Four more weeks have been added to lockdown, and if you’re getting worried about your mental health, or just want to know some handy tips to help you look after yourself in this stressful time, we spoke to psychologist Jaydene Tucker, who has some helpful tips.
Jaydene Tucker has been working as a psychologist for the last 7 years, and through her work with JTPsychology, she works as an organisational psychologist, applying psychology to the workplace.
Jaydene says it is more important now than ever to show yourself some love and be understanding with how you’re going. “We need to show ourselves a bit of self-compassion and I think that a lot of us go into lockdown placing extremely high expectations on ourselves, whether that be parents who are home schooling, people who want to clean the whole house, or find a recipe for the perfect sourdough.”
“We need to manage our own expectations and show ourselves a bit of self-compassion” says Jaydene.
Jaydene also suggests setting three goals each day, perhaps in different areas, such as work, a personal goal, and a wellbeing or health related goal.
Reaching out for help and reading positive news, as well as staying informed about current events are also recommended.
Businesses can support their staff by practicing what they preach. “Doing things like not working outside of business hours, talking about what they did on the weekend or if they need to take a personal day, being ok with that and comfortable with discussing it” says Jaydene.
Businesses can also make sure they check in with their employees regularly, and be mindful that early warning signs are harder to identify when there isn’t a face to face visual of someone.
But what about after lockdown? How can you make sure you hold onto these good practices and habits you’ve learnt during this time? Jaydene says: “It’s really about forming habits out of those good behaviours and making sure that these continue to be prioritised as we transition back into our normal lives.”
“In the same way you were able to prioritise time for exercise I know that there will be a lot of opportunities and distractions as lock down eases, to try and find that time within your day.”
Jaydene has run sessions with Inner East citizens, announced through the Darlo Darlings and Potts Pointers Facebook groups. If you’re interested in participating in one of her future seminars check out her Facebook page JTPsychology and keep an eye on it for more announcements.
