With the new entry into lockdown, we’ve prepared a toolkit to help you take care of your mental health.
Emotions and feelings such as panic, fear, sadness and anxiety are normal and the key is to learn how to manage them and deal with them in a positive way.
This guide has been adapted from the Ordem dos Psicólogos Portugueses document and revised by SEPRI’s psychology team.
It is divided into 3 parts: Emotions, Relationships and Personal/Professional Life.
Each of these parts has simple steps that you can start implementing today in your day-to-day life to feel more capable and more positive.
1. Understanding our emotions
Become aware of your emotions and feelings.
Ask yourself the question: how do I feel today?
Accept your emotions and feelings and know that some days will be better than others.
Make peace with the uncertainty of the situation and focus on what you can control, on the here and now.
Recall previous times when you went through a difficult situation in your life and how you overcame it.
This will help you believe in your ability to deal with this new situation.
Learn strategies for dealing with anxiety and stress.
Read articles on the subject at www.sepri.pt/media
2. Maintaining our relationships
Reinforce contact with the people you care about by using digital tools that allow you to maintain physical distance and emotional closeness.
Video calls are a popular option, but a simple daily phone call can help.
Express your emotions and share how you feel.
Sharing often leads us to realize that there are other people experiencing the same thing as us and that they understand us, making us not feel so alone.
Reduce the possibility of confinement by defining a personal space where you can withdraw when you feel frustrated or angry.
Try to communicate with the people you live with, avoid blame and hostility and define a space for sharing feelings, creating moments of relaxation and fun.
3. Managing personal/professional life
Set yourself realistic daily goals.
Try to do one or more things every day that bring you a sense of achievement at the end of the day.
It’s important to have a goal to achieve in order to live a more purposeful day-to-day life.
Balance your personal and professional life.
Working from home can lead to a lack of separation between time for work and time for self-care, rest and connecting with others.
It’s important to set times in the day for both, after all, personal fulfillment is just as important as professional fulfillment.
Stick to a routine and diversify your activities.
Try to keep the same meal times and assign different times of day to different tasks.
Having structure in your day-to-day life helps your brain feel more organized and calm.
If you need professional help, use the telephone psychological support service integrated into the SNS24 telephone line 808 24 24 24.
SEPRI also offers online psychology consultations, so you can access the doctor you need from the comfort of your own home.
To do this, you can use the line: 253 271 525.
