For some people mental-wellbeing might be considered a low concern when you take into account that people are stuck in their homes without their normal social support group, or have children who are desperate to go out, or are faced with fear of getting sick and have underlying health complications, or have the stress and risk of being an essential worker, or are dealing job losses and money concerns, or are living with difficult family situations, or facing one of the many other pressures from the Covid19 pandemic.
Instead, it is more important than ever that people take stock of their own mental-wellbeing and check in with friends, family, and acquaintances who might be struggling.
It may be as simple as flicking a friend a text to see how they’re holding up, or scheduling weekly zoom meeting with an acquaintance who lives alone. For ourselves, it means taking time to relax and process the ever changing times, finding things that bring us joy, and ensuring that we have the support, rhythms, and prayer life that nourishes and sustains us.
I’ve attached a range of resources to this post to encourage people in the self care and care of others.
For Self Care
-This article published by the Chronicle, and written by Aisha S. Ahmad, discusses how to face the pressure of productivity while stuck at home
https://www.chronicle.com/article/Why-You-Should-Ignore-All-That/248366/?fbclid=IwAR2PjGd4Ef_Liqj1q4fj745kxXk4VJY9JlVZUKAe42IdKOQwauE0S2vgtzM
- The Daily Offices FB page, which is regular rhythms of prayer hosted by ADJust from the New Zealand Prayer Book
https://www.facebook.com/TheDailyOffices/
- Our Church also has a collection of resources that may be useful for you over the course of lockdown
https://anglican.org.nz/News/COVID-19-Response-and-Resources-2020
For Parents
- The Anglican Strandz website is filled with great kids activities, including a few fun Easter ideas.
- The Sparklers at Home website, is a NZ resource website filled with activities for kids at home
https://sparklers.org.nz/parenting/
For Connecting
Video chatting is a great way to connect with people and Zoom would be my recommendation for doing so. You can also look at playing interactive board games together online, or pick up the rich art of email writing.
-The Zoom basic package is free to use and has unlimited 1 on 1 conversations and 45 minute group conversations.
- Anglican Communications Limited has a great offer for the paid account which offers 24/7 phone support, unlimited group calls and the ability to record you conversations for $250p/y +gst, if this interests you then contact Natalie at zoom@anglicanchurch.org.nz .
Help and Support
- If at any time you need to talk to someone then call or text 1737, which is a NZ helpline staffed by a team of paid counsellors who are available 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
- There’s also a range of websites you can visit for support such as youthline.co.nz and mentalhealth.org.nz
If you have any other resources related to mental well-being at this time and would like them shared, please submit them via the link on this site.