How is your Mental Health coping during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Many of us are struggling with our mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic, these may have been problems you have been living with before or new ones that came from the pandemic. It is important to remember that there is no right or wrong way to feel or react to your situation and you are certainly not alone. Coronavirus is affecting all our lives and causing changes to happen fast, leaving many of us to worry about ourselves and loved ones. You may be concerned about how Covid-19 had affected your life, one reason being the changes made to your work routine which mean you spend a lot of time at home. Here are some examples of mental health issues which people are experiencing during the pandemic:

• You might feel stressed about going into work (if necessary) during coronavirus for various reasons including: coming into contact with lots of people, having more work to do across longer hours, feeling uncertain about finances
• You may experience anxiety if you are going into work during coronavirus because you are worried about your health or the health of those around you. The daily anxiety might also be on top of other worries related to coronavirus such as losing your job
• You may also experience guilt if your response to the situation feels different to those around you. For example, if you are working under a lot of pressure which might make you feel stressed, while your colleagues seem motivated.

Whether you are working from home or in the office it is important to take care of your wellbeing, this will have a positive impact on your productivity while working and improve general mental health issues. We encourage you to take regular physical activity is associated with lower rates of depression and anxiety across all age groups and its essential for promoting wellbeing. Don’t forget to connect with people as there I strong evidence which indicates that feeling close and valued by other people contributes to functioning well in the world, this will also help combat depression and feelings of loneliness. Lasty, take care when digesting news and information as it can make you feel anxious or confused. Perhaps consider taking a break from social media so that you can filter out the negative material which is prominent online. We all react to difficult situations in different ways, so it is important to be kind to yourself.

Helplines & Support

If you are feeling anxious, then speak to your line manager or a friend. If you want mental health support, please call the Construction Industry Helpline for confidential 24/7 support on 0345 605 1956.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/mental-health-helplines/

Mind – www.mind.org.uk – Phone: 0300 123 3393 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm)

Samaritans – www.samaritans.org.uk – Phone: 116 123 (free 24-hour helpline)

Anxiety UK – www.anxietyuk.org.uk – Phone: 03444 775 774 (Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5.30pm