Mental Health during COVID-19 – Tips for VCE and Uni students

Mental Health

Your mental health is always important and during COVID-19 this is no different.

Physical distancing does not have to mean social distancing. It is more important than ever to remain connected with our friends, family and community.

Keep Connected with friends

An obvious one but social connection is important for your physical and mental wellbeing. Social distancing means that you will need to find new ways of staying connected with your family, friends and community. Luckily we live in a time when there are many options to keep connected. Group chats, Skype, Snapchat, FaceTime, Houseparty …. I don’t really have to explain you get it. Just make sure your communicating in a positive way.

Practice self-care

Self-care is a commitment to make time for those activities that help you to relax and feel good. When done correctly it gives you a greater capacity to manage stress, increase resilience and can help with the management of some mental health symptoms.

What works as Self-care is different for everyone as we are all unique. Things like Music, Art, Reading, Meditation, Mindfulness, Online learning, Exercise, building something or even gardening are some examples.

If your muscle and joints are hurting from sitting at the desk for too long I am also happy to help. You can do so by making an appointment here.

Maintain Perspective

While it is very reasonable to be concerned, try to remember to maintain perspective. Stay calm and practical. Find a healthy balance in relation to the media and try not to make assumptions and get information from credible sources.

Most importantly… Seek support

Cover-19 will affect everyone differently and there are experts in this field offering free online and telephone support services. Here is a list of some of the main ones in Geelong and what there service is;

Organisation	Phone Number	Times	Service
Headspace	1800 650 890	9am – 1am, 7 days	Support for young people aged 12-25 and their families going through a tough time.
Kids Helpline	1800 551 800	24 hours, 7 days	Counselling services for kids and young people.
Beyond Blue	1300 224 636	24 hours, 7 days	Counselling, information and advice provided by trained mental health professionals.
Lifeline	13 11 14	24 hours, 7 days	Crisis support and suicide prevention services.
Direct Line	1800 888 236	24 hours, 7 days	Alcohol and drug counselling and referral services.
RESPECT	1800 737 732	24 hours, 7 days	Sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service.