Protecting your mental well being during the COVID19 outbreak

So this is the new normal. How are you adjusting? For many of us, we kind of got used to being isolated in one way or another. Weeks offshore, away from family, missing friends’ weddings, and the like. But this is totally different.

Personally, I have not spent this much time at home since I was a child. I now have a child, and in many ways this time is giving me a chance that I would never have had otherwise to hang out with her. It is great. It is also a helluva change!

I do miss the guys in the office – even though we are remote conferencing every day. The atmosphere at Precise in our Spitalfields base is something really special, with our little family. I am incredibly proud of the work that they are doing from home – the care and support they give to all our people is undiminished. And I think the culture we have created together has gone a long way to help us through this time – we all look out for each other, check in regularly and keep the social side as much as is realistic.

It is important to pay attention to our mental health both personally and professionally. In 2018 the UK Government published its safety statistics for 2018 and reported the highest number of injuries since 2015. Offshore Technology looked at it and was stunned at the ‘complete absence of mental health statistics’:

“With workers often living away from home in remote and challenging environments for long periods at a time, stress, isolation and the absence of friends and family mean offshore workers could be at greater risk of developing mental health issues than those in other sectors.”

If someone was finding things tough before this, chances are it is not gotten better. Some of the stresses we experience come from uncertainty so trying to find out what is known can make a big difference. What about sick pay, benefits, mortgages? You can speak to your employer and bank and get help and clarity about what you can do.

Exercise is an amazing way to give your head some space – if you are sweating as you do a push up, you are not thinking about anything but the pain in your arms. I am a big CrossFit fan, and the guys at the box often have group challenges that give us competition to look forward to and is a way to get together that does not include alcohol! I am doing all this from my little garden with just a few pieces of kit you can order online.

And talking about things can help too. We are not always great at that. There are ways you can get help including from online resources such as this from the NHS, which can give you tips on how to manage anxiety and unhelpful thoughts.

Something I always like to remember is that if I am helping other people, I am not spending time thinking about my situation. I have started doing a bit with the NHS volunteering programme and it is not time-consuming, but it is good to be helping someone else.

And if you’re ok, but you’re worried about a friend – there is advice on how to do that. Many support organisations are stretched, particularly charities which have lost out on vital fundraising from the likes of the London Marathon and other events.

The phrase ‘unprecedented time’ is bandied about a lot. But do not become immune to it. It is true – we have never been through this before and we are in it for the long-haul. This may be the new normal, but it is ever-flexing and a lot is being asked of us to cope with it. If you need help, do not be afraid to reach out and ask for it. And if you can, help others. You will get back ten-fold what you put in.