You’re not alone
The coronavirus (COVID-19) has made the world pretty different right now. If you are feeling overwhelmed or stressed by it all, be assured that this is a normal response. But it is important to take care of yourself! Here a few tips to try:
Taking care of yourself
#1 Do things that make you happy!
Make these activities a part of your daily life. Singing, listening to music, reading, playing games, chatting with friends, cooking, playing football, drawing... there are many possibilities!
Sleep!
Try to get enough sleep each night. This will help you grow well, stay healthy, as well as have energy and focus during the day.
Stay active!
Being physically active is good for your body and can help your mind feel better. If you can go outside, try a walk, run, bike ride, or another sport. If indoors, try dancing or stretching. Find what works for you – and do it! Anything that increases your heart rate counts as staying active.
Eat well!
Try to make healthy choices about what you eat if you can.
#2 Be kind to yourself
It is okay to feel this way. Putting pressure on yourself to always ‘be happy’ or ‘stay positive’ or ‘stay productive’ can sometimes make you feel worse. So recognise how you are feeling and find healthy ways to take care of yourself.
#3 Relax! Breathe! Take a break
#4 Look for the good
Think of something you are thankful for before sleeping each night. It could be a very small thing. This can help to remind us that although not every day is good, there is something good in every day.
“I make countdowns for things I’m excited about. When I’ve gone through dark, low times, I’ve always found a tiny bit of relief and hope in getting a countdown app (they’re free) and adding things I’m looking forward to. Even if they’re not big holidays or anything, it’s good to look toward the future. Sometimes we can get overwhelmed in the now, and it’s good to get some perspective that life will always go on, to better things.” – Taylor Swift
Become a problem solver
Life can be full of ups and downs. We all face challenges that we need to overcome, some big and some small. That is why it is important for us to become problem solvers.
Talk to someone you trust. It is not always easy to manage stress, worry, or sadness by yourself. Talk to a friend, a parent, a teacher, or a trusted adult about how you are feeling, and they may be able to help you. Sometimes just by talking with someone else, you might feel better.
Finding help
Some warning signs that show you may need to get help include:
- You feel nervous, stressed, or worried all the time, you can’t sleep at night or you fall asleep but wake up for hours at night.
- You are using alcohol or drugs to cope.
- You often suddenly feel panicked. It may feel like you can’t breathe,or that your heart is pounding. No matter how much you try to calm down you are not able to relax.
- You feel that life is no longer worth living and you have thoughts about hurting yourself or ending your life, oryoufeel like you would like to just go to sleep and not wake up.
- Experiencing these signs can be scary. You should seek help immediately by telling someone you trust and/or calling a helpline.
Call
the “Kanner- a Jugendtelefon” helpline: +352 11 61 11
Or get psychological help under the COVID-19 Helpline: 8002 8080.
Write
to Online Help
Drop by
the SePAS office in your school