Online support to help deal with crisis

CORK Kerry Community Healthcare has this week begun a week-long series of videos to help the public cope during the current COVID-19 crisis.

‘Five ways over Five days’ is a series of five videos which Cork Kerry Community Healthcare is releasing this week.

Each day, a new video will be issued with advice and support from Principal Psychology Manager Daniel Flynn for members of the public impacted by COVID-19.

“We know that the past few weeks have been a challenging time for everyone here in Ireland. COVID-19 has changed how we think, how we feel and how we act day to day... We want to ensure that, at the current time, we do everything we can to support people in our community as they cope with these new difficult realities,” said Mr Flynn.

The aim of the videos is to give people the skills they need to cope. Monday’s video focused on understanding emotions, while Tuesday’s video focused on understanding the mind and how to balance emotion and reason.

Wednesday’s video (Today, April 8) is on mindfulness and the what and how of everyday practise. Thursday’s release will further focus on mindfulness and how to be mindful of others during this time, while the final video on Friday is coping with distress and crisis survival tips.

“It is really important that, at a time when we are all feeling more worried and fearful in the context of uncertainty, that we do everything in our power to take control where we can. These videos will teach you some basic ideas and skills that could make a big difference to your well-being and that of others around you,” Mr Flynn said.

The links to each video will be issued on social media each day and can be watched on YouTube – just search for Cork Kerry Community Healthcare on YouTube, or see @CorkKerryCH on Twitter. Extra resources are also available on the HSE website.