Infectious disease outbreaks, like the current Coronavirus (COVID-19), can be scary and can affect our mental health. While it is important to stay informed, there are also many things we can do to support and manage our wellbeing during such times.
Below are a number of resources that include some tips we hope will help you, your friends and your family to look after your mental health at a time when there is much discussion of potential threats to our physical health.
► Government websites and helplines
► Resources to support mental health and wellbeing
► Resources to support whānau, families and children
- Explaining COVID-19
► Resources for practitioners / clinicians
► Resources for parenting practitioners
Websites (NZ)
Please use the websites to access COVID-19 information.
- COVID-19 NZ (NZ Government) - Translations in other languages are included here
- Ministry of Health website (NZ Government)
- COVID-19 Advice for Māori (Te Rōpū Whakakaupapa Urutā - National Māori Pandemic Group)
Helplines:
- For COVID-19 health advice, go to the website first, self-registering can be done online: 0800 358 5453
- For general health advice: 0800 611 116
- To talk to a professional counsellor, free call or text: 1737
- Narcotics Anonymous (NA) online meetings
- Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) online meetings
COVID-19 Info in other languages
Ministry of Health
- Info sheet on Self isolation
- COVID-19 Assets kit - Ministry of Health (MoH) & Health Promotion Agency (HPA)
- Bus shelter adverts
- Radio adverts
- Digital banners
- Social media images
- Infosheets
Employment NZ
► Resources to support mental health and wellbeing
- Tips for managing your own mental wellbeing (Ministry of Health NZ)
- Media coverage or public discussion of COVID-19 may affect you. It’s normal to feel distressed and experience symptoms of stress in this time.
- Spend time in places that feel safe and comfortable as much as possible.
- Tell yourself that how you are feeling is a normal reaction and will pass – it is nothing to be afraid of.
- Reach out to your usual supports – family and whānau, friends and workmates. Sharing how we feel and offering support to others is important.
- Keep to usual routines – mealtimes, bedtime, exercise and so on.
- Keep active – going to work, doing usual leisure activities and seeing friends can improve general wellbeing and help distract from distressing feelings.
► Apps
- Aroha - a chatbot to help young people cope with stress (NZ)
- Apps for anxiety, stress, depression and general mental health - Health Navigator (NZ)
- Smiling Mind app (Australia)
- FACE COVID eBook, Russ Harris (USA)
International Resources:
- Mental Health and Psychosocial Considerations During COVID-19 Outbreak (PDF) - World Health Organisation (WHO)
- Looking after your mental health - Mental Health Foundation (UK)
- Keep calm and wash your hands (poster)
- Resources to support parents/caregivers discussing Covid-19 with children/youth - Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health
- Minding your mental health during the coronavirus outbreak - Health Service Executive (HSE) (Ireland)
- A simulation to assist in understanding the theory behind ‘social distancing’ - Social Distancing (Washington Post)
- Managing anxiety and stress - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (USA)
- Wider information for staying well (COVID-19) - Mental Health Europe
► Resources to support whānau, families and children
Understanding COVID-19
- Talking to children about COVID-19 MoE (NZ)
- Putiputi & Puddy learn about the Coronavirus - by Janet Peters and Paul Hirini (NZ)
- #COVIBOOK - Supporting and reassuring children around the world (USA)
Author: Manuela Molina Cruz, Instagram: @mindheart.kids, COVibook CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 International Public License
Various articles by Dr Siouxsie Wiles & Toby Morris:
- Viruses vs Everyone (25/03/20)
- You’re waking up in lockdown New Zealand. Here’s how it works (26/03/20)
Triple P Parenting Programme
International Resources
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Ways to Promote Children’s Resilience to the COVID-19 Pandemic - Jessica Dym Bartlett and Rebecca Vivrette
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Helping children cope with stress during the 2019-nCoV outbreak - World Health Organisation (WHO)
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6 ways parents can support their children through the COVID-19 (WHO & Unicef)
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Talking to children about natural disasters, traumatic events, or worries about the future - Video (Emerging Minds, Australia)
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Parenting in the time of COVID-19 - WHO - To help parents interact constructively with their children during this time of confinement, these six one-page tips for parents cover planning one-on-one time, staying positive, creating a daily routine, avoiding bad behaviour, managing stress, and talking about COVID-19. Use them to your and your kids’ advantage, and have fun in doing so.
► Workforce Resources
► Tikanga Māori Resources for practitioners
- Whai Tikanga: The application of a culturally relevant value centred approach, Dr Andre McLachlan, Rebecca Wirihana & Terry Huriwai (2017)
- Te Rau Ora Bibliography 1: Literature on the impacts of natural and pandemic events upon Māori and Indigenous peoples. Dr Kahu McClintock, Te Rau Ora
- Te Rau Ora Bibliography 2: International Literature on the impacts of COVID-19 and other pandemic events on the mental health and wellbeing of people. Dr Kahu McClintock, Te Rau Ora
► Resources for practitioners / clinicians
- Online EMDR therapy Associaton Guidance during Covid-19 outbreak (EMDR - UK)
- Considerations for psychologists working with children and young people using online video platforms (British Psychological Society)
- DCP Digital Healthcare Sub-Committee - top tips for providing effective therapy via video -
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An evidence summary of Paediatric COVID-19 literature. Boast A, Munro A, Goldstein H. (Don't Forget the Bubbles - DFTB has 'a world recognised leadership role in making meaning of information in paediatric medicine for clinicians.')
► Resources for parenting practitioners
- The Incredible Years blog - sign up to this blog to receive regular updates on how to support parents during the pandemic
- Video on Attachment Parenting by Beth Troutman
