Coronavirus and mental health: Supporting someone during Covid-19
Checking in on your family, friends, and colleagues is always important. But as the coronavirus pandemic continues, this is more important than ever.
Lots of us have felt worried about the coronavirus pandemic, and everyone will feel differently about the changes to lockdown restrictions.
If someone’s feeling anxious or worried, you don’t need to be an expert on mental health to support them. Think about using our three top tips:
1) Check-in
If someone doesn’t feel ready to meet face-to-face, picking up the phone, having a video call, starting a group chat or messaging someone on social media lets them know you are there to talk and ready to listen.
2) Listen and reflect
Whether you have a mental health problem or not, this will be a challenging time for our mental health and wellbeing. If someone opens up to you, remember that you don’t need to fix things or offer advice. Often just listening, and showing you take them seriously, can help someone to manage.
3) Ask questions
Ask how people are managing, and ask again if you’re worried they aren’t sharing the full picture. Asking again, with interest, can help someone to open up and explore what they’re feeling.