Additional Well-Being, Support and Guidance for Our Community

Dear Parents,

With the current situation still uncertain, it’s important to know that if you or your children are feeling overwhelmed, you’re not alone. Here are some ideas that won’t get rid of the waves of uncertainty but may help you feel more able to deal with them and support your child with their feelings too: 

• The first step in any process of change is to recognise your unproductive thought loops or what-ifs cycles. Without recognising when you’re worrying, you are powerless to do anything different.  Take a step back and simply notice your triggers and negative thoughts as they cycle through your mind.  
• Think about the function that worry has for you.  For example, sometimes people think that by thinking about all the what-if’s, they will be able to prepare themselves for the worst, thereby avoiding nasty surprises. But sadly, it doesn’t work like this, and all worrying really does is drain your mental energy and keep you from enjoying the present.    
• Be present-minded.  By being fully connected to the present, you can interrupt the negative thought processes.  This idea stems from the principles of Mindfulness.  For example, when you notice yourself getting lost in uncertainty and fear, consciously shift your attention to your breath and notice the feeling of your feet on the ground, etc. 
• Maintain a routine. Structure provides comfort and a sense of predictability during times of uncertainty. Remind yourself that there is little you can do to affect the current national and global situation, but there is plenty you can do to affect how you feel. For example, focus your efforts on eating well, exercising and getting enough sleep etc. 
• Recognise and accept your feelings.  Don’t try to deny or suppress your feelings; instead, remind yourself that everyone is feeling an overwhelming whirlwind of emotions right now, and give yourself permission to feel them too. Like all emotions, they will eventually pass. Observe your emotions and watch them come and go as you would watch trains come in and out of a station.  
• Be kind to yourself and be your own best friend.  Don’t beat yourself up if you’re finding this situation hard. If a friend came to you with these fears or ‘what if’s’, what would you tell them? 
• Learn from your past.  You have probably survived other times of uncertainty in the past, so think through those times and reflect on what you found helpful to get you through, and see if there is a way to reuse these strategies now.
• Limit your news consumption. The news is overwhelming and compelling at the moment, but it also exacerbates our uncertainty and anxiety, so try to limit your check-ins to certain times of the day and avoid looking at the news right before bedtime.
• Challenge your need for certainty.  Accept that trying to control the uncontrollable is futile; uncertainty is part of life. This is easier said than done, admittedly, but acceptance is a big step toward regaining peace of mind.