by this, experiencing heightened anxiety, and relationships are strained.
You can access 24/7 counselling and support through the National sexual assault, domestic family violence and counselling service:
1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732.

Extra care for carers

Caring can be physically and emotionally draining and many carers put their own needs last. Carers can experience a range of overwhelming emotions. You can be at your best when your looking after yourself too. It may help to talk with a professional counsellor. For Carers wanting counselling and peer support call, Carer Gateway on 1800 422 737 (8am - 5pm Monday to Friday). You can also use this number to refer someone else, but make sure you have their consent.